By Ava DePersio

Cursive is a style of writing that can be used to write down information faster, while also being in an elegant format. Even though cursive has been around, there has been a decline of its presence in schools. However, in the state of Florida, cursive is becoming more present in its school standards. 

   Florida is bringing cursive back. Florida has been working to get cursive back into the main curriculum, but it was not until February 7, 2020, that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis proposed Florida B.E.S.T, (Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking), that the push for cursive became more noticeable. According to ‘Florida Politics’ (floridapolitics.com), it states, “Gov. Ron DeSantis… [said the] standards [for Florida B.E.S.T] is complete.” With the establishment of Florida’s new standard of Florida B.E.S.T, there are, “… changes [that include] the requirements [that] children learn cursive,” according to ‘Florida Politics’. With this change in standards, cursive will be more prominent in Florida schools. 

    While cursive has become less common with the increase in technology, it does have a long history. According to ‘History.com’, a form of what we know today as cursive, has been around since the fifth century A.D. It states, “… Ancient Romans were among the first to develop written script… it included early versions of lowercase letters and flowed like modern cursive.” Instead of block letters that writing in print forms, cursive is more of a hybrid because it is a combination of different writing styles to form this flowy writing. The teaching of cursive included, “…students [being able] to form loopy characters between horizontal lines on chalkboards… and was designed to ease the transition from printing to cursive writing,” according to ‘History.com’.

  With cursive back in the classrooms, many wonder if it is even practical anymore with assignments now being online, and the strenuous amounts of time it takes to learn such a skill. Many students may not have been taught cursive because it was not required, or did not continue the skill after it was taught. A Ponte Vedra High School senior, said, “… I learned cursive in the third grade… at [a private school].” Another PVHS senior, commented, “When I was younger I did not know cursive, I learned it from my mom… I went to a public school in Miami.” Some may find writing in cursive a challenge, so even if they were taught it, they may not use it because of that. People might have learned cursive but do not use it, or were never taught it at all because it was not required in their class. 

   In a randomly selected group— consisting of students from all four grades— the participants were asked whether they could read or write in cursive, and if they had learned it in school. Out of the seven students in each grade asked, all grade levels had at least one student who knows how to read and write in cursive. All but one of the students in total said they were taught cursive in school. More juniors said they did not know how to read or write it that well, even though they were taught it. While this survey is not representative of the entire school—since only a few students from each grade were asked—it shows that many did learn cursive, but may choose not to use it. 

   Writing in cursive is one thing, but being able to read it is another obstacle. Students who did not learn how to write in cursive may find it challenging to read in cursive, since they are not familiar with that way of writing. Also, cursive is different from writing in print, because it is not individually spaced out with each letter, and thus makes the characters difficult to distinguish. These different variations of cursive can make it hard to read. “I can read it most times but not always,” said a PVHS junior. What will help make cursive easier to read is if people learn how to write it. A PVHS senior, commented, “I think [cursive] is essential to learn, it helps you read it when other people write in cursive.” Being able to read and write cursive go hand-in-hand, and there may be a rise in students being able to read cursive if they are also taught how to write it. 

“I think [cursive] is essential to learn, it helps you read it when other people write in cursive.”

   With the increase in technology, it is hard to master a skill like cursive. Students may have some thoughts about Florida schools bringing cursive back. PVHS senior, Caleigh Monti commented, “I still write in cursive. I feel like if students [start to] write in cursive, teachers should also write in cursive.” Some may not see it as being useful anymore, while others may see it as their primary way of writing.“I exclusively write in cursive,” said another PVHS senior. If students learn cursive, it will allow them to be able to read it when other people write in cursive. With Florida Governor Ron DeSantis replacing Common Core and bringing back cursive, Florida schools will see a rise in the teaching of cursive, in hopes of it not becoming a forgotten form of writing.