The use of cursive writing has gradually become unfamiliar to a sizable number of students over time. There are many components that have factored into the decline of its use. One element that has impacted society’s writing greatly is technology. Advancements of technology and a greater and greater number of home computers offer alternatives to cursive penmanship. In many schools, teachers require that most, if not all assignments, be typed on the computer. In addition, the act of handwriting a letter and mailing it is nearly unheard of nowadays as emailing, texting, and social networking make communicating with one another a cinch.

Some elementary schools are even questioning whether or not they should continue to teach cursive in class anymore because of the decrease in its use, though I personally doubt cursive handwriting will ever be abolished wholly. Many teachers prefer to occupy class time teaching modern skills to their students so as to keep up with our advancing society. These skills include but are not limited to the ability to type with ease, and the ability to utilize a computer.

Cursive writing has been said to be faster than manuscript writing; however many individuals still opt to write in print when they have to hand-write their work. As time progresses I believe cursive writing will become rarer and rarer, and perhaps become a font used only as artistic expression.

If you ask me, the conveniences of technology outweigh the usefulness of cursive writing. With a little practice, one can learn to type at a much more rapid speed than they can to legibly write. Also, when notes or papers are electronically processed, saving them and reproducing them is considerably easier.  The use of cursive writing is undeniably decreasing, but perhaps it is time to move on.