Learning in School

[W. Gray]

When I was a little one, I think writing might have started in the second grade.

I learned to write with a big primary pencil and a wide lined Big Chief brand tablet.


Do kids still use these today to learn to write?

At what grade is the computer introduced?

[MarineMom]

In some school districts it is introduced in Kindergarten

[flo]

Unless it has been reintroduced in the past few years, penmanship, as we knew it, is no longer taught.  Remember the OOOOO, e e e e e, l l l l l ? Line after line after line? No more. 

[Dale Smith]

Well, that sure does explain a lot Flo.... no wonder I get job applications now that I can't read.

[momof 2boys]

I am a teacher and I teach penmanship on a daily basis.

[flo]

that's the reason I worded it like I did.  I asked a 282 teacher one time about "penmanship" (very different than teaching to write) and was told they didn't teach it anymore.  They just taught them how to write.  Maybe we will have a group coming up that you can actually read their writing.

[Lookatmeknow!!]

Ok, I would like to clear up somethings.  They don't use Big Chief Tablets to much anymore.  I know that Mrs. Galvan used to us them, but they have manuscript paper that they use alot in the Primary Grades (Pre K-3).  I like to use this new lined paper on the top line is a flower, I think that is right, and on the bottom is a picture of grass.  In the middle, there is the dotted lines.  You can teach them placement of letters.  At Severy they do Zane Boser and at Moline they do Denalian (spelling).  These are different types of handwriting.    I prefer the Zane Boser, it is normal handwriting like I learned about 25 or so years ago.  The Denalian handwriting has little tails on them.  The thing about Denalian is that it is easier to go to cursive writing.  But they do still do Handwriting in grade schools.  They start computers in Kindergarten.  They have programs at both grade schools that they use and they spend about 20-30 minutes a day on that.  I think that they do some computers in Pre School but not sure about that.  My Oldest Daughter is in 4th grade and she is learning typing through the computer.  They use a program called typing tutor.  She is starting to type some.  My middle girl is in Pre school and she can write her first and last name, sometimes with help she can write her middle name.  She can recognize over 1/2 of the alphabet and most of the numbers 1-10.  This is preschool.  They do like them to be reading some by the end of kindergarten, but not completely.  We have all day Kindergarten here so that is really nice.  They learn alot throughout the year.

[Bonnie M.]

"I am a teacher and I teach penmanship on a daily basis."

That's good news.  What grade do you teach?  Our grandchildren tend to do more printing than "cursive," and that seems to go on and on "forever."  Through High School, college, on and on!  

[flo]

I realize that computers are the day and age now, but there has to be a certain amount of handwriting to get through life.  Guess I still do checks the old fashioned way and I do so write letters.  If you are working for the public, good penmanship is very much appreciated. Right Dale?  I think they need to learn the basic R's before going into computers and calculators.  Sorry, but I'm just a bit old fashioned when it comes to education.

[W. Gray]

Thanks for this info, angtown3 and others.

For some reason, I woke up in the middle of the night and thought of the Big Chief and the big pencil, then I began to wonder if they were still in use. I think both the tablet and the pencil were five cents each. I recall you could get five or eight crayons in a box for five cents, also.

Bonnie, I seem to recall our daughter clinging to printing for what seemed to be a long time.

Learning to type in the fourth grade is and isn't hard to believe.

I took typing as a high school elective. I was the only boy in the class. I recall a lot of the 1950s boys were just too macho to be caught typing, plus they said they would never use it anyway. Turned out to be one of the best elective classes I took. This may be a little high but I seem to recall my very best was 80 words with 3 mistakes. I could never sustain that, though. Some of the girls in class were like lightning. The girl on one side of me took pride, I think, in showing me she was a lot faster. The girl on the other side did not seem to put her heart into it.