Adam's Apple
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- Apr 25, 2004
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Good Pnmanship Still Has Value, Experts Say
By Stevenson Swanson, The Chicago Tribune
August 9, 2005
We've come a long way from John Hancock. In stark contrast to the Bostonian's bold, clear signature on the Declaration of Independence, handwriting in America seems to have degenerated into tangles of scratches and wiggles that bear only passing resemblance to any letters of the alphabet.
But handwriting is not ready to sign off forever. Even in an era of practically omnipresent computer keyboards, legible writing can mean the difference between getting a tax refund or letting the IRS hold onto it because it can't read the address on a tax return.
It can mean getting the right prescription from the pharmacy or getting something not just wrong but potentially life-threatening.
And now it can affect high school students' chances of getting into the colleges of their choice. In March, the group that administers the SAT college entrance exam changed the make-or-break test to include a handwritten essay that has to be legible so it can be read by a scorer.
"Handwriting is surviving in a computer age," said Kate Gladstone of Albany, N.Y., who describes herself as a handwriting repairwoman, teaching adults and students how to write more legibly and quickly. "All of us at times, and some of us all the time, find ourselves in a position where they have to write without an electric power supply."
Doctors are under increasing pressure to write legibly to avoid tragic mistakes at hospitals and pharmacies resulting from scrawled orders and prescriptions. And after decades of disregard, writing and penmanship are being emphasized once again at many schools across the country.
for full article:
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0805/good_penmanship_counts.php3
By Stevenson Swanson, The Chicago Tribune
August 9, 2005
We've come a long way from John Hancock. In stark contrast to the Bostonian's bold, clear signature on the Declaration of Independence, handwriting in America seems to have degenerated into tangles of scratches and wiggles that bear only passing resemblance to any letters of the alphabet.
But handwriting is not ready to sign off forever. Even in an era of practically omnipresent computer keyboards, legible writing can mean the difference between getting a tax refund or letting the IRS hold onto it because it can't read the address on a tax return.
It can mean getting the right prescription from the pharmacy or getting something not just wrong but potentially life-threatening.
And now it can affect high school students' chances of getting into the colleges of their choice. In March, the group that administers the SAT college entrance exam changed the make-or-break test to include a handwritten essay that has to be legible so it can be read by a scorer.
"Handwriting is surviving in a computer age," said Kate Gladstone of Albany, N.Y., who describes herself as a handwriting repairwoman, teaching adults and students how to write more legibly and quickly. "All of us at times, and some of us all the time, find ourselves in a position where they have to write without an electric power supply."
Doctors are under increasing pressure to write legibly to avoid tragic mistakes at hospitals and pharmacies resulting from scrawled orders and prescriptions. And after decades of disregard, writing and penmanship are being emphasized once again at many schools across the country.
for full article:
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0805/good_penmanship_counts.php3
