DUNMORE, Pa. — On the schedule for second graders at Dunmore Elementary Center is a lesson in cursive handwriting.
Danielle Pensack is the curriculum coordinator for the Dunmore School District and says there is value for the students to learn it.
"Even though we're a technology world now, kids will always, at some point in life, have to sign their signature on something. And it's funny because if they've never been introduced to how to form the letters," Pensack said.
Students at Dunmore Elementary start practicing cursive in second grade and receive further instruction for two more years.
Sixth graders we talked with said writing in cursive may have been tricky to learn at first, but they believe it is useful.
"Because you need to know how to write it. You can't only write like normal, you've got to know other ways," Michael Gentile said.
"Because it just looks a lot neater, and it looks better. it looks like you're older," Maggie Killian said.
Handwriting is also a category on report cards up until fourth grade in the district.
"I think that also reinforces for the teachers to the students that there is a value in what you're doing, and we want you to try your best. That might not be perfect and that's OK. We're not looking for perfect. We're just looking for you to do the best that you can and continue to make improvements with it," Pensack said.
With so many requirements of what is taught in classrooms, Pensack believes there are pros and cons to requiring schools to teach cursive.
"It's difficult to try to jam-pack everything into a day that we need to, but I also think that there are ways that you could weave it into what is already being done, and it's just about finding a balance."
State Representative Joe Adams from Wayne County plans to introduce the legislation in Harrisburg soon. Should the bill ultimately become law, Pennsylvania would be the 19th state in the nation to require cursive handwriting to be taught.