“Experimenting on Your Children”

One of the arguments against homeschooling is, “You’re experimenting on your children.”

Every now and again, it’s helpful to remember that if you send your child to school, you are doing the same: “What’s Lost as Handwriting Fades”.

H/T to Brandon @Siris for the link.

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Funny story: If you’ve ever received a bit of handwritten text from me, you know that I have horrendous handwriting.  In my un-scientific survey, I identified exactly one blood relative across five generations who wrote neatly.  The rest of us specialize in various forms of chicken scratch.

Thus I was not particularly surprised when my eldest inherited my penmanship skills.  Sometimes, though, I would second-guess the decision to homeschool because I would read handwriting websites and imagine that every elementary school had a team of handwriting specialists standing over the shoulders of their students as they worked, worked, worked at perfect writing technique.

I knew this was fantasy-thinking, so I dismissed it.  But I had no idea that schools were routinely not teaching penmanship at all.  I even had someone compliment me when they discovered I was making the kids learn cursive.  I had no idea.  No idea.

Parents, summer’s here.  If your school won’t do it, teach your kids handwriting yourself.

Artwork: El Greco [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons