Should schools stop teaching cursive writing?

The board is discussing whether cursive handwriting should remain a part of its curriculum. The story opens like this: “Should children born into a world of computers, iPads, smartphones and e-cards have to learn old-fashioned cursive handwriting?”

As someone who still writes in cursive, my immediate inclination was, “Of course!” But as I thought more about this issue (and posted my comment on the Kansas City Star’s Facebook page), I realized there’s a much bigger issue at stake. Is technology making us lazy?

Case in point: “Today’s children type, text, and e-mail more frequently than they write longhand,” writes Suzanne Perez Tobias for The Wichita Eagle. Because of this shift in skills, more parents are concerned about having their kids properly prepped to use technology, rather than focusing on longstanding curriculum components such as penmanship.

Technology most certainly shouldn’t be ignored—I’m a big fan of students’ learning computer and other related skills so that they’re poised for success in an increasingly digital world.