Chasey_Lane
Salt Life
I'm surprised they haven't started.
Do you care if
- Thread starter Geek
- Start date
MDTerps
Back in the saddle
D'nelian is stupid. They need to learn the manuscript letters because that's what they will mostly see in print. Of the 3 counties, only St. Mary's uses manuscript. I sometimes think the other counties do D'nelian just to foil parents who try to get a head start on their children's education. Most parents never heard of D'nelian before their kids go to school and if they try to teach their children anything, it has to be all untaught when they get to school...my cousin moved from St. M's to Calvert after 1st grade....she went from gifted classes to remedial classes and was scolded for not being able to write properly.
My oldest started learning cursive at the end of 2nd grade. But since they didn't take the time to teach him how to write any of his letters properly, he can't write worth #### and had to have special permission to do his spelling tests (now in 4th grade) in print because you couldn't tell if he spelled things right or not, even though everything he does is supposed to be in cursive. And no teacher has ever taken the time to teach him correctly.
I'm going to have to teach him myself but I have no idea how, so I sent away for a catalog of educational materials from the company the school system "supposedly" uses. $300 for a complete set of materials for either manuscript or cursive. $90 just for the instruction manual for one or the other. So, at minimum, $180 to teach my kids something they should already have been taught. AND that's assuming I can convince the company that I'm a teacher, not just a parent, because there is a "teacher discount" built into that price.
THEN I have to find the time, because the boy takes 3 hours to do homework he's supposed to be able to do in an hour...the main reason being because he can't write.
I got books from Staples for, I don't know, 5 or 6 bucks maybe 10 at the most. That's what my son works out of. It gives you one page with the letter, the next page with a word using that letter. Son does very well using the book. Since he has alot of homework sometimes we will work on a page on the weekend. Takes all of 5-10 minutes.
kalmd
Active Member
My son learned cursive in elem school, but only writes in print now. He's in 7th grade. The only time he writes cursive is if he has to sign his name, and even then, he always has to ask me for help because he can't remember how all of the letters are supposed to be. We cursed him with a very long last name.
All of my children learned cursive in 2nd grade.
My 5th grader has beautiful handwriting and uses cursive almost exclusively.
My 7th grader prints more than writes in cursive as cursive isn't required. His print is more legible but both are "acceptable".
I can't read anything my 10th grader writes in script or print. His handwriting is horrible and he barely presses down on the pencil so its really light.
My 5th grader has beautiful handwriting and uses cursive almost exclusively.
My 7th grader prints more than writes in cursive as cursive isn't required. His print is more legible but both are "acceptable".
I can't read anything my 10th grader writes in script or print. His handwriting is horrible and he barely presses down on the pencil so its really light.
Dymphna
Loyalty, Friendship, Love
In cursive, there are dozens of ways to make certain letters. I was trying to figure out how they did it in school so I didn't confuse the issue. I wrote a letter "F" the way I'd learned it, (although I admit I never write it that way) and the boy had no idea what letter it was. When I asked him to write an "F" he told me he always looked at it on the wall in school, if he needed to make one.Why did you have to buy all that? Can't you just make practice sheets? Just make dotted letters and have him copy them...then have him practice. :shrug: I'm sure there are practice pages you can find online.
I'm not trying to be an ass, but it just seems excessive.
ETA: Here's a site....mostly D'nealian.
Here's another site: It has blank practice pages, practice pages with combinations of letters (like ch, th, etc.), lower case, upper case, etc. It has both cursive and manuscript.
Here's another one that looks really good. It has dot trace, dash trace, and hollow trace practice sheets....and manuscript, D'nealian, and cursive fonts.
So, first of all, I wanted to find the way they do it to be consistent. Second, I want to make sure that I'M forming the letters right, because my regular handwriting has evolved over the years and isn't proper anymore. I want them to have a firm foundation in the "right" way without influencing them with the way I write. Third, making up practice sheets and make them write the letters over and over is what they've done in school and it hasn't proven very effective, but everything I've read about the proper teaching method espoused by the company that the school system "supposedly" uses is that when implemented correctly, it's really a very good way to teach penmanship. So, I want to know what the teachers are supposed to be doing, so that I can build on it.
So, I figure the best way is to learn for myself the way it's supposed to be done and do it. Problem is the company who created the handwriting curriculum still owns copyright and keeps it close...you can't just buy it at Staples, you can't check it out at the library. You can't download the font without paying for it.
sockgirl77
Well-Known Member
I still write in cursive. I sign my name in cursive. That's a requirement in life.
river rat
BUCKING GOAT
I think learning cursive helps that brain synapsis thing. Left brain - right brain usage.
I don't have kids, but would like to see them still learn it for their own benefit. It stimulates their lil minds. Art and memory both.
They learn to curse so why not cursive too.
tommyjones
New Member
sockgirl77
Well-Known Member
And here we go.
P
Patch Tuesday
Guest
mrweb
Iron City
Just call me old-fashioned but
I think they should learn cursive. D'nelian sounds like the kids are too stupid to copy the cursive letters. When I learned, the teacher had all the letters on a long strip mounted above the blackboard (yes back then it was black). She gave us pencil and paper and we started by copying AAAAAAAAA then BBBBBBB. When the kids are in art class, do they start by drawing a "practice" sun before they are allowed to draw the real thing?
Furthermore, I think kids should be taught how to spell from the get go, learn proper sentence structure, how to put them together to form a proper paragraph and how to do math with a pencil and paper before they touch a computer and calculator.
I think they should learn cursive. D'nelian sounds like the kids are too stupid to copy the cursive letters. When I learned, the teacher had all the letters on a long strip mounted above the blackboard (yes back then it was black). She gave us pencil and paper and we started by copying AAAAAAAAA then BBBBBBB. When the kids are in art class, do they start by drawing a "practice" sun before they are allowed to draw the real thing?
Furthermore, I think kids should be taught how to spell from the get go, learn proper sentence structure, how to put them together to form a proper paragraph and how to do math with a pencil and paper before they touch a computer and calculator.
J
juggy4805
Guest
I'm gonna start printing my name on credit card slips.
Ban Cursive writing. Lets revolt against the man!
Ban Cursive writing. Lets revolt against the man!
Cowgirl
Well-Known Member
sockgirl77
Well-Known Member
Writing in cursive isn't a requirement in life.
You never have to sign on the dotted line and print underneath?
Cowgirl
Well-Known Member
Being able to write in cursive is different than just having to sign your name on the dotted line. :shrug:
sockgirl77
Well-Known Member
Do you sign your name in cursive?
Cowgirl
Well-Known Member
Um, yes.
sockgirl77
Well-Known Member
See my point now?