10/07/2025
Ask Angie?
By Angie Jones; Author, connecting generations through history
Attending football or basketball games at FAMU, certain sections of the band would start a familiar beat that would get the crowd instantly rocking side to side, as the rest of the band joined in, folks familiar with the tune would start singing, “I’m so glad, I’m from FAMU. I’m so glad I’m from FAMU, singing glory hallelujah I’m from FAMU.” I recently read an article that moved me to remember the beat of the band, and I started rocking side to side, and replaced, “I’m so glad, I’m from FAMU” …, with “I’m so glad cursive has returned, I’m so glad cursive has returned, singing glory hallelujah, cursive writing has returned.” Starting this fall, cursive handwriting will once again be a part of the curriculum for Georgia elementary students. The Georgia Department of Education (GDE) has updated its English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum standards to include instruction in reading, writing, and building fluency in cursive for students in third through fifth grades. According to the GDE, the decision marks a return to a traditional skill that had largely disappeared from classrooms nationwide around 2010, as many states moved away from cursive instruction in favor of keyboarding and digital literacy. Georgia’s move reflects a renewed emphasis on foundational writing skills in early education.
I know from personal conversations with my Auntie Chris Whitaker, and opinions from several old school parents and colleagues, they would agree, this is good news, but I was curious to know what helped to steer GDE to this decision, so I did what I do, I journeyed into my rabbit hole to find out why. Surveys reviewed by the GDE disclosed as classrooms increasingly moved to technology-based instructional practices, the art of cursive handwriting might have seemed like a relic of the past, yet, despite the technological takeover, cursive writing still held a special place in communication, learning, and personal development for growing learners. While the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) who provided most of the information does not currently have a policy on handwriting, published research divulges cursive writing is more than just penmanship. It is an integrated skill that enhances cognitive development, motor skills, and literacy. The seamless flowing motion used to form cursive letters stimulates brain synapses and the synchronization of the hands and eyes, unlike the disjointed taps of a keyboard. Studies advocate that the practice of cursive writing activates areas of the brain involved in thinking, language, and working memory. Visual-motor skills, such as eye-hand coordination, are associated with academic achievement. Scientists found that developing fine motor skills in early childhood can predict not only writing success, but better performance in reading and math in elementary school. According to PBS “even beyond advancing their visual-motor skills, learning cursive has been demonstrated to help children with dyslexia. For those with dyslexia, cursive handwriting can be an integral part of becoming a more successful student.”
A study that followed children in grades two through five demonstrated that printing, cursive writing, and typing on a keyboard are all associated with distinct and separate brain patterns, and each result in a distinct end product. A Pew Research survey of teachers around the country found that today’s digital technologies make middle and high school students more likely to use informal language in formal papers and plagiarize. In high school years, kids who struggle with handwriting also suffer even more as they struggle to keep up with the volume of written work required. To add weight to the results of the current study, a review from 2012 was also brought back to light which advised that cursive may be particularly effective for individuals with developmental dysgraphia (motor-control difficulties in forming letters) and that it may aid in preventing the reversal and inversion of letters. Reflecting on my years in middle grades through adult learner classrooms, I agree with the evidence put forward in these studies. Assignments that required written responses, or responses to research were a challenge for my students.
Cursive writing is beneficial for the brain, but it is essential for people to know in order to sign important documents, in many instances cursive writing remains a requirement. Signing documents using the traditional pen-and-paper method or the more digital approach does not automatically make the paperwork legally binding and enforceable, but you must comply with certain legal signature requirements to further validate approval. Several companies still require documents signed in print and cursive handwriting. Many historical documents were handwritten in cursive, such as manumissions of enslaved persons, census forms, property deeds, letters from Civil War soldiers, Declaration of Independence, the Dead Scrolls, original manuscripts from popular books, minutes from the meetings of the National Organization of Women, and minutes of meetings from diverse Church Associations. To conduct historical research, it is important to know how to read handwritten documents that are mainly written in cursive.
Cursive handwriting is an indicator of personality types for those who dwell deeper into the revelations of handwriting through handwriting tests. Jagran Josh argues “cursive handwriting is an indicator of a free and uncluttered mind. If you have good handwriting, you keep a clear head most of the time.” I would have to argue to disagree, because my cursive and print handwriting is terrible, but I think my head is clear most of the time!
Before leaving my rabbit hole search I leaped onto an article by Beth Moore for Twowritingteachers.org in which Moore shared she broke her wrist badly, which also resulted in nerve damage, and it took a year to heal. Over the course of that year, she practiced extensive occupational therapy to retrain her brain to connect with her hands to hold a fork, to squeeze a sponge, and to write letters and words. Moore ends her experience with “as an adult learner, coming back from an injury that prevented me from doing something I love-writing-I can say that I’m thankful that I learned cursive a long time ago, and now know not to take it for granted.” The practice of handwriting, especially in cursive, is more than just an educational tool, it is a powerful means of self-expression and personal connection in a disconnected world. Whether it is being reintroduced into the curriculum to enhance cognitive abilities, reflect the personal touch in communication, cursive writing holds significant value, and I embrace the effort to preserve the elegance and utility of cursive writing, ensuring its practice is not lost to future generations. “I’m so glad cursive has returned, I’m so glad cursive has returned, singing glory hallelujah, cursive writing has returned.”
The historical instruction manual that provides evidence for every study indicates in Deuteronomy 17:18-20 a king is commanded to write his own copy of God’s Word so “that he may learn to fear the Lord his God.” When we write something down, we are more likely to remember it and it even boosts our memory. God encourages people throughout the Bible to write, because when we write, we remember. In my sanctified imagination I see the king writing his copy of God’s Word in cursive.
Thank you, Ms. Doris, and Mr. George, for refueling and guiding me to my Ask Angie.
My name is Angie, I’m woke, Are you?
