Today, after handing back work my students commented on the fact I wrote in Cursive...I haven't really noticed it, but very few of my students write in cursive. I usually write in cursive, but if I write on the board I write in all Caps. My handwriting is pretty neat...for a male LOL. Anyone else noticing this trend. How's your handwriting.
I use print for the board, and cursive for feedback (my print is easier to read, but my cursive is faster). My print could pass for a draftsman's specs ... my cursive is unique ... both forms of my handwriting often get comments on how 'neat' it is and several of my students will say, "Mrs M! I want to write like you!" I also get charged with making all of the signs that go up around school. Most of my male students are printers, most of my female students write in cursive. I don't see a ton of handwriting from them though since all of my students have laptops. Though, we do have the laptops that are also notebooks, you CAN write on them. Most students prefer to type.
My students' handwriting is getting worse every year. Some of them can't even print legibly. It drives me nuts. My writing is generally a mix of cursive and printing, but it's quite legible. On the board I print, usually upper and lower case.
I print on the board and alternate between print and cursive for feedback. I am always prepared, however, to "translate" my cursive for some of my students. My son never uses cursive, my daughter does about half the time.
I have to admit my handwritting is not that good for a teacher. I am looking forward to the day of doing only power-points
I got an Xmas card from my friend (she was my 3rd grade teacher) & has the most beautiful handwriting...even our lil ones thought so!!!
I'm not a big fan of handwriting, and mine isn't all that nice (though I don't think it's awful.) In the next few weeks I'll probably start to write some of my morning messages in cursive so that they can gain some familiarity with it.
I have nice handwriting. I prefer writing in cursive because it's faster, but so many of my students can't read it that I had to stop. I also have neat printing. I have had people who think I'm an elementary teacher because of the neat printing.
On the board I always print. Our school has a huge ELL/ESL population and I guess it's very difficult for them to read and interpret cursive, so I avoid that. On paper my handwriting is a mix of print and cursive. I think it's readable. For the most part I like my handwriting.
I try to write in cursive on the board because our students are required to write in cursive. I actually enjoy writing in cursive as it is faster.
Neat enough but it's all over the place between print and cursive with little rhyme or reason to what letters are one or the other. It's legible. I consider it a real problem when I'm working with K-2 and I try really hard to standardize.
Generally, I prefer to write in cursive because it's faster. But, since i have first graders, I have to write in print. My print's gotten better since I've been teaching, but sometimes, if I'm very relaxed or on autopilot mode (ie: right before a holiday break, or at the end of a long, stressful day) I revert back into cursive without realizing it, or I'll some of the letters in cursive and some in manuscript. The letters I slip up and write in cursive are typically: lowercase q,d,a and x and upper case E, W, M, Q, K, L
I specifically use cursive on my white board because students are losing the ability to both read and write it. At least for the present, they do need to be able to read cursive.
When I was teaching fifth grade I started the year with print and then started translating cursive to print and then towards the end of the year I would use only cursive. I figured that in middle school, high school or college there might be teachers who wrote only in cursive and it was better to teach them to read it in fifth grade than have them lost in upper grades.
...is horrible. (just finishing the sentence) I have always had horrible handwriting. I have always YEARNED for neat handwriting. I try. I really do. In elementary school, I used to try until I thought my fingers (or pencil or both) would break, and would always get S- on my report card. Sigh. It's the main reason I'm not too hard on my kids about handwriting. As long as they TRY, I'm ok with that. And I tell them that up front. I don't slop my writing (well, sometimes I do, but I learn my lesson and have to do it over again), so I expect the same from them.
Oh, and when I took Spalding phonics training, they make you learn their handwriting. And take a test over it. Then they analyze your mistakes with red pen, and take off points for every little line that is at the wrong angle. I have taken a lot of tests in my life...ACT...SAT...PPST...brutal anatomy/physiology finals...but this handwriting test made me literally cry. At age 27. (But I did pass)
I was told by many of my h.s teachers and some college professors that I write like a typewriter. However, I can't write in cursive. Well I can but it's unreadable. I can't read cursive either =/
Here kids learn to read and write directly in cursive (actually at the very beginning they do capital letters in print for names, but then switch to cursive.) When I write on the board I use caps because my cursive does not eaxctly match what they are being taught and I don't want to confuse them (I teach Pre-K/K) but when I move up to primary I imagine I will do whatever the other teachers do for consistency.
There's a big movement in our building to ensure that our kids can read and write cursive. My notes are in cursive. 18 years of coaching debate has convinced me that it's faster than print.
I switch between cursive and manuscript, depending on what I'm writing. I usually print on the board, but move towards cursive about this time of year. My problem is that when I write cursive on the board, I can't write in a straight line (that dang slanting your paper thing!).
My 4th grade daughter's school requires cursive from early on. Her cursive writing is SOOOO much better than her print, thank goodness but it did take her a while to catch on (she started there in 3rd grade).
It depends on how well my lovely ENO board is working. Today I had to write really slow or I would get a mismash of dots (Tech has been "working" on this for quite a while). On the chalkboard I usually write cursive for notes. My comments on students work will be a mix between print and cursive. I don't think anything of my handwriting, but some students find it amusing how easily I mix cursive and printing, sometimes in the same word.
My cursive is good, my personal signature is very unique and I think quite artistic. I teach cursive in 2nd grade because my kids show such a great interest in it.
People tell me I have "perfect" handwriting (whatever that means...)! My mom says I've had nice handwriting ever since I was in Kindergarten (but that's a biased opinion). Oh...I always print--cursive isn't for me! :thumb:
The inability to use cursive is a disturbing trend...not because cursive is so great compared to print, but because kids' minds can't problem solve well enough to figure it out. I have come to accept that to save time, I have to print on the board, but when I give feedback I write cursive. I make sure to be careful and form my letters properly and neatly and when a kid tells me they can't read cursive, I'll tell them to try and read it to me. They always figure it out which tells me they can but are just too lazy. Technology can be great, but I am finding that every year, kids are quickly losing the ability to problem solve in all areas and it's quite a scary trend.
I have a mix of printing and cursive. My i's and e's can look similar and there are two letters I connect a lot that drive my kids nuts, but I'm blanking on them now. I wanted to 'dress up' my handwriting on my chart paper, so I started to make little swirls at the ends of the letters s, k, r, t, y, d, g, n and m. One of my girls who has poor handwriting has started to copy me, and now her best handwriting is actually a beautiful page of swirly letters. The only problem is now the swirls come naturally to me!
I print when I'm writing on the board, but use cursive the rest of the time. I really don't like either, but people have commented on how much they like my cursive writing. Whatever they say! :lol:
I have great 'teacher' handwriting. I might doll up titles in bulletin boards with hand printed bubble letters, or flourishes of one kind or another, but the rest of the time (the majority of my written communication with my class), my handwriting is neat, well executed, legible handwriting. In third grade, I'm teaching cursive. I model 'textbook' cursive with the understanding that everyone will eventually develop their own style...but my role is to teach them the right 'write' way.
Printing on a SmartBoard is very difficult; it is much easier to write in cursive. In order to make the words on the SmartBoard align better, it's easier to not lift the "pen" from the surface. However, since I teach 6th grade and students are required to write everything in cursive to the best of their ability, I use cursive always. I believe students need to practice their cursive and where else are they going to practice it other than school? With each spelling list, I give them cursive practice from spellingcity.com as an activity. All final drafts of essays are completed in cursive; if they can't do it on their own, they can use the cursive generator, type in their essay, and trace the cursive. Geez, I sound old-fashioned!
I teach high school, and not a single student chooses to write in cursive. Our state exams don't require it, so it's barely even taught anymore. I just don't think that beyond the very basics of being able to form each letter it's something that needs much practice. Before word processors and computers were common, formal letters needed to be written in cursive, but now everything is typed!
Is your SmartBoard wall-mounted? I used to have the letter alignment issue with the mobile SmartBoard, but I do not with my wall-mounted one. Does calibrating help?
Exact same here. Strangely, I noticed I like to write comments on papers (such as "fantastic" or "please re-do") in cursive, but I have to be careful because my kids can't read it! One trend I'm seeing is that kids don't put spaces in between their words. That's so weird to me, but I see it all the time!
Yes, it is wall-mounted. Calibrating does not help. If I print, I have to do it very big. Otherwise with note taking, it is easier read & write in cursive because I don't have to lift the pen as often. So the students have to be able to read cursive.
