In praise of the written word

I was pleased to see your article re kids not being taught how to write in N.L. If I still had child in school, I would have raised hell about this. I was horrified when I recently found out it was no longer taught.

Imagine not being about to sign your name to a document later in life, i.e. a will, a divorce agreement, a house purchase, a passport.

Signatures are uniquely yours. A printed name is not acceptable on any legal document. Aside from that, at the post-secondary level, for example, a historian needs to be able to read handwritten documents, ancient or otherwise. I could go on and on and on. We are doing a disservice to every child going through our “education system.”

It is horrifying! Who decided this was no longer necessary?

What idiots came up with this idea? Whomever they are, they’re not fit to be involved in education.

Yes, we have computers. Yes, we know how to make and read printed letters. But the written signature, the ability to read written documents, are crucial. While some parents will teach their children how to write, others won’t. While some provinces have this in their curriculum, we don’t apparently. Doesn’t this leave N.L. kids at a disadvantage even within their own country?

Talk about logic. Whoever made this decision obviously lacks logic big time.

Thank you for this article

Marian Atkinson St. John’s