If You Can Read This - I Didn't Write It

My handwriting is terrible.  My signature is even worse!  I used to have fairly neat handwriting both cursive and regular and my signature was easily readable.  I may have spelled things incorrectly on occasion but the writing was beautiful.  I blame computers.  I simply do not write anything by hand anymore.  When I do I really have to think about it and concentrate to get it readable.  I'm a whiz at typing and the computer will even correct my spelling.  But it has made my handwriting lazy.

I wonder how the kids of today will be affected by this?  Most learn to type on a computer before they even learn to write by hand.  I'm certain they still teach writing in schools and probably even still teach cursive, but if the students never have a call to actually write things manually I wonder if it will even stick in their brains.  In my day (I can't believe I just wrote typed that!) we were asked in class to type reports - on a typewriter - just to ensure that we could actually use the typewriter.  If I were a teacher today I would insist that my students submit all reports in handwriting - just to be sure they could do it.  That's quite a reversal. 

Maybe I should hand write my blog.  Wait - that would never work.  But seriously, it might be time to do some manual letter writing just to get back in practice.  It probably would be wise for everyone to do some form of regular manual letter writing before we all forget how.  Imagine if a giant solar flare knocked out power on earth.  Only us old folks would know how to write!

By the way - I can't do math anymore either due to the computer.  I guess I should turn the computer off and do some fractions as well.