It's about durn time...

[Michaelson]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16151317/from/RS.2/

Regards! Michaelson

 

[Jay]

Wonderful News!

 

[Viola]

I like antiquities as much as anyone but that's quite the waste of time there.

Viola

 

[Tommy Fedora]

Welcome to the 20th century.

 

[Miss Neecerie]

Fountain pens are nice to write with and make one really learn to have decent penmanship.

If this accomplishes that for these kids...then its a good thing. Far better then allowing them to submit essays in txt message speak.

 

[Kt Templar]

They did that in my primary school, from about age 9-11 they made you use a fountain pen instead of a ball point. My handwriting is still dreadful.

 

[drafttek]

I'd have rather learned to use a fountain pen than learn to use a slide rule. And that was only in 1985 we spent two weeks on it. Ugh.

 

[Lady Day]

I always had some sort of fountain pen when I was a kid. I thought they were cool, and i liked painting with the ink.

LD

 

[Miss Sis]

We started off on Fountain pens at my Primary School. No biros allowed!

 

[Fleur De Guerre]

They did that in my primary school, from about age 9-11 they made you use a fountain pen instead of a ball point. My handwriting is still dreadful.

Ditto only I was using one from about 8 till about 14. My handwriting then was lovely, now, it's an incomprehensible scrawl.

 

[GOK]

I had terrible trouble with fountain pens - basically because they were all for right handed people and my teacher insisted that I was just trying to be awkward by writing with my left. Eventually she gave in and got me a left handed one but it didn't really help. I've never had neat writing - I think it's because I've always been too eager to get everything on paper before I forget it! And also, I have a rebellious streak about a mile wide - I didn't see why I should have to have writing that looked the same as everyone else's.

Part of me thinks that it is a good idea to teach children how to write with ink pens - assuming they will end up with legible handwriting but the greater part cannot help wondering, why bother? There are more important things for children to learn and personally, I'd rather the effort and expense were poured into something that actually meant something truly worthwhile...such as teaching them a degree of compassion and humanity, or a solid understanding of maths and English. Even in private education, children are still not given a thorough grounding in the basics, which means that at some point it is going to fail. One cannot build a solid wall without good foundations and education is no different.

 

[Michaelson]

Apparently most have forgotten that handwritting WAS one of the basic building stones of that foundation of learning. Remember...'Reading, WRITING, and arithmetic'? The problem is, most folks think writing is just learning the ability to compose thought in order to be able to put it down in a logistical and logical order to someone else to read.

Another problem is, with the invention of the PC and keyboard, no one now takes the time to THINK about what they're writing. Look at all the 'snafu's that have occurred right here at this forum. Someone THINKS they're saying one thing, but have typed something that could be read 3 different ways. Folks get their feelings hurt, and a lot of time is lost trying to clear up the misunderstanding.

Learning to put those thoughts on paper first makes one take a moment to actually pay attention to what is being written, and supposedly said. Learning to use a fountain pen make the mechanics of learning how to write to the top of the learning curve, as once you've mastered that item, anything else you put in the hand will be simple. It's not just a matter of being able to put pen to paper and having someone else be able to read what was written. It teaches one to think.

When I was in school, we had to go through a rigorous penshipmenship traing class in 6th grade, and were graded on the outcome. That practice somehow got lost in the early 70's, and we're suffering for it now.

Regards! Michaelson

 

[Feraud]

There is nothing wrong with teaching children good basic skills. Whether it be how to write with a fountain pen, reading music, doing math without a calculator, or emphasizing proper spelling. The issue is not what a person chooses to do as an adult but that adults provide the foundation.

All those cantankerous artists and rebels would have nothing to rebel against were it not for structure. lol

 

[Michaelson]

Totally agree, but we need to move them BACK toward the actual hands on mechanics of the doing of those basic functions, rather than the 'push button' technology that we've all embraced with both hands. TO work a math problem in one's head, or on a separate piece of paper, is a WORLD away from pushing a button on a calculator and having the answer pop up on a screen.

Same for writing. When was the last time you actually picked up a dictionary and looked up a word? WIth MicroSoft automatic word corrector, I bet it's been a while.lol

Regards! Michaelson

 

[Samsa]

Same for writing. When was the last time you actually picked up a dictionary and looked up a word? WIth MicroSoft automatic word corrector, I bet it's been a while.lol

Regards! Michaelson

You mean not everyone flips through their copy of the New Shorter Oxford English Dictiory for fun? I guess I'm the only one...

 

[Feraud]

That is right. For as much time as I spend on a computer I try to do things "the hard way". I limit the time my son spends on a computer or video game and have him doing sports, music, Boy Scouts, etc.

I have a dictionary on my bookshelf but admit using dictionary.com more often...:eusa_doh: [huh]

 

[Riposte3]

Part of me thinks that it is a good idea to teach children how to write with ink pens - assuming they will end up with legible handwriting but the greater part cannot help wondering, why bother? There are more important things for children to learn and personally, I'd rather the effort and expense were poured into something that actually meant something truly worthwhile...such as teaching them a degree of compassion and humanity, or a solid understanding of maths and English. Even in private education, children are still not given a thorough grounding in the basics, which means that at some point it is going to fail. One cannot build a solid wall without good foundations and education is no different.

My understanding was that they are teaching this during the period when they would normally still be teaching the kids handwriting anyway, and requiring them to use fountain pens instead of ballpoints or pencils. It's not actually taking the place of any other lessons.

I agree that schools today seem to be skipping many of the basics, but as Michaelson says, handwriting IS one of the basics. In fact, just a few years ago, several medical schools started teaching mandatory handwriting classes, and some hospitals were also requiring their doctors to take handwriting classes. Studies were showing that a very large number of medical mistakes, some fatal, were caused by the doctor's handwriting being illegible or easily misread.

Of course, I also think that memorization techniques and shorthand should be considered basic skills, too.

Kids today only learn rote memorization, which is the least efficient and least effective technique there is. If they start learning better methods in elementary school, then they will learn faster and easier for the rest of their lives.
Shorthand should be taught around the 8th or 9th grade, or just before kids start taking classes that involve a lot of note taking. This will be an extremely useful skill for as long as they are in school, especially for anyone who plans on going to college.

-Jake

 

[Michaelson]

You mean not everyone flips through their copy of the New Shorter Oxford English Dictiory for fun? I guess I'm the only one...

We refer to our dictionary as our 'manual spell checker'. lol

Regards! Michaelson