MANILA, Philippines — Many basic education teachers have observed, “that students today, cannot write.” They mean handwriting, penmanship – the skill pupils learn in the third grade as soon as their motor skills developed.

Some educators argue that just as calculators and other computing machines deaden our skill to add, to subtract, and find the square root of numbers mentally, so also computers make it seem less urgent for us to know how to write legibly.

Practice writing in cursive scripts is very much needed by students because the world we inhabit, as emphasized by William Bennet[1], is still not fully “keyboarded” and that as far as one can tell, handwriting isn’t going away any time, soon.

The purpose of this article is to give the importance of handwriting or penmanship and  suggest some ways of teaching it in the classroom.

Why do many of our pupils/students today have poor handwriting or penmanship? The reasons as claimed by many educators are today’s technology (the computers, particularly) and the distorted attitude of some youth and children toward it. And if this is the case, should we leave the problem unaddressed or should we do something as remediation?

As educators, we have to remediate the situation and come to the rescue of the pupils/students. The activities organized by a committed teacher will help the learners get acquainted with the different shapes of letter forms and the correct writing stroke for each letter configuration.

Here are some tips provided from experienced on how to help children develop good handwriting or penmanship.

It is important, first if all, for the teacher to help the children assume comfortable writing positions at their desks and the chalkboard.

At the Desk.

Children should sit erect in a comfortable position. They should sit with both feet flat on the floor. Both forearms should rest on the desk.

At the Chalkboard.

Here the children  faces the line of writing. They move as their writing arm moves.

Writing Paper.

The paper should be placed squarely in front of the pupil, with the lower edge parallel to the lower edge of the desk. When the paper lies in this position the downward strokes are pulled straight toward the writer’s body. However, some children find it easier to write when the paper is slightly tilted to the left (if the writer is right-handed). Probably some variation should be allowed in order to ensure a relaxed writing position.

Chalk.

The piece of chalk is not held like a pencil, but grasped between the first two fingers and the thumb. The other two fingers rest lightly in on the chalk.

The piece of chalk should be long enough so that it can be held about one inch from the writing end. If it is too long, it is likely to squeak when the child writes. Because of this, many teachers have children use half-length of a piece of chalk.

Pencil.

The pencil is held lightly between the thumb and the first finger and rests on the second finger. It should be held just above the sharpened part. When the writing paper is placed squarely in front of the child, the pencil will point over his right shoulder.

Some children are left-handed. Since they do have some problems in writing, it is the teacher’s responsibility to help them. The following are some ways to help the left-handed children.

1. Have them grasp the pencil at least an inch above the point. This permits them  to see what they are writing.

2. Have him them keep the left hand below the line of writing.

3. Ordinarily, have them place the writing paper vertically in front of them. Some left-handed children may be more comfortable if the paper is tilted so that the lower right-hand corner is pointed toward the center of the body. A few children may write even better if the paper is tilted slightly more.

4. Have them keep the writing hand and arm in the same position relative to the line of writing that the right-handed children does.

5. Stress the importance of a position which permits the writers to see their writing. Do not permit left-handed children to place their writing hand above the line of writing.

6. Keep the free hand at the top of the paper to hold it firmly in place.

It is one of our tasks as teachers to teach good penmanship. There are still a lot of companies who evaluate applicants through their handwriting. Let me share with you a personal experience of one of my friends. She graduated with flying colors in the city’s professional school as a chemical engineer. The first time she took the board exam, she failed mainly because of poor penmanship (her writing was hardly legible). That was the time she realized she should have not have ignored penmanship in grade school. She hired an elementary school teacher who tutored her in cursive writing. She passed the board when she took it a second time. When she applied in a prestigious company she was hired supervisor in the production department. Her immediate superior was a former schoolmate who received praises from his classmates then, because of his neat and legible handwriting.

A Concluding Appeal

It is the humble view of this educator that children still need plenty of practice learning activities to write with facility and skill with pencil and pens.

Zehm and Kottler have said that, there are two kinds of educators, those who are committed to the calling of being a teacher, and those who are not. The first group has made their profession an integrated part of their life-style, whereas the second treats teaching as merely a job. Passionately committed teachers are those who absolutely love what they do. They are constantly searching for more effective ways to reach their children, to master the content and methods of their craft. They feel a personal mission,  to walk through life devouring new experiences, learning as much as they can about the world, about others, about themselves – and helping others, to do the same. The second group view themselves as technicians and view teaching as an easy way to make a living.