Some people still know how to write in cursive. In 2023, a legislation was established in California mandating that students in the first through sixth grades be taught “cursive or joined italics.”
According to the law’s creator, it was done so that students might study historical records from original sources. Cantrell’s pupils utilize it just like that.
She offers a lesson on reading documents from the 18th and 19th centuries, and one of their tasks is to participate in the transcribing work being done by the National Archive.
“There is undoubtedly a learning curve,” Cantrell said. However, my pupils persevere. They believe they have a responsibility and are having an impact.
According to Nancy Sullivan of the National Archive, being able to read cursive is just the first step in reading ancient manuscripts. Today’s third graders are not taught the handwriting of the 18th and 19th centuries.
According to Cantrell, the oldest writing is frequently the simplest to read. She said that the handwriting used in Abigail Adams’ letters to her husband,
