The Death of Handwriting

Thanks to computers, e-mail and texting, most Americans have crummy handwriting, and some experts are advocating that schools stop teaching kids to write

who may be having trouble learning to write correctly.

Still, even young children feel more at ease wielding a computer mouse than a pen these days, leading Hamada to observe, “Kids are very well-versed in keyboarding.”

While they may be still learning handwriting, it is highly questionable as to how much they will ever use it.

In this instant gratification world of cell phones and text messaging, should we even care about the death of handwriting?

Trubek believes we only “cling to handwriting out of a romantic sense that script expresses identity.”

Reed Hayes sees things a bit differently. His experience has shown him that part of our personality really does come across in the way we write.

For example, he says, “In studying the handwriting of criminals, you often find weapon-shaped letters, such as knife-like formations. ... Surgeons often have weapon-shaped letters as well.”

(If the last bit doesn’t scare you, consider this: A study by the National Academies of Science’s Institute of Medicine found that more than 7,000 Americans die annually because of doctors’ sloppy handwriting.)

As professor Rosemary Sassoon, an author of a book on teaching penmanship, puts it, “Handwriting is an imprint of the self on the page.”

There is just something about a carefully penned note that sets it apart from a hastily composed e-mail.

“Today’s handwriting reflects our society’s casual, ‘I don’t care’ approach to things,” says Hayes. “In the past it was an honor to have nice handwriting. It reflected discipline, responsibility and caring.”

No less an authority than the Emily Post Institute advises, “Handwritten notes are warmer and more special” than something transmitted electronically across the Web.

So perhaps we should take the time to step away from the keyboard once in awhile - whether it be on our PC, cell phone or PDA - and actually take the time to write a letter to someone by hand, legibly, in cursive. It may require a little effort, but what worthwhile project doesn’t?

Writing by hand allows us to put a bit more of ourselves into our correspondence, besides merely our words.

And all you need is pen and paper.

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