Nice handwriting isn’t an easy task

Now that almost everyone has a cell phone and a personal computer, to write using a pen is becoming an outdated activity. Children today are often quicker than adults in grasping wonders of computer technology. Probably, this is why writing lessons have been abolished in schools in 41 American states.

The explanation is simple: learning calligraphy in an era of high technologies is nothing but wasting one’s time. However, some scholars claim that calligraphy is a useful activity, and a child needs to attend writing lessons to develop healthy psyche. Child psychologist Yekaterina Nevzorova comments,
“Writing lessons teach children to be disciplined and develop their cognitive skills. Writing process is perceived in two ways – visually and kinesthetically. It is a known fact that human thinking also develops through writing. It also helps children to become more patient.”

Handwriting is a creative process. For a calligraphist this is a true art, a means of self-expression. Artyom Lebedev, a calligraphist, says there are strict rules one has to observe in the art of calligraphy.

“Handwriting develops fine motor skills. This is a proven fact that the more accurate handwriting a person has, the more disciplined and responsible he or she is. Why is it so important to drive responsibly? Maybe, that`s not the right example but what I mean is that rules are equally important in everything.”

Writing lessons are still compulsory in elementary schools in Russia. For three consecutive months little children are taught how to develop cursive handwriting. Of course, it is much slower than typing but teachers and psychologists insist that it is an extremely important thing. There is a similar situation with reading: you may upload entire global library to a flash card or enjoy reading a book, holding it in your hands and turning over the pages. Some countries are thinking about switching from manuals to e-readers, and using iPads for writing because special programs will correct your spelling if necessary. And what adds to this sad trend is the results of last year`s opinion poll among teenagers in US: most of them believe that Beethoven is the name of a dog, and Michelangelo is a computer virus.

Psychologists say that our handwriting is what we really are. It can tell quite a lot about a person – his skills, preferences, intellectual and artistic potential. And looking for all this in a person who does not know how to write would be a strange thing to do.

© Voice of Russia