In an era of constant technological advancements, is it still worth it to teach children how to write in cursive?

Danielle Mellor, an occupational therapist with the Hanover School Division, says she believes that it is.

"A lot of time, teachers are hesitant to teach it especially for students who struggle with their printing and if it's a motor difficulty, there are actually benefits for cursive. It's an easier skill to learn so there are benefits to students learning it. Based on my experience, a lot of times, if the students are struggling with their actual printing, they're going to avoid cursive but that's not always a good idea."

Brenda Enns, a grade three teacher at Mitchell Elementary, notes it helps with the student's hand-eye coordination as well, as they learn to form the letters and string them all together.

"I mostly teach it because the kids are interested in it. It's another form of at for them. They're really intrigued about how to do it because they don't know how to do it. I mostly teach it informally because it's not in the Manitoba curriculum anymore."

Mellor adds some students are more motivated to learn cursive because they perceive it as grown-up writing and, in the end, in most cases, their writing is more legible in cursive as opposed to printing.