In third grade, Jonah had a mediocre teacher. During that year, his handwriting disintegrated. I went to the school principal and showed her work that he did in September and work that he completed in May. There was a huge drop. He never learned how to write in script.

The principal told me that it didn’t matter. She said in the future, everyone would simply type everything. I argued that he still needed to complete tests, take class notes, and even write the SATs with an old fashioned number 2 pencil. But she poo-pooed me.

Jonah’s handwriting is now serviceable, but I think that he would complete class assignments faster with better handwriting. I also wonder whether teachers unconsciously judge him based on his handwriting. Maybe his in-class essays would have another sentence or two, if the writing process wasn’t so annoying for him. I wish I hired a tutor to work on this skill when he was younger.

Now, scientists are showing that children learn better when they write out information. The writing process  spurs retention.

Schools haven’t got the memo. The new Common Core calls for teaching legible writing, but only in kindergarten and first grade. After that, the emphasis quickly shifts to proficiency on the keyboard. Parents need to tell schools that handwriting matters.