Crappy handwriting

[shootingstar]

Unfortunately no matter how hard I seem to try, my handwriting is a bit messy. Of course, over the years it hasn't improved with greater reliance on computers. I think I gave someone a shock who requested that I provide handwritten answer with a diagram. It was for a test.

I'm sure it left a fantastic impression.

Too bad I couldn't have done in hand calligraphy which I can do if have lots of time!!

[ttaylor508]

I am "write" there with you. My hand writing is terrible. I rarely hand write anything and when I do, I print just so people can read it. Very bad, I know....

I think you are right, with greater reliance on computers, you lose the skill to write legibly when you don't practice. My spelling has gotten worse too with relying on the auto correct function.

[PamNY]

I heard an interesting interview with the author of this book
about handwriting.

Listening to the interview didn't make my handwriting any better.

Pam

[shootingstar]

Since it's been ten thousand years since I've taken a real credit course where testing involved writing essay questions, I'll ask the obviously stupid:

Are essay response tests still happening in spades at college/university? I am certain I unintentionally lowered my marks for certain tests, simply because my handwriting became barely legible.

Nowadays when I stand up to instruct briefly on something or to discuss something with a group, I scrawl (il)legibly ?? on the flipchart. Please, please not everything can be done on the fly, on laptop for projection sceen, especially for free-flowing flowcharting and conceptual modelling.

(Yea, well not every workplace has a Smart board.) This is where it might help still, to have naturally legible handwriting.

[aka_kim]

That book sounds interesting!

My handwriting is atrocious. I don't believe I'm able to write cursive for anything but my signature, which is a hideous scrawl. When forced, for the occasional check or to address a letter, I print slowly and painfully, and still end up with an embarrassing mess.

I read an article which said that handwriting analysis is part of the job interview process in France. Guess I'd never find work there.

[Tuckervill]

I don't have good cursive, but I have a good handwriting that's a semi-print, if I take my time. I never take my time!

I never even bothered to teach my youngest son (homeschooled) how to write in cursive, because everyone I know who had to learn it in school wrote any old way they wanted to once they were out of school anyway. I just told him the idea is to get the point across, and it didn't matter how it is written, as long as it is readable.

Computers have ruined my handwriting, that's for sure. But handwriting what you want to write has advantages. I had to prepare a 20 minute talk this week, and I handwrote it first, because something about it just slows the brain down and makes the act of writing so much more interesting. Then I typed it up and edited it on the computer!

Karen

[Crankin]

I used to shock the 6th graders when they came to my English class in middle school. Invariably, one of the first questions was, "Do we have to write in cursive?" It really burst their bubble when I told them that, no, they didn't and if they didn't type their writing pieces, all I cared about was legible.
Most typed. If they didn't have a computer, they did the final draft at school.
I don't know why cursive is still taught. Both of my kids have horrible handwriting. The oldest one taught himself to type in 3d grade, with good old Mavis Beacon. When he took the mandatory computer skills class in 7th grade, the teacher did not believe him when he announced his wpm on the self test, which was 123 wpm.
I don't know why cursive is still taught. I have seen reviews of that book, but I still think it's unnecessary.

[OakLeaf]

Composing on the computer radically changed the way I wrote.

It's been so long ago that I really don't remember the process. But I remember the change as being enormous. Good or bad, I can't say.

I read a science fiction story a while back. I don't remember the exact setting, but somehow the computers had become unusable, and it was a major problem, because everyone knew how to read, but no one knew how to write. It was an interesting thought.



I know some people are pretty fast with their thumbs and predictive spelling, but I have a hard time seeing that handheld keypads will ever be faster than handwriting. Especially if you've got something else in one hand. A full-sized keyboard and touch typing isn't always possible, and it's difficult for me to see handwriting as being a useless skill.

Interviewing a client, for instance - I've found that the finger movement and mechanical noise of typing is very distracting to people when you're trying to have a very deep conversation. (I think most people can't type as fast as me or your son, either, Crankin, which is pretty much a minimum for keeping up with speech in real-time.) I guess one could always make an audio recording and type up notes later, but that means using more time, which defeats the purpose.

[Becky]

When I took the GREs last week, I had to hand-write a confidentiality statement- no printing! It's probably been 10 years or more since I've written anything in cursive other than my name, and it took me a good 10 minutes to write out that paragraph!

Kinda of embarrassing actually....especially when you consider that my mother taught 3rd graders cursive for years and has immaculate handwriting.

[lph]

Maybe handwriting will go the way of painting/sketching and sewing/needlepoint, once considered essential skills for educated young ladies

I don't know, I feel sad at the idea of good handwriting disappearing altogether. I think it appeals both to my sense of order (or beauty) and my wish to not be completely reliant on computers. I don't have very good handwriting, but I can certainly write cursive and do some neat cards if I set myself to it. Even though my son complains that my shopping lists are illegible

[tulip]

I read an article which said that handwriting analysis is part of the job interview process in France. Guess I'd never find work there.

It is, at least it was 10 years ago when I was job searching there. The cover letters had to be hand written. I even took a course that taught the proper format and margins to maintain. I never got a job over there, so maybe it was because of my handwriting...

I am a landscape architect and city planner, so I have neat printing (architect-like), but my script is not so nice anymore. I think it's because I just don't practice.

[PscyclePath]

It's been a little more than 10 years since I finally finished grad school (chemistry), but all the exams there were essay-style questions, save for when they made me take a couple of the standardized ACS exams toward the end. The vast majority was hand-written, since it's real hard to type all those chemical structures and reaction mechanisms ;-)

I write in a mix of cursive and block-printed letters. My capitals are all block letters and I fill in between with mostly cursive and little squiggles. It's a style I pretty well developed on my own in the first semester of college when I realized that I needed to be able to read my notes after the ink had dried.

[deeaimond]

This is pretty interesting to me because when I was in school here in Singapore, we had some cursory lessons in cursive, but mostly people just print. And I know many many classmates in university who could not write script, only print. (but they do seem to print very fast)
I can't write in print though. takes me forever. I just scrawl.

[evangundy]

One of my highschool classes was Forkner Shorthand (am I dating myself?) and on the final test, I ended the class writing 60wpm. Not fast, but not bad (that was taking the shorthand and then typing it to be read back). But then the teacher gave us one last test - take the notes but NOT use any of the shorthand we had learned - write your own way but still be able to decipher and type it out. I was able to do it at ..... 60wpm. That was the last time I used shorthand. But I do think taking that class is what improved my handwriting, because I had to be able to decipher it to type back what I had written.

I always think I have crappy handwriting (personal mix of written & printed)and apologize when I have to write something out, but then I get told I have great handwriting because it is readable. I think the art of writing in cursive may be slipping away, but there will always be a need for handwriting that is readable.

Edna

[shootingstar]

jeez, I can only type 35 wmp still..on computer.

Several months ago I was amazed to see incoming engineering design manuals with 40 pages of neatly handwritten mathematical design caculations and notes. Don't know how easy it is to type those huge formulae but alot of engineers don't have great handwriting or printing.

Oak, made an interesting point about spontaneous note-taking. That is still necessary to certain types of jobs involving on the spot inspections and investigations where audiotaping and videotaping still isn't enough.

And those notes can be taken seriously later on..for court or at least for compliance purposes.

On the flip side, I took several courses on Western hand calligraphy which include the border illumination work (the fancy floral stuff). I know I have a natural hand for executing perfect 45 degree or 33 degree angle script, depending on the style ..without line guide underneath.