The End of Pens: Is Handwriting Worth Saving?

The End of Pens: Is Handwriting Worth Saving? - by Julia Turner/ The Slate Book Review/ slate.com

Julia Turner, pen in hand. Juliana Jiménez Jaramillo for Slate.

It's 2012. Do you know what your handwriting looks like?


Richard

Thank you for the link to a very interesting article. I am in a situation where handwriting will soon be illegal. The government is forcing physicians to have all medical records in an electronic medical record format by January 1, 2014 or else. The conversion is very painful but it does offer many advantages. There is no question in my mind that computer entry of physician medication orders cuts down on medication errors. It is much easier to retrieve information. The notes and orders are dated and timed automatically. Ledgibility is no longer an issue.

The government is sending out auditors, known as The RACs, to recover money from hospitals and physicians for services that the auditors deem medically unnecessary or to uncover fraud and abuse by physicians billing for services that were not actually rendered. I wish I could say that medical fraud and abuse was not a big problem, but, it really is a very big problem. The EMR ( Electronic Medical Record System ) will make uncovering such abuse much less difficult. I get so angry when I learn about physicians in our community fraudulantly billing Medicare for $30 million to $90 million. It reflects poorly on all of us.

The reason why I believe the government is forcing us to go to an EMR is that the RACs now consider illedgiblility a serious quality of care issue. If the auditor cannot read the medical record, how can the auditor determine what services were rendered and why such services were rendered. Those physicians who fail to adapt may find themselves charged with fraud and abuse just because an auditor cannot read their progress notes and orders.

If poor penmanship is going to made a criminal offense, then good bye to writing by hand. I am actually amused that I am engaged in the ancient art of cuneiform writing as I post this note via my IPAD.

60 minutes agrees

One of tonight's episodes referred to this exact problem. However, in this case it was not the doctors themselves but the HMO that was forcing people to be admitted into hospitals even if not medically necessary.

Wow, when I first read the topic headline for this thread, I thought the word pen had an i in it, Between the n and the s!!!!!

That would make for an interesting topic!!!

Pat

#1 Cowboys Fan said:

Wow, when I first read the topic headline for this thread, I thought the word pen had an i in it, Between the n and the s!!!!!

That would make for an interesting topic!!!

Pat

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Are you a urologist?

Learning Cursive Writing: Is it Worthwhile or a Waste of Time? : http://t.today.com/moms/learning-cu...5379?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pulsenews


"Last week, elementary school students returned to the classroom in Archdale, N.C., with a new subject on the mandatory agenda: cursive writing. It’s a debate that has been simmering among experts, parents and teachers all summer, with some arguing that, in a digital age, mandatory cursive instruction is a step backwards while others believe it’s a long-held cultural tradition worth preserving..."


Richard

#1 Cowboys Fan said:

Wow, when I first read the topic headline for this thread, I thought the word pen had an i in it, Between the n and the s!!!!!

That would make for an interesting topic!!!

Pat

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haha.... I did too!!! Off to get another cup of coffee to help the eyesite.

lee

I think schools still need to teach kids to be able to read cursive, as they will need that skill in life. As to writing cursive, I personally would not have a problem with that being dropped in schools. At this point, it is sort of like teaching someone calligraphy -- it makes for pretty writing, but has no practical purpose.

Kurt

Cursive writing has its place - computer printouts are faceless and emotional-less. When I writing a cursive note or letter, it shows my emotions and my education - spell check saves the lame-less idiots of having to consider their words, emotions and intentions.

Try forging or altering note to the teacher to excuse a student - written in cursive, the student is sunk. Written and sent by email, the kid is free.

And which begging for forgiveness will be read over and over; the computer printout OR the handwritten note with crossed out words and tears stains?

And the thank you note => the pasted email or the note written with pauses and drawn hearts (verses xoxoxox)?

vacationhopeful said:

Cursive writing has its place - computer printouts are faceless and emotional-less. When I writing a cursive note or letter, it shows my emotions and my education - spell check saves the lame-less idiots of having to consider their words, emotions and intentions.

Try forging or altering note to the teacher to excuse a student - written in cursive, the student is sunk. Written and sent by email, the kid is free.

And which begging for forgiveness will be read over and over; the computer printout OR the handwritten note with crossed out words and tears stains?

And the thank you note => the pasted email or the note written with pauses and drawn hearts (verses xoxoxox)?

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All of those could be hand-printed vs. written in cursive and have the same effect, IMO. Hand-printing is just as personal as cursive; I just don't think we need to teach writing both anymore. I just don't see the logical case for it. I think the time spent teaching cursive in school could be used in a much more productive way.

Kurt

PigsDad said:

All of those could be hand-printed vs. written in cursive and have the same effect, IMO. Hand-printing is just as personal as cursive; I just don't think we need to teach writing both anymore. I just don't see the logical case for it. I think the time spent teaching cursive in school could be used in a much more productive way.

Kurt

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Things taught via the computer learning lab?

Cursive is personal expression, control, flowery or rigid, searching for the right word, and art. Putting pen to paper requires a certain thoughtfulness or shows utter stupidity.

Go ahead and beg forgiveness from your love IN BLOCK letters. Then, scent that email with lavender oil and rose petals.

There's a clear age divide here. I've never met anyone under 50 defending cursive. I'm sure they exist, but I haven't met 'em.

Count me as among those who see cursive as something without any practical purpose.

And to defend it on the grounds that it's better to write a love letter? Honestly, I think that proves the point better than anything I could write here, especially given the current state of our education system when compared with others internationally.

The time is simply better spent on other things.

vacationhopeful said:

Things taught via the computer learning lab?

Cursive is personal expression, control, flowery or rigid, searching for the right word, and art. Putting pen to paper requires a certain thoughtfulness or shows utter stupidity.

Go ahead and beg forgiveness from your love IN BLOCK letters. Then, scent that email with lavender oil and rose petals.

Click to expand...

I think you are misunderstanding me. I still think handwriting is important (and BTW, handwriting does not equate to ALL-CAP BLOCK LETTERS). Cursive, a form of handwriting just like calligraphy is a form of handwriting, is simply not a skill that needs to be taught to kids anymore. And no, sitting kids down in a computer learning lab was not what I was suggesting. Extra time for math or science skills (which kids today are severely lacking) would be my first choice for the extra hours not spent on repetitive cursive writing drills.

Cursive is certainly important to our older generation, but I find it extremely hard to believe a love-struck 19 y.o. would care one bit if a note from her lover was hand printed vs. written in cursive. These are people who have grown up with electronic communication (email, texts, tweets, etc.).

Times change, and the time for cursive writing as being mainstream with the younger generation has passed.

Kurt

I wonder about the trend more from a historical perspective. We will reach a point that no one can read the original records. ie the Constitution. Cursive will be a foreign language. Letters from soldiers in the Civil War will be ignored. Kids finding their grandparents' love letters won't be able to read them in awe and imagine what that life was like. Museums with certain handwritten records may as well close up shop.
Sure, much has been converted to typed script, but that is not the same as reading it as it was originally penned, and placing everything into context. Some stuff may not be discovered yet, and when we cursive people are dead, who will be able to decipher the handwriting?

Patri said:

I wonder about the trend more from a historical perspective. We will reach a point that no one can read the original records. ie the Constitution. Cursive will be a foreign language.

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Yup. It may happen. Very likely though that scholars will be able to transcribe cursive of the 20th century for a long time after we are gone. Take a look at and decypher Lewis & Clark's journals. All cursive and to be cheritable very creative spelling. I read somewhere that one of them spelled Sioux 6 or more ways on one page.

Somehow we have managed to get the meaning from the original biblical Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and Latin. I doubt the language will suffer irreparable damage if cursive isn't taught.

Jim

Passepartout said:

Somehow we have managed to get the meaning from the original biblical Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and Latin. I doubt the language will suffer irreparable damage if cursive isn't taught.

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+1

Most definitely.

Kurt

Many schools have gotten away from penmanship altogether. We just enrolled in a new school system, which btw is #1 in Ohio (the High School is the 18th ranked public high school in the nation).

Just this year they added handwriting books to the curriculum. (my son is a 1st grader). They had been missing for some time. They have begun to realize that handwriting is suffering immensely.

I can tell you that my own handwriting has suffered immensely in the past few years. It has always been poor (left hander taught how to write by right handers--and handwriting is a right handed skill when you write a language that goes left to right). The less I write, the less I recognize it.

Now, teaching how to tie a shoe? My first grader does not know how, and doesn't own shoes that tie anyway. I have one pair of shoes with laces, and I rarely wear them. I also don't know how to shoe a horse.

PigsDad said:

I think you are misunderstanding me. I still think handwriting is important (and BTW, handwriting does not equate to ALL-CAP BLOCK LETTERS). Cursive, a form of handwriting just like calligraphy is a form of handwriting, is simply not a skill that needs to be taught to kids anymore. And no, sitting kids down in a computer learning lab was not what I was suggesting. Extra time for math or science skills (which kids today are severely lacking) would be my first choice for the extra hours not spent on repetitive cursive writing drills.

Cursive is certainly important to our older generation, but I find it extremely hard to believe a love-struck 19 y.o. would care one bit if a note from her lover was hand printed vs. written in cursive. These are people who have grown up with electronic communication (email, texts, tweets, etc.).

Times change, and the time for cursive writing as being mainstream with the younger generation has passed.

Kurt

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+1

The way we communicate is rapidly evolving. I can't tell you the last time I wrote something in cursive and I seem to have done just fine. When I do write by hand I do it in block print.

I understand the need to be able to read cursive, at least maybe for the next 20-40 years, but there's no real word need to learn how to write in cursive. BTW, my 70 year old mother who's a retired English teacher has formed the same opinion. She now communicates mainly through her iPad and iPhone with text messaging, facetime or Facebook.

Patri said:

I wonder about the trend more from a historical perspective. We will reach a point that no one can read the original records. ie the Constitution. Cursive will be a foreign language. Letters from soldiers in the Civil War will be ignored. Kids finding their grandparents' love letters won't be able to read them in awe and imagine what that life was like. Museums with certain handwritten records may as well close up shop.
Sure, much has been converted to typed script, but that is not the same as reading it as it was originally penned, and placing everything into context. Some stuff may not be discovered yet, and when we cursive people are dead, who will be able to decipher the handwriting?

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I can still read cursive and plan on being called on to read the letters, of long gone friends and relatives of those who can't read it. It should be a very lucrative business.