How does renaming it cursive dumb down the teaching of that writing style? It has been cursive at least since the mid 50s, apparently it became cursive in the1920s, you are older than I thought Arlen. I have never heard it referred to as script.
The tiers I was referring to in education were not the tiers you all are talking about. I was referring to the actual schools and what they offer. I'm old enough to remember and have experienced segregated schools. Sending white kids to nice schools, better trained teachers, the best text books and supplies. The black schools had the leftovers. Now we are looking at a new segregation based on income.... And that is just wrong. Public schools should offer the very best in education to each and every student regardless of family income, that includes the best education for the smartest to the most challenged student. It's certainly OK, and even encouraged to tailor the education to a students abilities, it is not OK to tailor it to their parents income.
not interested wrote: And it started when "script" became "cursive" and when "Jr High" became "Middle School?"
It's called "dumbing down" and check ScienceChic's last post, she is perfectly happy with it.
ScienceChic wrote: In my kids' Jeffco Public School, kid learn cursive in 3rd grade. After that, they get to choose themselves whether they write cursive or not.
They also have access to computers in the library and in their rooms, have created presentations in Powerpoint already, get homework emailed, access shared docs in Google, and for my son who hates writing, being able to type a writing assignment up in Word and email it back to his teacher is a wonderful option to have.
I do believe that no knows that "cursive" was previously called "script" before the childish renaming of it. And the avoidance of writing shows laziness and a reluctance to learn with effort.
I don't recall learning "cursive" or "script" much beyond elementary school either. But I can still write it.
But I didn't learn Old English either, nor anything before that. Things change with time. I don't know how to attach a horse to a buggy either, nor have I used a buggy whip.
The best technical skill I ever learned in high school was typing. It was an elective course and don't recall why I took it, but it's served me great all these years! In the computer age you type. Yes, you need to sign checks, but that doesn't require a major education to do that.
I always thought I wanted to be an engineer in high school, but the best courses for me were math, physics, and chemistry. The technical elective "engineer" class I took was totally useless. Typing turned out to be a much better skill. Of course that can be self taught, like most anything else.
not interested wrote: And it started when "script" became "cursive" and when "Jr High" became "Middle School?"
It's called "dumbing down" and check ScienceChic's last post, she is perfectly happy with it.
ScienceChic wrote: In my kids' Jeffco Public School, kid learn cursive in 3rd grade. After that, they get to choose themselves whether they write cursive or not.
They also have access to computers in the library and in their rooms, have created presentations in Powerpoint already, get homework emailed, access shared docs in Google, and for my son who hates writing, being able to type a writing assignment up in Word and email it back to his teacher is a wonderful option to have.
I do believe that no knows that "cursive" was previously called "script" before the childish renaming of it. And the avoidance of writing shows laziness and a reluctance to learn with effort.
You seriously think that "script" becoming "cursive" is the reason for the supposed failure of our schools? When and where did you go to school?
Isn't script what the monks used when they reproduced biblical documents? I learned cursive in 3rd grade, that is when you also got to use a pen, rather than a pencil. But Arlen has a point, we would have a much more successful school system if we still used a quill and ink. Not.
I guess the discipline necessary to string artfully scribed letters, words and ideas together is meritorious on its own so we are probably losing something with our easy-correct typing -- but it's hoped we're also gaining something in exchange in the freeing up of brain cells to do other things. As SC points out, instead of the document going back-and-forth for editing, it can be touched up by the student online -- and meanwhile, students have instant access to research materials on the net that the most dedicated librarian of our times would have envied, not to mention real-life skills like PowerPoint and Excel.
When our kids graduated from Platte Canyon, they had mastered programs that put newspaper columns together, with little bitty text under the photos, and everything. One of them helped design the yearbook. In "the old days" some layout/pasteup artist was paid to do it all by hand.
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not interested wrote: And it started when "script" became "cursive" and when "Jr High" became "Middle School?"
It's called "dumbing down" and check ScienceChic's last post, she is perfectly happy with it.
ScienceChic wrote: In my kids' Jeffco Public School, kid learn cursive in 3rd grade. After that, they get to choose themselves whether they write cursive or not.
They also have access to computers in the library and in their rooms, have created presentations in Powerpoint already, get homework emailed, access shared docs in Google, and for my son who hates writing, being able to type a writing assignment up in Word and email it back to his teacher is a wonderful option to have.
I do believe that no knows that "cursive" was previously called "script" before the childish renaming of it. And the avoidance of writing shows laziness and a reluctance to learn with effort.
Excuse me? Where do you get that I said there is any "dumbing down" of anything or assume that I'd be okay with any dumbing down of anything?
Writing is hugely emphasized and has been throughout my kids' entire school career to date. They teach kids how to read a story and analyze it, be able to recite back what happened and why, brainstorm ideas of what to write about it (or any topic), organize that into a logical progression of introduction, supporting arguments, and conclusion. Yes, they still grade for proper spelling and grammar use. Just because they don't force kids to write it out manually does not mean that the rigorous learning and practice of critical thinking and communication isn't taught and measured.
In addition, the schools hold an annual elective Young Writers Conference in which each student submits one piece of their best work, and they have all of the area elementary schools get together at Green Mtn High School one evening in spring, listen to an author they have come speak, then they break up into smaller groups and share their work with each other.
And on top of that, they have an Oral Interpretation elective program in which students can write something and parents volunteer to coach them on how to memorize and recite/present it on stage to the school one evening. They get exposure to learning inflection, tone, public speaking (so they become comfortable with it, an extremely valuable life skill to have), and writing all at once.
Communication is done through a variety of methods, not just hand writing, and especially more-so digitally these days so I firmly believe it's a strength that they allow kids to learn a variety of tools with which to learn how to communicate. I had to learn on my own how to put together power point presentations in order to present updates on my research in graduate school - having it taught as just another communication tool in every day school work would have been valuable to have had.
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
The best technical skill I ever learned in high school was typing. It was an elective course and don't recall why I took it, but it's served me great all these years! In the computer age you type. Yes, you need to sign checks, but that doesn't require a major education to do that.
Typing was good and so was Auto Mechanics and Drafting. I wasn't supposed to take those, but did anyway and they were very valuable. I had to take a year of French language and hated the heck out of it, waste of time.
Hated History but now I love watching the History channel. Go figure.
(Back in those days Typing was for Secretaries LOL)
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