MOOKS: Teaching kids to "sign" their names

[ohgillian]

Yesterday DS (11) brought home various forms from school; some we had to sign and some he had to sign. He printed his first name (only) on his lines. LOL. H told him to make it First, MI, Last. But although he's had cursive in school, he doesn't know how to write in it. Should I teach him how to do his name in cursive? 

[mccallister84]

So they finally changed the part of the SAT where they had to copy, in cursive, an honor pledge - now they can just type it. It was PAINFUL watching HS juniors try to do that.

Teach him how to sign his name.

[nicolewi]

Man, I don't know. My 12 year old had to sign one form with me and I watched with amusement as she carefully wrote her name (it was in cursive) and then added a little heart! LOL.

[ohgillian]

Aug 24, 2021 11:38:28 GMT -5 nicolewi said:

Man, I don't know. My 12 year old had to sign one form with me and I watched with amusement as she carefully wrote her name (it was in cursive) and then added a little heart! LOL.

I definitely dotted the i's in my last name with hearts when I was in middle school. 

[IrishBelle]

My 16yo DD had learned some cursive but won’t use it. Her signature is printed.

[rootbeerfloat]

Neither kid has learned cursive in school. DS usually just prints his name. DD's teacher told her the "letters had to connect" in her signature, so she did that.

I guess I should have them practice. I used to practice mine (as well as my parents', not that I ever mastered them lol).

[brooklyn]

It blows my mind that kids don’t learn cursive in school anymore. I know people like to dump on Catholic education, but at least they’re still teaching cursive! Computers may be taking over, but I think knowing how to properly sign a name is important.

[VillainV]

Aug 24, 2021 13:58:10 GMT -5 brooklyn said:

It blows my mind that kids don’t learn cursive in school anymore. I know people like to dump on Catholic education, but at least they’re still teaching cursive! Computers may be taking over, but I think knowing how to properly sign a name is important.

I wonder why signatures have to be in cursive. Is there some kind of legal requirement for a signature to be in cursive? It seems like a pretty out-dated idea.

[cricketwife]

Aug 24, 2021 14:01:14 GMT -5 VillainV said:

Aug 24, 2021 13:58:10 GMT -5 brooklyn said:

It blows my mind that kids don’t learn cursive in school anymore. I know people like to dump on Catholic education, but at least they’re still teaching cursive! Computers may be taking over, but I think knowing how to properly sign a name is important.

I wonder why signatures have to be in cursive. Is there some kind of legal requirement for a signature to be in cursive? It seems like a pretty out-dated idea.

I agree, and I think we are becoming more and more removed from signatures even being handwritten vs. electronic.  

[VillainV]

Aug 24, 2021 14:12:26 GMT -5 cricketwife said:

Aug 24, 2021 14:01:14 GMT -5 VillainV said:

I wonder why signatures have to be in cursive. Is there some kind of legal requirement for a signature to be in cursive? It seems like a pretty out-dated idea.

I agree, and I think we are becoming more and more removed from signatures even being handwritten vs. electronic.  

Anecdote — I’m in the military and the majority of our forms have to be signed electronically. Very few are supposed to be “wet-signed” anymore. It’s very much the exception.

[ssmjlm]

Aug 24, 2021 13:58:10 GMT -5 brooklyn said:

It blows my mind that kids don’t learn cursive in school anymore. I know people like to dump on Catholic education, but at least they’re still teaching cursive! Computers may be taking over, but I think knowing how to properly sign a name is important.

Where I am, the public schools still teach cursive.  My kid had it last year in 2nd.

Although she was weird and asked for a cursive practice book after 1st grade, so she can do her first name.  Last name is a bit harder since we have 2 capital letters.

[waverly]

The kids get limited cursive in our school district. Yes, I would teach them to sign their name in cursive. Yes, it might be outdated, but I still sign forms that ask for signature (cursive) and my printed name next to it. If both are printed that would defeat the purpose IMO. And yes, I am old fashioned, but I am pro teaching even if it eventually is not used. It still is used nowadays in some areas.

[pooh8402]

I thought cursive was no longer being taught?

If so, I think that is sad. It's a useful skill for sure, easier than printing. I write with a combination of print and cursive. My signature is fully cursive. I now have to relearn it now that I'm going to be adding some new letters after my name (just finished FNP).

On my patient consent forms in the last few years, I've seen a lot more printed signatures, rather than cursive. All younger patients (30 yo or younger).

[tacokick]

Aug 24, 2021 14:01:14 GMT -5 VillainV said:

Aug 24, 2021 13:58:10 GMT -5 brooklyn said:

It blows my mind that kids don’t learn cursive in school anymore. I know people like to dump on Catholic education, but at least they’re still teaching cursive! Computers may be taking over, but I think knowing how to properly sign a name is important.

I wonder why signatures have to be in cursive. Is there some kind of legal requirement for a signature to be in cursive? It seems like a pretty out-dated idea.

I think signatures traditionally are in cursive because it is more distinctive and harder to copy. Block letters are pretty generic. Technically and legally your signature doesn’t have to be in cursive, it’s just supposed to be distinctive and consistent for you. My great grandfather never learned to read or write and signed with an X or a symbol! I think saying it has to be cursive makes it easier than saying “please work on a consistent, unique signature”.

Now e-signatures are more popular but have that layer of being trackable with regards to their origins.

[tacokick]

I’d teach because why not? I think it’s being pushed out as a requirement as kids don’t learn cursive as much any more but it would give him something to use if someone was a real stickler for script.

[UMaineTeach]

Aug 24, 2021 14:58:09 GMT -5 pooh8402 said:

I thought cursive was no longer being taught?

If so, I think that is sad.

I’m wondering if not teaching cursive is a FB meme up there with not saying the anymore pledge and the systematic erasure “important white guys.”

I’m thinking it’s taught more places than people think. It’s taught at my school, but it’s not to crusty old teacher standards. There’s not endless re-doing, tiny worksheets, and mandatory writing in cursive past third grade, but it’s there.

I don’t think there is any actual legal requirement to sign your name any particular way. So long as you are prepared to give a writing sample or something in court. It cheeses H off that I don’t sign and initial my middle name. But, why?


There’s no harm in teaching it to your kid. I like HWT program.

[gretchenindisguise]

Cursive is taught in our district and my eldest definitely practiced their name in cursive a lot too. Not sure if that second part was really pressed by school or they were doodling like the good ole days.

The kids also say the pledge at least through middle school.

I also don't sign a middle initial/name. My signature is largely unreadable though.

[pierogigirl]

Aug 24, 2021 13:58:10 GMT -5 brooklyn said:

It blows my mind that kids don’t learn cursive in school anymore. I know people like to dump on Catholic education, but at least they’re still teaching cursive! Computers may be taking over, but I think knowing how to properly sign a name is important.

It's because we keep being asked to teach everything. When curriculum is added, nothing is ever taken away. Cursive was the low hanging fruit. It's not mandated and there's no high stakes test attached to it. 

I don't have time to teach all the stuff I have to teach.  I keep cursive practice around for when we have time.

ETA: It is taught to some degree in my school. 

[brooklyn]

Aug 24, 2021 18:33:45 GMT -5 pierogigirl said:

Aug 24, 2021 13:58:10 GMT -5 brooklyn said:

It blows my mind that kids don’t learn cursive in school anymore. I know people like to dump on Catholic education, but at least they’re still teaching cursive! Computers may be taking over, but I think knowing how to properly sign a name is important.

It's because we keep being asked to teach everything. When curriculum is added, nothing is ever taken away. Cursive was the low hanging fruit. It's not mandated and there's no high stakes test attached to it. 

I don't have time to teach all the stuff I have to teach.  I keep cursive practice around for when we have time.

ETA: It is taught to some degree in my school. 

Wish we can do away with the high stakes testing instead! I do think teachers have a lot to cram in, and I wouldn’t want to create more stress for them, but maybe each kid just learning to sign their own name? Or a suggestion of a workbook parents can do with them? (I started practicing with my rising 3rd grader this year since he would have learned in school if it weren’t for Covid last year)

[Dznyprnces]

The school my kids go to teach cursive. Though it starts in 2nd grade and my son didn’t get it last year because of COVID (school was hybrid, had a shorter day, and just focused on the core subjects). My daughter, in 7th grade, had to sign some forms along with me this year. She asked if it had to be cursive, I hesitated and then said yes, but then I wasn’t actually sure if it had to be cursive. Some of her letters look a bit weird, but she did it lol

[pierogigirl]

Aug 24, 2021 19:32:54 GMT -5 brooklyn said:

Aug 24, 2021 18:33:45 GMT -5 pierogigirl said:

It's because we keep being asked to teach everything. When curriculum is added, nothing is ever taken away. Cursive was the low hanging fruit. It's not mandated and there's no high stakes test attached to it. 

I don't have time to teach all the stuff I have to teach.  I keep cursive practice around for when we have time.

ETA: It is taught to some degree in my school. 

Wish we can do away with the high stakes testing instead! I do think teachers have a lot to cram in, and I wouldn’t want to create more stress for them, but maybe each kid just learning to sign their own name? Or a suggestion of a workbook parents can do with them? (I started practicing with my rising 3rd grader this year since he would have learned in school if it weren’t for Covid last year)

I was a little defensive, sorry.

I also teach 5th grade, so most of my kids have been exposed. I use cursive for morning work, early finisher work, and I sometimes teach a little when I have odd minutes between a special and a class with a defined start time (like lunch, or math). I always tell the kids I have practice if they want it. Second and third grade usually do some teaching. However, with COVID, it is doubtful that they got to it the last 2 years. My sons both had cursive teaching and can't write their names well. I should probably teach them how.

Handwriting Without Tears is pretty popular.

[al dente]

Aug 24, 2021 13:58:10 GMT -5 brooklyn said:

It blows my mind that kids don’t learn cursive in school anymore. I know people like to dump on Catholic education, but at least they’re still teaching cursive! Computers may be taking over, but I think knowing how to properly sign a name is important.

Is it though? My signature is basically a letter and line, it's atrocious. I've bought a house, cars, and use checks monthly and have never had anything denied. My mom always comments on it that it won't be accepted but I've made it this far in life with no problems! I think it would be more of an issue to change it to something more legible at this point.
Also my signature fully comes from my mother and forging her signature all through school because we always had a million things that needed signing and I'd always forget lol.