In the prime of second grade, my son’s handwriting is still
a challenge to behold much less to read—and I see no reason to expect dramatic
improvement. In fact, when I asked the principal about the teaching of
handwriting, the message was that pedagogy was moving in the direction of
emphasizing keyboard skills, not traditional handwriting skills.
“But you’re
the parent,” she said, “you can do what you want at home.”
I took that as
my cue.
I have no idea what I’m talking about, I
have no idea whether I’m stuck in my old ways, but I feel like that act of
writing by hand, at least at a young age, can also be an act of focus and
thought and therefore all the more worthwhile. It takes commitment to
write nicely, and even more to write well. So most nights, Adam and I get
back to basics, taking about 15 minutes to practice capital and small letters,
periods, full sentences, the works. He typically resists at first, but then he
soldiers through, and he’s getting better.%uFFFD
“I appreciate what you’re
doing with Adam,” my wife said to me the other night, “but I assume you see the
irony in YOU teaching him handwriting.” I do, but we don’t really discuss that.%uFFFD
—Eric Messinger
