Handwriting Still Matters At St. Thomas More School

In the age of Facebook, Twitter and texting, the study of penmanship is oft regarded as a quaint pastime. Something the ladies of Jane Austen did with their governesses. This may hold true for adults, whose lives revolve around, or are at least facilitated by, technology. But for the children of St. Thomas More School in Salisbury Township, not only is the art of handwriting very much alive and well, it’s being taken to a competitive level.

Although we recognize that we live in a world where computers are king, that doesn’t make legible handwriting any less important, said Elaine Richardson, a second-grade teacher at St. Thomas More for more than 20 years.

Catholic schools may push penmanship more than others, she noted, most likely because of the nuns who studied the Palmer method.

 “The nuns always had beautiful handwriting,” Richardson said. Now, she said,  “Cursive isn’t as pretty as it used to be.”

Learning to print also focuses the students’ attention on the distinctive shapes and features of letters, which leads to improved letter recognition and better readers, according to Zaner-Bloser, the education publishing house that sponsors a national handwriting competition.

And each year, Richardson administers the school’s admissions to the Zaner-Bloser Handwriting Contest, now in its 20th year. She selects the best from each grade and sends them to the publisher, which chooses a state and national winner for each grade, 1-8. During Richardson's tenure, the school has had two state-level winners – both from her classroom.

Cursive is taught in second grade, so naturally Richardson spends a good amount of time focusing on handwriting. And the students are always eager.

“This is a grown-up thing to do,” she said. “So they’re always very excited to do it … the capitals especially. They’re pretty in awe of it.”

As far as the contest goes, “I always set that goal up. The test is the carrot,” she said. “I say, ‘Oh, someone is going to be the [winner]. Boys especially like that.’”

Well, fifth-grade winner Erin Arevalo is a girl, but she has something common with the boys. “I’m very competitive,” she said. “I like to win.”

Arevalo’s handwriting submission was tapped No. 1 in second grade as well, when she was in Richardson’s class. The 11-year-old – who plays volleyball, basketball and lacrosse – keeps her skills sharp by writing in her journal daily. Right now, for example, she’s focusing on her autobiography. “Where I was born, my family and friends, stuff like that,” she said.

For the contest, Arevalo and her schoolmates had to write the following sentence: “When I write for others, I should write as legibly as possible. This way I can make sure others can read my writing.”

Officially, Richardson judges entries based on size, shape, spacing and slant. Unofficially, she takes note of how neat the paper is – you don’t want too much erasing, she said.

In the case of close competition, the teacher considered the students’ answers to the question, “How does handwriting make you a better reader, and why is this important?” to break the tie.

All children receive a certificate of participation, but those winning at the state level win a prize package for their school. The nationwide grade-level winners receive $1,000 and their teachers get a free trip to Orlando to attend the 2011 International Reading Association Conference.

“I had a child tell me he wanted me to win, just so I could go to Orlando,” Richardson said. “How sweet is that?”

Although it may seem otherwise, Arevalo admits – somewhat sheepishly, in the presence of Mrs. Richardson - that she prefers typing to handwriting.

“It’s a little more fun,” she said. Plus, the family computer is kind of awesome. “It’s a Mac,” Arevalo said. “They’re really cool.”