Today we are going to learn how to write our letters in cursive.

Mike: Shouldn't we be learning keyboarding skills instead?

Mrs. Sykes: No. Cursive is faster.

It develops fine motor skills,

and this is how it has been done for generations and we don't want to upset

the status quo.

Mike: Isn't typing faster than handwriting?

Mrs. Sykes: Mike, you must know cursive to be competitive in the job market.

Mike: Mrs. Sykes,

My father owns a manufacturing business Not once did i ever see a bill sent to a

client or a memo to an employee that was written in cursive.

Mrs. Sykes: Then suppose you were stranded on an island with no computers

and no cell phone.

How would you communicate if you don't know how to write your letters?

Mike: We still learn how to write our letters and there is no rule in our society that

says to be an effective communicator your letters must be written in cursive.

And if I'm stranded on an island I think the most important thing I should know

is how to focus my ideas and write fluently rather than worry about which

way I stylize my letters.

Mrs. Sykes: Holding on to outdated practices make some people feel good.

And you need to know how to write in cursive handwriting to sign your name and write thank-you notes.

Mike: A simple 'X' is a legal signature as is a rubber stamp.

And as for thank you cards, that simply etiquette and etiquette changes from place to place

and time to time.

Mrs. Sykes: Aren't you the smart one.

Mike: I just understand that the way we communicate is fluid and changes over time.

What does cursive accomplish that can't already be done by other, more modern, means?

Mrs. Sykes: Mike. Please stop with your independent thought.

If you continue to challenge my curriculum then I'll consider you

disruptive to my class and give you a detention.

Mike: Fine. But I want you to show me just one job application that asks me if I know how

to write in cursive.

You won't find it, but you'll find plenty that ask for my typing speed.