Written by Edda
Manley...a Hand Writing Specialist
and an ardent
follower of my blog articles comments…
Presently I'm helping my
colleagues south of the border because cursive handwriting has now been taken
out of the U.S. Public School curriculum due to their implementation of the
Common Core Curriculum. Sadly, our
education policy makers follow the Americans even though some things had
already proven to be a dismal failure here.
This happened with Whole Language and New Math.
More information
on our efforts can be found at
www.cursiveiscool.com
and the www.campignforcursiveblogspot.
The grasp of the hand is the
first motor control function developed by human beings. Think of the heart connection made when an
infant's hand grasps your finger. The
grasp of the hand is also the last motor control to leave one's body...often
long after the person has ceased breathing.
How wonderful to have that connection to the very end.
The first thing every child
wants to learn or write by hand is his/her name. The last handwriting to be maintained by a
person at or near the end of one's life is the signature.
There is now neuro-scientific
evidence seen through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) that shows
more adult like neuro-pathway connections are created through handwriting.
These are not produced when children are read to...or use a keyboard. (See research done by Canadian educated Dr.
Karin Harman James at the University of Indiana).
There are over 3,000 nerve
endings in each fingertip directly connected to the brain. Simply rubbing your fingertips with your
thumb stimulates the brain. In
body-language, pressing one's fingertips from both hands together during
conversation is seen as a sign of intelligence/thinking.
Edda Manley...can be reached at...eddamanley@cogeco.ca
“Writing is a form of
therapy; sometimes I wonder
how all those who do
not write, compose or paint
can manage to escape
madness, melancholia, the panic and fear
which is inherent in
a human situation.”
(Graham Greene)
“If you would not be
forgotten as soon as you are dead,
either write
something worth reading
or do things worth
writing.”
(Benjamin Franklin)
“Writing is an
extreme privilege, but it’s also a gift.
It’s a gift to
yourself and it’s a gift of giving a story to someone,”
(Amy Tan)
Cursive writing
develops a flair that is unique and indicative of the person
with pen, paper or
brush in hand.
Learning Cursive promotes brain development Learning to write Cursive requires…tentativeness and
conscious control over fine hand and finger movements An important need in the
cognitive development of children is to develop their ability to…focus…self-awareness
of what they are doing…how they are doing it…making their muscles do what they
want them to do…and responding to the feedback from knowing what improvements
in control are needed and make those adjustments.
Psychologists advocate that Cursive should be taught in schools.
Mental effort is seen as undesirable by many ~ but it is conducive to training
the minds of children.
J. K. Rowling ~ a British
novelist, best known as the author of
the Harry Potter fantasy series advocates, “The most important thing is to read and write. Read as much as you can
like I did. It will give you an
understanding of what makes good writing and it will enlarge your vocabulary.”
Merle Baird-Kerr…compiled June 19, 2014
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