The End of an Era

Originally Written Between 2016-2017                                        

I loved going to school.  I particularly loved kindergarten and first grade.  The year I was five was a “practice” year for kindergarten in my town.  I loved my teacher, Mrs. Pepin.  She played the piano and we did a lot of singing and playing games.  I don’t really remember actually learning anything such as the kids in kindergarten do today.  I do remember, however, taking out a small rug for our “naptime” and secretly maneuvering my rug so I could be next to Chuckie Handrattie.  Usually Peggy L. would get there first and for the next 13 years of school, Peggy always got what she wanted – you know…. Homecoming Queen, top cheerleader, dated the football quarterback, etc., etc., etc.  But, I digress.

A couple of things stand out in my memories of first grade and my teacher, Miss Eicher.  I hear about the problems that teachers have these days with their class sizes growing each year.  Well, I was in a class of 42 kids and Miss Eicher never had any help.  I don’t ever remember her leaving us for a break.  She even ate lunch with us and patrolled the playground during recess.  She must have had a restroom break at some time during the day, but I never knew it.  I loved Miss Eicher.  She taught me how to skip.  She taught me how to color within the lines.  She taught me how to read (I was in the “red” group…… whatever that meant.), and add and subtract.  And, she taught me how to print my name.

Oh, how I loved to print.  I remember my mom bought me my own tablet of paper that had the little dotted line in the middle of each row to help us make the height of our small letters the same size.  I practiced and practiced all the time.  And, at the end of the school year, guess who won the blue ribbon for printing?  No….. not Peggy!  ME!!

Well, I printed my way through first, second, and third grade.  And, then, in fourth grade, we were taught cursive handwriting.  Well, if you thought that I wore out my pencil learning to print, you should have seen me practicing my cursive.  I loved it!  I was now able to really write quickly since I could connect all those individual letters with one stroke instead of having to lift my pencil off the page after printing each letter.  I felt so grown up.  And, of course, I got better at handwriting as each year past.  Too bad they didn’t have a blue ribbon for cursive because I know I would have won that, too.

Flash forward to 11^th grade when I learned shorthand.  I was in my glory.  A new skill to conquer.  One which I did learn and to this day (55 years’ later), still use.  One problem with shorthand, however.  My “pretty” penmanship went out the door.  It was so much easier to draw a little “squiggle” than to write T H E for the word “the.”  My writing, therefore, became very sloppy.

But, not as sloppy as my children’s writing.  And, now I’m coming to our topic today where we have to write about an era that is coming to an end or has already “died.” I have four children.  They are adults now.  But, each one PRINTS!  Oh, they were all taught cursive in grade school.  But, evidently, handwriting never caught on.  They PRINT.  HORRIBLY.  Our grandsons print better than their parents.  In fact, Dean broke his arm when he was seven and had to sign my birthday card with his left hand…. And that was even better than his mom’s printing!  

I read in the news a while back that some school districts are thinking about eliminating cursive from the curriculum.  “They” say that handwriting is becoming outdated because of the new technology everyone uses with their computers, iPhones, iPads, and other high tech items.  I can just imagine that in the future, spelling and grammar will not be taught because those skills will also be outdated because of new technology.  I’m already seeing signs of that when I get emails from my kids – all in small caps and bad spelling. 

Handwriting is an art.  My Aunt Bev has the most beautiful handwriting.  While she is 94 now and has arthritis in her fingers, I saved most of my birthday and holiday cards and thank you notes (another art that is dying out) that she sends me.  I save them – not just because of the loving prose in each message and the fact that she is my last remaining aunt, but because her handwriting is an art form that will die with her.  

When our daughter got married a few years ago, we told Aunt Bev that we loved her wonderful handwriting and asked her if she would be willing to address the wedding invitations.  She really wanted to help us out, but the arthritis in her fingers prevented her from doing so.  And, that is why, when I do receive a note from her, it means so much more to me knowing that it took quite an effort on her part to write to me.  

I think that it is sad that Shorthand is no longer taught in school.  And, soon, cursive will be eliminated, also.  What does one do when you have to sign your name?  Print?  Is that legal?  Maybe so.  I don’t know.  But – like I said – it will be sad to see cursive phased out of the school’s curriculum.  I hope I’m wrong.