Sometimes, my body just knows when I’ve eaten too much junk. I crave fresh fruits or vegetables, and even drinking a glass of ice water feels like a luxury. I’ve been drinking a lot of ice water lately — partly because it’s my latest sensory joy and it’s helping me battle some depression. That might sound odd, but if you know, you know.
ANYWAY.
The point is, sometimes we know when we need a change, something fresh, something more authentic. One tiny part of this that may have larger benefits and impacts is that we need to go back to handwriting and possibly cursive, making marks, and small motor skills. (And for those bodies who cannot make marks in traditional ways, of course, provide assistance, technical or otherwise.) I can’t speak for other secondary teachers, but anecdotally, I’ve witnessed about two dozen-plus students whose handwriting is illegible.
We have a reading/literacy crisis, (and no, SOR is NOT the answer). It’s just another in a long line of folks trying to sell you a story. We also have forced-error barriers to students’ learning: the amount of tech, cell phones, devices, lack of keyboarding instructions, soft censorship of topics and book bans,
Anne Lutz Fernandez says it best and comes in a timely manner in her post, “In Praise of Paper.” Timely because about two weeks ago, I was thinking about going back to binders, three-hole punches, and tabs. I currently use composition notebooks, but due to my own ADHD, grief, and attrition, I have not maintained or sustained their use. And yes, by and large, it’s up to me. I do have students who will occasionally ask me if they need their notebooks that day, and because I don’t remind them daily, use falls off. But I’m not letting them go.
For many, cursive handwriting has negative connotations: rulers hitting knuckles, not being allowed to write with the sinister left hand, forcing perfectionism, and nothing but tears for children. And like my composition notebooks, I can only do and offer choices and knowledge in my classroom. Here is what I plan to offer students next year:
- I give out sketchbooks when I can afford to. Here is a link to my Amazon Wish List.
- Provide cursive packets. Canva has many free templates.
- AVID binder organization materials
- Time to practice keyboarding skills. Many of the computer labs of the olden days have gone the way of rotary phones.
Also: I don’t think writing by hand is going to be a panacea for AI encroachment. I made this Google Site for myself, and some curated content to share with teachers/students: AI, Plagiarism, and Credible Work.