LITTLE GEMS 

Cursive writing is coming back, thank God.
A bill that would require cursive to be taught in Wisconsin schools has been reintroduced again after a previous version stalled out in 2022. The bill proposing the mandatory teaching of cursive writing in schools has passed the Assembly on February 20th and is now awaiting consideration in the state Senate. The bill seeks to mandate the inclusion of cursive writing in the state’s model academic standards for English language arts. The Assembly Committee on Education for the Assembly bill said that cursive writing helps with developing critical and creative thinking skills, enhances memory retention, develops motor skills, and helps students with learning disabilities such as dyslexia.

If passed, the bill would require cursive writing to be incorporated into Wisconsin’s model academic standards for English language arts. Model academic standards are a resource for districts to use when implementing curriculum. This bill would also require all school boards, independent charter schools, and private schools participating in a parental choice program to include cursive writing in the curriculum for elementary students. Students would also need to be able to write legibly in cursive by the end of fifth grade. Despite the legislative push, many school districts in Wisconsin already include cursive writing in their curriculum.

Cursive writing allows for a much more personal way of communicating as it’s so direct.  Think of the intimacy in reading cursively written notes in Christmas and birthday cards, if nothing else…or the ability to read those notes if you can’t understand cursive writing. Cursive is the cutting edge of personal…no A.I., no spell check or any of that.  It’s also there for emergencies.  This is a great bill from the perspective of and in the opinion of, the entire GSR staff.