School Reform: Thoughts?

Susan James said:I honestly think they should just start with 5 or maybe 5.5. It would make things so much smoother from the get-go!
It’s about more than just keeping seven-year-olds from getting bored in class—though let's be honest, once they hit that age, school can start feeling a bit like a repetitive grind if there isn't enough stimulation. It also tackles the massive shortage of early childhood educators and the fact that so many neighborhoods in the US don't have any preschools or even pre-K programs available at all.

I honestly feel a little bit of regret about the whole situation. Looking back, I really think my kid got more out of preschool this year than they will from three years of elementary school—and that’s not even touching on the language development side of things.

Honestly, *Idiocracy* is such a fantastic movie. It’s especially spot-on for people who seem to crave spending 99% of their waking hours staring at a screen.

Carol Johnson4;77028241....

Isn't it a bit problematic when seventh graders write their exams in a way that makes it impossible to actually read what they've written?[/QUOTE said:

Well, look, if there’s a problem right now, it’s an incredibly easy one to fix—if a professor can't decipher the handwriting, they simply don't give credit for the answer, and that’s that. That should motivate them to start writing in something resembling print eventually.
Honestly, anyone who has dealt with the handwriting of students in American middle schools lately completely understands why kids feel zero need to practice it. I haven't seen such illegible scribbles in years; you practically can't even connect three letters together without lifting the pencil off the page entirely.

Michelle Nelson4 said:And there's a massive issue right now. One that's actually easy to fix—if the professor just refuses to grade anything they can't read, then boom, problem solved. They might as well start printing the answers in block letters.
Besides, anyone who's seen how kids write in elementary school these days knows why. They don't use pens constantly, so they lose the skill. I haven't seen worse handwriting in my life; you can't even connect three letters without lifting the pencil off the page.

urbantinker8 said:I just love these double standards, they’re truly something else🤣

whenever some tech guru decides to claim that in ten years nobody will actually need to know how to write because... well, keyboards exist🙂, everyone is just expected to nod along in agreement.
handwriting is apparently so last year, and I guess if you're still writing things down by hand, you've clearly lost your mind. Apparently, EVERYONE (okay, let's be realistic, maybe 99%🐔) is going to live exclusively through screens and typing, so why bother learning how to form letters? It's totally unnecessary, right?🤣

but then, the moment some "average Joe" points out that, hey, maybe—just maybe—most regular people aren't ever going to need to calculate the square root of a negative number in their actual lives, the whole tech community loses its collective mind. They act like you can't possibly cut it from the curriculum; it's absolutely vital. For EVERYONE. 🧐

Carol Johnson4 said:This kid claims he’s going to be a programmer, so why bother learning to write? He also thinks mastering English is enough since he’ll be working with foreigners, so why worry about his native American language? 😁

Setting aside the fact that nobody knows what skills will actually matter to him in 25 years... there's also the issue of how much handwriting development affects overall cognitive growth.

Isn't it a problem when a seventh grader takes an exam and the teacher can't even read the answers?

feralmoose32 said:It reminds me of something someone posted on Meta once: just another day where I didn't need to use sine or cosine...🤣

urbantinker8 said:I mean, why on earth should writing be strictly confined to professional work or anything like that?🙂
Besides, I suppose almost anyone can sit down and tap away at a keyboard these days, but actually knowing how to write... well, unfortunately, that’s a much rarer skill altogether.

Michelle Nelson4 said:Because that’s really the only aspect where clarity actually matters—being able to communicate something to someone else. If you’re just scribbling down illegible nonsense for your own eyes, or if you're writing in some elaborate, decorative script like my great-grandmother's old diary, then nobody cares. It doesn't matter. Honestly, deciding whether to prioritize legibility is about as significant as deciding whether you prefer listening to modern pop or Tchaikovsky.

David Palmer5 said:Honestly, whether your handwriting is beautiful or just legible doesn't really matter. It’s not even about which professions require pen and paper...
what actually matters is that handwriting isn't just a physical act.
If you look up some of the studies on how handwriting connects to brain development, things start to click.
It makes much more sense why so many experts argue against moving away from manual writing and why practicing your handwriting is so vital (at least until you hit a certain age), right?

urbantinker8 said:But then again, I tend to write with a certain elegance, and I do it with other people in mind.
And I take a little bit of pride in that, I guess.🙂

Michelle Nelson4 said:It’s actually pretty funny how a quick chat about messy handwriting somehow spiraled into this whole deep dive into the art of penmanship itself... though I suppose some people just can't help themselves when it comes to straying off-topic; they always seem to get their wires crossed a little bit. 😂

urbantinker8 said:Where on earth did this grand conclusion come from?

I suppose IT professionals probably won't need much handwriting, that seems clear enough.
But for everyone else, you know, the "regular" folks, it might actually matter.