Highlander

Handwriting horrors:: Does how you write affect your grades?

Tuesday, November 21, 2006 By Ned Burchfiel

You’ve seen it. You know, the smudges, the scribbling out of letters with pens. You’ve heard desks shaking from eraser strokes. You’ve seen teachers hold a homework sheet to the side in an attempt to read the work of a student. Perhaps you’re one of them; perhaps you look at such students with pity. Nevertheless, messy handwriting is something that everyone is familiar with. “If the average person’s [handwriting] was a beautiful tree, my handwriting would be a stump,” Senior Derik Pacque says. Because teachers could not read his handwriting, Pacque bought an Alpha Smart, a typing instrument, for use in his classes. Freshman Julian Wright also has problems with teachers being able to read his work. “Whenever I write, like, a paper or something, nobody can read it. I’ve had teachers where I’ve had to read my handwriting for them,” Wright said. Junior Holly Lind adds, “A teacher misunderstands what I write on tests, and I get [questions] wrong.” One alternative to writing with pencils and pens is the use of computers, though students at McLean may only use laptops if they have special needs that require typing on electronic devices. Many believe that laptops would greatly improve their writing, both in terms of speed and neatness. “My genius would be let out,” Pacque said. Sophomore Greg Hoggard agrees that typing on a laptop would greatly help his handwriting, which, he says, is causing some trouble. “Teachers make me redo my stuff.” Students considering laptops, however, should first develop their cursive writing, according to Social Studies teacher Rob Plunkett. Benefits of cursive include the ability to compose more detailed notes and thoughts, he says. Bad handwriting, Plunkett adds, is due partly to students being rushed for time when taking notes. “Because of the fact that we don’t emphasize handwriting, students aren’t taught cursive,” Plunkett said. Thus, when rushed for time on essays, “[students] write chicken scratch,” Plunkett says. Some students, however, are simply content with accepting their penmanship for what it is. Says Lind, “I’ve been writing this way since I was in first grade. I don’t think it will ever change.”