BALTIMORE COUNTY — Baltimore County Public Schools adding a crucial part of elementary school curriculum back into classrooms is being met with praise from parents.
Whether you’re signing your name or wanting to jot down notes quickly, writing cursive is a fundamental skill.
Parents praise cursive writing returning to Baltimore County Public Schools
So when Baltimore County parent Virgil Moore found out his high school and middle school children didn't know how to write in cursive, he was shocked.
RELATED: Cursive writing returns to Baltimore County schools
“They’re getting old enough to where places want them to sign for things. And I asked them to sign their name and they just printed it out," Moore said.
Teaching them himself has proven to be difficult.
“When I realized my kids couldn’t do it, I realized that I kind of thought that it would be something easy to pick up, 'ok you just loop the letters together no big deal. But I’ve tried that and it’s harder than you would think it would be.'”
Widespread required cursive teaching was phased out of Baltimore County Public Schools.
“I kind of understood why they might not want to do it, it saves time and everything’s on a computer nowadays, so I kind of understood the reasoning behind it but at the same time it’s something that you need, it’s part of modern communication still.”
Parents on Facebook agree, some writing that learning cursive is a necessity for brain function, reading historical documents and more.
Their hopes were answered with Baltimore County Public Schools adding cursive writing back into schools.
Next school year, second and third graders will learn to loop their letters following a successful pilot program with 24 elementary schools this year.
“I wish my kids had learned it so it makes sense that maybe they’ve noticed that it’s a problem with older kids not having the ability to do it.”
Superintendent Myriam Rogers said, "Cursive handwriting supports students' fine motor development, letter formation, writing fluency and overall confidence as writers. When students can write more automatically, they can focus more attention on generating ideas, organizing thoughts and communicating clearly."
The new curriculum will not cost the district any extra money.
