Russian handwriting in US classrooms in the computer age

[oothappam]

In the short time that I've been involved with Russian people, I've every  December received from kind friends in Russia several beautifully handwritten New Year cards with handwritten verses(it amazes me-they write out verses!Nobody in America does that!) and messages inside. Although they all probably have rather low expectations of me as they know I am only learning Russian, I do send them cards too and write to them in   my feeble Russian cursive as well. If I printed , I'd feel silly and maybe a bit tacky.
My correspondents and I are all in our 40's and 50's, whereas you are dealing with young adults in college classes. It's true we are in a new world now and maybe many Russian  urban youth are busy with  typing on computers, texting, writing graffiti somewhere in block letters or otherwise concentrating on not doing whatever their parents did. 
It will be exciting for college students who are learning Russian to connect with Russian kids their age by computer and cursive wouldn't  be important there. But it seems so sad to think that later if they visit Russia, they'll miss out on some of the niceties if they can't write in cursive. (How to favorably impress a perspective mother-in-law?)
I don't think anybody misses shorthand, for example, as it was only needed for business situations. But cursive writing seems more an important cultural skill, a grace.. and the appearance of keyboards in everyday life isn't really a complete replacement, at least to me.
Nola 


-----Original Message-----
>From: Michael Denner <mdenner at STETSON.EDU>
>Sent: Sep 9, 2010 4:05 PM
>To: SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu
>Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] Russian handwriting in US classrooms in the computer age
>
>Sarah,
>My students write Russian just fine. It's just not cursive. They write like children, and the Russians probably smirk at them. Who cares? No one's suggesting returning to a pre-literate era. It's just a bloody waste of time to spend a week, a day, an hour on a totally unnecessary skill: Pretty handwriting. 
>
>~mad
>
>~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
>   Dr. Michael A. Denner
>   Associate Professor of Russian Studies
>   Editor, Tolstoy Studies Journal
>   Director, Russian Studies Program
>   Director, University Honors Program
>
>   
>   Contact Information:
>      Russian Studies Program
>      Stetson University
>      Campus Box 8361
>      DeLand, FL 32720-3756
>      386.822.7381 (department)
>      386.822.7265 (direct line)
>      386.822.7380 (fax)
>
>      google talk michaeladenner
>      www.stetson.edu/~mdenner
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures list [mailto:SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu] On Behalf Of sarah hurst
>Sent: Thursday, September 09, 2010 6:56 PM
>To: SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu
>Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] Russian handwriting in US classrooms in the computer age
>
>I have to say that I am rather disturbed by the idea that today's students
>no longer even need to learn Russian handwriting. Are we raising kids who
>are going to be completely at a loss if they should ever find themselves
>without access to a computer, cell phone or other digital device? Is such a
>scenario really so implausible, especially in Russian-speaking countries
>where limited internet access and power outages have been known?
>
>It doesn't even take very long to learn handwriting but I do think it's an
>essential skill for both reading and writing. What if they happen to work
>with historical documents? What if a room-mate leaves them an important
>note? 
>
>I hope this skill will continue to be taught. Would you similarly
>contemplate not bothering to teach English-speaking kids not to write their
>own language by hand? 
>
>Sarah Hurst
>
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