Guess What’s Coming Back to Georgia Classrooms? Cursive!

Starting this July, Georgia’s school kids are getting a handwriting reboot. The state’s rolling out new English language arts standards, and this time, cursive is officially back in the picture.

Handwriting instruction will start in kindergarten, and cursive kicks in by third grade, sticking around through fifth. Before now, handwriting wasn’t even required in the standards. It was more of a “teach it if you have time” kind of deal.

April Aldridge from the Georgia Department of Education says this change is all about giving students a full set of skills. “We want to make sure they’re ready for the real world,” she said. And yes, that includes being able to write things by hand. Shocking.

Aldridge doesn’t think handwriting is outdated either. “Most of us use it daily,” she said. “It’s just one of the tools students need to be confident with.” Fair enough.

But not everyone’s convinced this is the best use of class time.

Some parents are wondering if cursive is worth the effort. Shouldn’t kids be learning how to type faster or navigate tech better? Brittany Klein, a parent in Cherokee County, taught her daughter cursive during the pandemic. Her son picked it up at school. But today? “Don’t ask either of them to write in cursive,” she said. “They completely forgot.”

She’s not against it, she just doesn’t see the point if it’s not going to stick. “If they aren’t going to use it regularly, it’s a wasted skill,” she said.

Still, the state says there’s more to cursive than just swoopy letters and nostalgic vibes.

Sarah Welch, an English language arts specialist, says cursive boosts writing fluency. The smoother the writing, the easier it is for kids to get their thoughts out on paper. “When kids are focused on forming every letter, it takes away from what they’re trying to say,” she explained. “Cursive frees up brainpower so they can actually think and write at the same time.”

Welch says it even helps with spelling and higher-level thinking. “Once writing becomes automatic, students can shift their focus to organizing ideas instead of just surviving sentence by sentence.”

And for kids with dyslexia, cursive might actually make writing easier. That’s according to Debby Pinion, a professor at Reinhardt University who trains teachers in reading and dyslexia support.

She says cursive’s continuous motion makes a big difference. “Unlike print, you don’t lift your pencil between every letter,” Pinion said. “Each word becomes one smooth movement. It helps students stay oriented and less confused about where to go next.”

For her, the key word is fluency. “It’s not about writing fast. It’s about writing smoothly. And when writing flows, thinking can flow too.”

So sure, maybe cursive won’t solve everything. But for some students, it might unlock a skill that’s been quietly collecting dust since third gradeو and let them sign their name with confidence.