Business Writing

[AmyNeub]

I have taught public school for 11 years. Students cannot read my cursive writing and they can't write in cursive. They always ask me to "write fancy".

11th graders take the ACT test and have to use their signature. They ask me what that a signature is.

It's really sad.

For many years as a middle school art teacher, I taught flat-nib calligraphy. The students loved it. I teacher computers now (I know the travesty, but it pays the bills).

Here is a great article about a school in NJ that has a Cursive Club. http://www.npr.org/2013/04/08/176570621/cursive-club-tries-to-keep-handwriting-alive

I think we should have a few goals:
1. Teach: everyone should find there local elementary school and donate their time. Spend 1-2 hours a week creating a Cursive Calligraphy Club.
2. Family: teach your family, nieces, nephews and cousins how to write cursive and calligraphy too.

Bonus: it will strengthen your practice and keep the art of calligraphy alive!

[Lori M]

I think we should have a few goals:
1. Teach: everyone should find there local elementary school and donate their time. Spend 1-2 hours a week creating a Cursive Calligraphy Club.
2. Family: teach your family, nieces, nephews and cousins how to write cursive and calligraphy too.

Great ideas! Take action and make a difference! Maybe after my daughter learns, she could help me with a Cursive Club.

[Linda Y.]

Note the terminal "t" in "Script".  In the 1960s, the version of script I learned always used the cross bar on the "t".  I can always tell an older person's handwriting because they use the flip on the terminal "t".

Not necessarily - I was taught to use the crossbar t, but when I saw the more "classic" t, I thought "omg that is brilliant and saves time!" so I started doing it too

[Denise R]

Typing was a required subject in my school when I was in 8th grade. That was in the 60s. We also had to learn to use a 10-key, address envelopes and write checks. We were expected to type 60wpm, and we did.

My boys can write cursive, and both do. But it looks terrible. They weren't taught in school to pay proper attention and write legibly. The thought (late 80s) was that handwriting would be obsolete within a few years and was no longer important to learn. I required them to write reports by hand before the final version on the computer when I started homeschooling them in middle school. At first they complained, but before long they realized that it forced them to slow down and put more thought into what they were writing. And because of that their work was more thorough and seemed more complete. However, now that they're adults they've gone back to the hurried scrawl they "practiced" when they were young. In fact I've heard some people say they're proud of their scratched writing. Like speed is impressive, I guess.

For a student to not know what a signature is makes my skin crawl and my heart sink. But I've heard it many times before. Yes, tragic.


Denise

[Moya]

I was at uni in the early 2000s for my first degree, and then went back for another round in 2010 ... the first time, the lecture halls were full of pens and pencils and scratching sounds, but in 2010, I was quite literally the only person in the room with a pen and pencil.  Laptops everywhere.

Which would not be a problem, except that sitting at the back you can see just how many of those laptops were open to Facebook ...

I can't take notes by laptop, though.  Because I worked in court transcription for so long, if I sit down in a lecture theatre with a laptop in front of me, I'll produce a word-perfect transcript of the lecture, but I won't remember a single word of it and I may as well not have attended at all.  There's a disconnect between typing and listening.  Because handwriting is so much slower for me, I'm forced to listen, analyse, and decide what's important to write down - which means I learn.

I wish they'd teach that to Kids These Days.  (Am I allowed to say scornfully Kids These Days when I'm not quite 30? Because I do!)

[Lori M]

in 2010, I was quite literally the only person in the room with a pen and pencil.  Laptops everywhere.

I was wondering about note taking in college these days. This confirms what I suspected.

For me, there's something about the process of writing something down that gets it in my brain in a way that typing doesn't. In fact, I could swear I heard about  studies that showed that's the case.

[Moya]

I was wondering about note taking in college these days. This confirms what I suspected.

For me, there's something about the process of writing something down that gets it in my brain in a way that typing doesn't. In fact, I could swear I heard about  studies that showed that's the case.

I don't even need to see the studies, Lori, I 100% believe you on that!  It just works. 

[flourishmetoo]

Thanks for this dialogue. Ken touched on something I have been wondering about. Are there any monoline exemplars for Spencerian or Copperplate? Where can they be found?

My children, now nearly adults, both learned Italic monoline, then cursive, using the Getty Dubay method. I feel like I gave them a gift for life by supporting them in their handwriting. They will bless others with their written words.

My daughter has picked up my parallel pens and plays with a new style each evening. She was quite eager to help me set up my Instagram and see the lovely penmanship. Seeds are planted!

[ItzmeNeng]

Ohhh im longing to learn spencerian and business writing but even i try harder, my writings doesnt seems look like spencerian.....and i makes me so frustraded, and sometimes i dont want to do it anymore, but after a while ill keep coming back to practice it.. Cuz i really like to learn it...

[ernie_tan]

My  mom's handwriting looks like this. Cursive and slanted. I always make jokes to her writing saying that it is so slant that  it is like a building that is going to collapse. Here I am, learning copperplate. Cursive with 55 degree slant. Ironic!

[patweecia]

those were the same letterforms we were taught at elementary school.  but they didn't like the slanted look   they wanted letters upright.  maybe that's why my letter forms now look confused