As a former third- and fourth-grade teacher, I remember the joy on children’s faces when they discovered that they could write like mom and dad. Students took pride in forming the graceful slants and curves in cursive writing — almost like drawing. It rarely took more than 10 minutes a day for several months for them to acquire this skill, and by the end fourth grade, the students were proficient. Printing, cursive and typing all use slightly different motor skills, which is good for brain development and small motor skills.

Something is lost when cursive writing is abandoned. Besides losing the unique identifiable quality of the individual’s handwriting, we also lose the ability to read original documents as they were first written. John Hancock’s large signature on the Declaration of Independence, indicating his willingness to die, makes an impact. Would a digitized version have the same power? Would love letters…