Kevin's Watch

Posted: **Tue Jan 22, 2008 10:08 am**

Vain wrote:
Emotional Leper wrote:
Vain wrote:I can still write in cursive mode and pretty darn neatly too
Cursive Mode?

Vain's a MACHINE!

BURN HIM!

HE'S MADE OF WOOD!
What part of Deus Ex Machina did you NOT understand ?

I was really hoping someone would make something of the "Burn Him, he's made of wood," bit, but I see all my anglophile Monty Python fans are pining for the fjords at the moment.

Posted: **Tue Jan 22, 2008 3:18 pm**

Sorry, Dark Lord. . . I was obviously shirking my duty.

Anyhow, I have a strange combination of cursive and print writing. I have a great deal of difficulty in writing the letter I in cursive. We had a substitue teacher that day, and I never did get the knack. But apart from that letter, I write a very good cursive. I get compliments on it, and I have always attributed my good handwriting to the fact that pretty handwriting appeals to my artistic side. As for writing fast, I have entire notebooks filled with long-hand notes from history lectures (I minored in History). When you have Dr. Dobbs for a professor, you learn to write quickly--in whatever way makes the most sense to you!

Posted: **Tue Jan 22, 2008 5:33 pm**

I never had great penmanship anyhow, but I never liked the way cursive capitals looked. So virtually the minute we stopped getting a grade for "writing", I started printing my capital letters and using cursive for the rest (more or less).

Since then, my handwriting has gotten even worse, to the point where I seem to do half-printing, half-cursive, and use a slash mark for a lower-case f.

Posted: **Tue Jan 22, 2008 5:34 pm**

I always thought cursive writing had something to do with nasty notes.....

Posted: **Tue Jan 22, 2008 5:38 pm**

Nasty notes?

Posted: **Tue Jan 22, 2008 5:38 pm**

CURSE -IVE?

Posted: **Tue Jan 22, 2008 5:40 pm**

Menolly wrote: *serious disagreement here*

Beorn has had occupational therapy from 1st grade on. We never forced him to choose handedness, and he wrote equally well (poorly) with both. The OT chose a hand for him (of course, she chose right. being a southpaw myself, and seeing how much he still does with his left hand, I always questioned that decision), and while his legibility improved, his printing was still terrible.

Then, they started cursive in third grade.

Now, Beorn had difficulty with remembering the form of the individual letters, but we helped that by taping a manuscript chart with upper and lower case letters to the top of his desk. And, even though he now has the use of an alpha-smart in his IEP, due to low muscle tone affecting the longevity of how long he can hand write, when he does handwrite his cursive is gorgeous.

We have found the flowing of the cursive letters, instead of lifting the writing implement between each letter, is far less exhausting to his hands. Hence the legibility is clearer and lasts far longer.

So, your premise is flawed. Cursive is far easier on the hand than block print.

That's really interesting, Menolly. I wouldn't have expected that.

Posted: **Tue Jan 22, 2008 5:45 pm**

I have terrible handwriting either way. And slow, if I print. But I can read it (most of the time), and it hasn't seemed to cause much trouble elsewhere, either.

Posted: **Tue Jan 22, 2008 5:46 pm**

Esmer wrote:CURSE -IVE?

I got it now, thanks!

Posted: **Tue Jan 22, 2008 5:47 pm**

Emotional Leper wrote:I never said it was easier on the hand.

I said that from a legibility perspective, Block was superior to Cursive.

Cursive started, not strictly because it was faster than print, but because the less you have to lift your quill, the less chance of ink spatter.

You said it was easier to make legible block print than legible cursive. That relates to what Menolly said.

Posted: **Tue Jan 22, 2008 6:44 pm**

it sounds like my theory bears out. and while we are at it - why do kids still get summers off? most of them are not doing any family farming. sounds like we need to rethink our entire school system.

Posted: **Tue Jan 22, 2008 7:52 pm**

Good luck with that one . . .

Posted: **Wed Jan 23, 2008 5:26 pm**

MsMary wrote:
Emotional Leper wrote:I never said it was easier on the hand.

I said that from a legibility perspective, Block was superior to Cursive.

Cursive started, not strictly because it was faster than print, but because the less you have to lift your quill, the less chance of ink spatter.
You said it was easier to make legible block print than legible cursive. That relates to what Menolly said.

Yes. Take a group of 100 people.

Have them write the following sentence in both Block and Cursive:

The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over the Lazy Red Dog.

Guess which group, Block or Cursive, will have a larger percentage of illegible sentences.

Posted: **Wed Jan 23, 2008 5:28 pm**

Do the study and come back with the results. I'll be waiting.

Posted: **Wed Jan 23, 2008 5:34 pm**

I have very neat handwriting but it is a combination of print/cursive/caligraphy. I also love writing letters so I practice it regularly. I write to my grandmother often because her memory is getting a little shaky and a physical letter on memorable stationary seems to stick in her mind a bit better. I have also become penpals with Prebe. So I have been writing him off and on for a while now.

Posted: **Wed Jan 23, 2008 5:50 pm**

MsMary wrote:Do the study and come back with the results. I'll be waiting.

I'll talk to someone about doing experiments on campus.

Posted: **Wed Jan 23, 2008 6:17 pm**

Cameraman Jenn wrote:I have very neat handwriting but it is a combination of print/cursive/caligraphy. I also love writing letters so I practice it regularly. I write to my grandmother often because her memory is getting a little shaky and a physical letter on memorable stationary seems to stick in her mind a bit better. I have also become penpals with Prebe. So I have been writing him off and on for a while now.

I, for one, have written him off.

Posted: **Wed Jan 23, 2008 8:50 pm**

Cagliostro wrote:
Cameraman Jenn wrote: So I have been writing him off and on for a while now.
I, for one, have written him off.

Couldn't resit, could you?

Posted: **Wed Jan 23, 2008 10:08 pm**

Wyldewode wrote:
Cagliostro wrote:
Cameraman Jenn wrote: So I have been writing him off and on for a while now.
I, for one, have written him off.
Couldn't resit, could you?

I don't even know how to resit.

Posted: **Wed Jan 23, 2008 10:27 pm**

Cagliostro wrote:
Wyldewode wrote:
Cagliostro wrote: I, for one, have written him off.
Couldn't resit, could you?
I don't even know how to resit.

Gods, how I love this place!

Kevin's Watch

Cursive writing