Kathy, I think they likely have Alex fill out the apps in an office location so that he must write his own. This is something I can directly relate to Alex. (even though I never got snacks in grade school) Yes, I had and have crummy handwriting because I come from many generations of illiterates who used their hands for important things like farming or factory work.

And yes it is time consuming, and your fingers will ache and your wrists may cramp up, but there is value in it. Something that separates you from much of the rest of the world is your signature and it is hard to imagine how we could develop one without having "the parker method" of penmanship behind us first.

And yes it is unfair that it comes so very easily to some, but so difficult to me and you. And I remember writing my early essays and getting a lower grade for "penmanship" and that too can effect the length of what you are willing to write. When my third grade teacher, Mrs. Ferrier, caught me writing when she thought I was not being observed she rightly corrected me. I was holding the pen so tight, out of frustration,that my fingers could not move freely to form loops.

I always start out with reasonably good cursive handwriting, but it quickly gets bad and by Jr High I was allowed to block print. I have a prejudice against those who can write beautifully. They have nothing important to say. Just read your doctor's prescription *if you want to see BAD handwriting* and get his advice!

PS and you are in France where I doubt they are phasing out cursive writing. Vive le difference!

"Something that separates you from much of the rest of the world is your signature and it is hard to imagine how we could develop one without having "the parker method" of penmanship behind us first."

Robert, actually you are referring to the "Palmer method".

I'd be in big trouble in France, My handwriting is an illegible blend of block printing and some cursive, with random blobs of ink left behind, best printed by inking the claws of parrots.I have even been known to cross I's and dot T's I've been typing and word processing since high school, and avoid inflicting my penmanship on other humans whenever possible. I actually got D's in penmanship in grade school, while my other grades were B's, normally, and never missed a spelling word. And read my signature? Fuggeddabouddit! In fact, I can write more legibly with an airbrush than I can with a pen.

Most people think I have beautiful handwriting. Most say I "write like a girl." It drives Jerame nuts that I use cursive on letters or packages instead of printing. ("The post office must hate you!" he'll say.)

I think cursive IS important. It teaches patience, mastery of a not-so-hard skill, engages the brain to think just a bit differently when learning to read it, and is, generally, a more fun topic than, say, math or history. And it simply looks more professional when doing anything more than filling out a form.

I agree with Bil: cursive is important for the reasons he notes. My own handwriting is a bit of an Elizabethan scrawl, more challenging to decipher when I use one of my broad-nibbed fountain pens. I never learned Palmer method and proper keyboarding is not part of my toolkit.

For me, actually WRITING a note or letter involves selecting a distinctive and appealing paper or card, taking the time to decide what I want to say, and executing the output with all the wrong hand positions and body postures, and the peculiarities of elision and abbreviation that have grown over the years. The results might require some effort at the receiving end but face to face talk with me does, too. It's part of my charm to be cryptic.

A recently retired friend who taught 3rd graders told me he argued for years about his school's intention to drop cursive AND block printing entirely, in favor of from-the-cradle keyboarding. We agree that hand-to-paper writing is often inefficient but an important part of self expression.

I do hope, Bil, that your "like a girl" penmanship doesn't include little hearts and smileys when you dot your I's....