Every once in a while I’m surprised by something I hear, something that’s hard to believe yet still true.

I was surprised when I first heard that most young people can no longer read cursive handwriting. It’s sad. In my mind it makes them less literate than students from the past.

There was a time back in grade school when I questioned why I had to learn cursive. I wondered why I couldn’t just print.

Cursive was difficult for me at first. Practice helped. Eventually my penmanship became one of the best in the class.

It’s still a valuable skill. Even with 21st century technology, sometimes the most practical thing to do is to simply leave someone a note.

There’s something to be said for knowing how to put words on paper. One of the best ways to develop skill with a language is to write things out.

Sometimes who never writes, who always goes with electronic shorthand, is likely to be deficient in reading and verbal communication. For that reason, cursive should still be taught in schools.

It might not have to be taught the exact same way that it was a generation ago, but it should still be taught enough for all students to acquire handwriting as a basic skill.

Maybe a good way to do it would be to make it part of the art curriculum. Cursive qualifies as a form of creative expression. It leads to visually pleasing results.

There’s something special about a handwritten note. It’s personal. It often has a heartfelt quality.

That just doesn’t come across with an e-mail or a text message. Those are very standardized and technical. There isn’t much room for individuality.

People who think we don’t need cursive writing anymore tend to have a short sighted view of education in general. They think the only purpose of education is to make people employable. They invest in degrees with the idea that the main reason to pursue them is to qualify for better jobs.

I have a saying on my desk at home that states how education is not just a preparation for life but that it’s life itself. That demonstrates how learning never stops. It’s a part of life at any age.

It’s important to be well rounded with education, to acquire a wide variety of skills. Possibly technology might in some instances have to take a back seat for an hour or two to give students enough time to develop other types of talent.

I don’t think it’s anti-technology or anti-progress to say that. It simply goes back to the definition of an educated person.

Someone who only knows how to work with gadgets is not fully educated. Education requires a wide variety of knowledge. It means having a broad background to apply to life’s situations. It involves critical thinking, problem solving and creative approaches.

One place to start is to have the ability to read and write cursive. It makes sense to have cursive as a life skill instead of having only the communication methods that reflect modern trends. It’s worth the time and effort.