HANDWRITING IS TORTURE

Quite often, one sees people both young and old holding pencils and pens when writing on surfaces. There are many occasions on which signing of one’s name takes place in public and that shows on television, in print and online pictorial records.

In “real life“ one sees people in shops and other occupations requiring writing, handling writing tools.

It’s true to say that the majority of people these days and probably 95% of those who are younger, demonstrate an inability to hold a pencil or pen properly. Handwriting is pure torture!

Quite obviously, these people have never been taught to write. Until the mid 1980s handwriting lessons, including the holding of a writing tool were part of what was taught in schools. Children were taught about how to sit when writing, how to position the paper or book onto which they were writing, and how to hold a pencil or pen. These skills were not only a part of handwriting lessons but were also reinforced during other lessons required children to write.

With the emergence of computers, iPads and the arrival of keyboards, handwriting and skills associated therewith have more or less gone out the back door. That’s a crying shame! Children and young people are increasingly unable to write without device support.