Why is calligraphy not taught in schools?

[Perfection]

You'll have to explain this one.

Art class familiarizes you with arty stuff like scissors paint and glue and stuff as well as getting you a feel for visual asthetics. Which is important.

 

[Fetus4188]

The only thing anyone uses cursive for is signing, and that's not even necessary, those can be printed or whatever so long as it is consistent.

 

[Tomoyo]

For the record: I don't have anything against calligraphy, or calligraphy as an elective subject in secondary schools. I just don't see the need for it as a mandatory subject in primary school, especially factoring other, more vital needs.

By secondary school, the children aren't so impressionable anymore.

I don't know, because there is a finite amount of time in school and there are LOTS of things to teach?

I would say increasing gym time is more important in order to decrease health care costs.

I don't seem to remember there being much actual teaching going on back in elementary school. We did a lot of things like show-and-tell, sit around, "free writing," etc.

You can't increase gym time because there are a finite number of available facilities for gym class.

 

[Tomoyo]

Art class familiarizes you with arty stuff like scissors paint and glue and stuff as well as getting you a feel for visual asthetics. Which is important.

But that will be obsolete in the future too, as presentations will all be done via projector and computer.

 

[Perfection]

If you like print, fine. End of my argument there.

And yet you continue...

But that requires thinking. Love letters are alliterative and obvious.

Maybe for you. I have extreme trouble writing sentimental crap.

But print is ugly.

My cursive was far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far uglier.

Yeah, but how much of that is the fault of people not knowing how to write cursive?

I was born to have crappy handwriting.

I was actually inspired to create this thread because I read an essay about why Asian animators can clean up images more easily than Western animators. Calligraphy supplements Art.

Yeah, well I bet I could make a meaner coil pot then those bastards!

But think of what could have been if you had been indoctrinated with cursive from the beginning, with a dip pen or a fountain pen.

I woulda been even nuttier

 

[Perfection]

On the SAT, there is a thing that you have to sign and write a long sentence in cursive in. It doesn't count for your grade, except that if it's illegible, your test is technically invalid.

I'll take the fact that they counted my abhorrant awful terrible crappy monsteriously ugly poopy cursive as okay as direct disproof of any utility of needing that for the SAT.

I don't seem to remember there being much actual teaching going on back in elementary school. We did a lot of things like show-and-tell, sit around, "free writing," etc.

All of that is way more useful then calligraphy.

You can't increase gym time because there are a finite number of available facilities for gym class.

You could increase that finite number with funding...

But that will be obsolete in the future too, as presentations will all be done via projector and computer.

It won't be like that for a long long time.

 

[GenMarshall]

Calligraphy is a lost art in the US public schools.

 

[Perfection]

Calligraphy is a lost art in the US public schools.

As it should be.

Calligraphy is hard and of limited use.

 

[GenMarshall]

As it should be.

Calligraphy is hard and of limited use.

Personally, I would not mind learning Japanese style Calligraphy if given the opportunity.

 

[Perfection]

Personally, I would not mind learning Japanese style Calligraphy if given the opportunity.

Yeah, that's fine. I'm totally for anyone being able to persue thier interests, I just care for public schools to teach that sort of thing.

 

[Technocactus]

But would you want it compulsurary in grade school?

 

[Kraznaya]

I hated everything that seemed useless and was shoved down my throat during elementary school. On the other hand, calligraphy would be better than making the 5th goddamn Christmas wreath for my parents.

 

[Murky]

Writting classes have switched the focus more towards learning proper grammar and spelling. Since we have computers and typed print, learning to make pretty letters by hand isn't as important. It certainly could be taught in a fine art class.

 

[mangxema]

I learned cursive in second grade (~age 7). At one point I remember all my teachers saying that things were different in middle school and they would make me write in cursive, but nobody cared.

I have relatively neat handwriting, esp. for a guy. My cursive sucks though... the problem is that I can never write it consistently. Even in my last name, which I've written hundreds of times, never comes out the same. (It's 10 letters long, btw.) Too many of the letters/combos are basically the same; way too many humps.

Not only that, my print is much skinnier and thus more efficient.

 

[Tomoyo]

And yet you continue...

Mm-hmm. I have multiple arguments.

Maybe for you. I have extreme trouble writing sentimental crap.

Hmm. Cursive and GDRs don't quite mix.

My cursive was far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far far uglier.

Then you can be a doctor, I guess.

I was born to have crappy handwriting.

Or a pharmacist.

Yeah, well I bet I could make a meaner coil pot then those bastards!

I didn't get to make coil pots until ninth grade.

I woulda been even nuttier

While I'm typing this post, I forgot what this was in response to, and I"m too lazy to check, so I just won't reply to it.

I'll take the fact that they counted my abhorrant awful terrible crappy monsteriously ugly poopy cursive as okay as direct disproof of any utility of needing that for the SAT.

It causes unneeded stress.

All of that is way more useful then calligraphy.

Calligraphy builds social skills too. Little kids can talk while doing calligraphy and discuss how useless it is.

You could increase that finite number with funding...

Yeah, but you don't need funding to teach calligraphy. Well, not that much funding.

It won't be like that for a long long time.

It's almost like that now.

Calligraphy is a lost art in the US public schools.

Mm-hmm. It's a lost art in the Western world.

As it should be.

Calligraphy is hard and of limited use.

So's calculus. You can't exactly use calculus to sow corn on a farm.

Personally, I would not mind learning Japanese style Calligraphy if given the opportunity.

I would. It's too curly.

Yeah, that's fine. I'm totally for anyone being able to persue thier interests, I just care for public schools to teach that sort of thing.

It would be really cool if everyone who write pretty.

But would you want it compulsurary in grade school?

Because that's the only time you can indoctrinate calligraphy into their little brains for life!

I hated everything that seemed useless and was shoved down my throat during elementary school. On the other hand, calligraphy would be better than making the 5th goddamn Christmas wreath for my parents.

Yep, yep.

Writting classes have switched the focus more towards learning proper grammar and spelling. Since we have computers and typed print, learning to make pretty letters by hand isn't as important. It certainly could be taught in a fine art class.

Writing classes have switched the focus more towards writing well, since no one cares about grammar anymore. At least, that's the way it seems. No one knows how to use correct grammar anymore.

I learned cursive in second grade (~age 7). At one point I remember all my teachers saying that things were different in middle school and they would make me write in cursive, but nobody cared.

I have relatively neat handwriting, esp. for a guy. My cursive sucks though... the problem is that I can never write it consistently. Even in my last name, which I've written hundreds of times, never comes out the same. (It's 10 letters long, btw.) Too many of the letters/combos are basically the same; way too many humps.

Not only that, my print is much skinnier and thus more efficient.

I think your middle school teachers were influenced by horrible cursive of your predecessors and revoked that policy as such.

 

[Theryman]

The essays on the SAT's need to be in cursive? Ouch. Time to get some second grade books to relearn that...

 

[Kraznaya]

The essays on the SAT's need to be in cursive? Ouch. Time to get some second grade books to relearn that...

No, you misread it.

 

[ShannonCT]

The essays on the SAT's need to be in cursive? Ouch. Time to get some second grade books to relearn that...

No, just legible. Nothing on the SAT has to be written in cursive.

 

[Tomoyo]

No, just legible. Nothing on the SAT has to be written in cursive.

Except the thing that says you didn't cheat. It explicitly says you need to use cursive.

 

[Kraznaya]

Except the thing that says you didn't cheat. It explicitly says you need to use cursive.

This is very subjective and I could easily link the endings of letters with curved lines and have it count as "cursive."