By Hand or By Keyboard?

The new common core standards have eliminated handwriting from the curriculum in American classrooms. Now that electronic devices are being brought to classrooms, penmanship has dropped from the list of necessities for children to learn. Some argue that handwriting brings out creativity and intelligence in students. The main two reasons why many teachers fight to keep penmanship. The first is that many tests require writing and reading from paper. The second reason is for comprehension – students can slow down their thinking process by writing out every word. Others say that typing on devices is neater and faster for kids. Seventy-eight percent of teachers surveyed think that using devices to work in school develops expression and creativity for students.

Students should be allowed to use devices for their work, but penmanship should not be completely forgotten. Many teens already have electronic devices available for use in school so teachers should take advantage of them. Also, it is much easier for teachers to read and edit student’s work on computers. On the other hand, there are still many things in life that are written down on paper so students should know how to handwrite to accomplish these tasks. Overall, common core standards need to accept the new technology, but not eliminate the older way of writing.

~Georgia