My dad just moved and is unpacking some boxes that have been packed for decades. He was showing me a stack of my fifth and sixth grade papers, and I noticed how good my handwriting was then compared to my sixth and seventh grade step-kids. I don’t think I held any particular fondness for penmanship at the time, though I admit I was somewhat artistically inclined (but then, I’ve met plenty of artists with horrific handwriting). It made me wonder — is handwriting getting worse?

It would make sense — today’s student will spend far more time writing on computer keyboards and even mobile phone keypads than with pen and paper. Maybe handwriting skill are being deemphasized as a result? Or is there something less intentional going on — teachers harried by No Child Left Behind requirements that leave no time to focus on “trivialties” like penmanship?

Maybe it’s just my step-kids; for whatever reason, they’re at the bottom of the curve handwriting-wise, and other kids’ handwriting is just fine. Whatever the case, it’s sad; I take a lot of joy in writing “longhand” (a word that seems more and more quaint and archaic — does anyone still do “shorthand”?) and am never without my pocket-sized Moleskine notebook and a pen or pencil to capture random ideas as they float across my mind. It would be a shame if they grew up with no ability to enjoy the pleasures of writing by hand.

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