Patrick Michael Posted March 11 Report Share Posted March 11 I am starting to get millennials in the 16 to 18 year old range, mostly kids of my clients, who are filing their first tax returns. I have to make a conscious effort not to laugh when I watch them try to sign their names in cursive. They get a pained expression on their faces and it takes forever. Many just give up and print or make an illegible mark. I'm afraid that within a another generation cursive writing will be lost art. 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee B Posted March 11 Report Share Posted March 11 That reminds me when I went to elementary school we had phonics. As a result I am a good speller. When my wife went thru elementary school they dumped phonics for "sight reading". As a result my wife struggles to spell, even though she was a good student. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abby Normal Posted March 11 Report Share Posted March 11 29 minutes ago, Lee B said: they dumped phonics for "sight reading One of the dumbest moves ever. How can people pronounce or spell words when they're just learning the shapes of words and not the individual letters? I had an employee like this and whenever we had a name like Elisabeth, she would always type it as Elizabeth, and I would ask her why she didn't just type what was there. Her eyes were trained in sight reading and could not detect subtleties in spelling. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medlin Software, Dennis Posted March 12 Report Share Posted March 12 We did not force cursive on our kids. We sent them to school with a typing device (can’t remember what it was called) and when they were ready, a laptop. It raised a ruckus at the school, but we did not give in. As crawlers, we gave then keyboards to play with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTS Posted March 13 Report Share Posted March 13 I can relate to kids not being able to sign in cursive. Even some young adults in their early 20's cant. Fortunately our school system has brought it back and my gkids are learning how to write in cursive. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joanmcq Posted March 13 Report Share Posted March 13 How do your young clients do a signature? You get one signature and sign that. Could be printing (but it had better be unique!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gail in Virginia Posted March 14 Report Share Posted March 14 21 hours ago, joanmcq said: How do your young clients do a signature? You get one signature and sign that. Could be printing (but it had better be unique!). Docu-Sign! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medlin Software, Dennis Posted March 14 Report Share Posted March 14 22 hours ago, BTS said: I can relate to kids not being able to sign in cursive. Even some young adults in their early 20's cant. Fortunately our school system has brought it back and my gkids are learning how to write in cursive. I'd rather a school do nearly anything else. Art, music, drama, choir, ethics, more math (not the calculations, the "is that close" common sense stuff), etc. Or even training in trades, or just how to check air/oil levels (or battery charge). One which is missed is how to compare prices at the grocery (the look for the unit price, not the price per package). I learned that in grade school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTS Posted March 14 Report Share Posted March 14 Just now, Medlin Software, Dennis said: I'd rather a school do nearly anything else. Art, music, drama, choir, ethics, more math (not the calculations, the "is that close" common sense stuff), etc. Or even training in trades, or just how to check air/oil levels (or battery charge). One which is missed is how to compare prices at the grocery (the look for the unit price, not the price per package). I learned that in grade school. Taught my daughters and son how to work on cars and use power tools to build things. And everyday common sense. Well they are still working on the common sense !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medlin Software, Dennis Posted March 14 Report Share Posted March 14 It is arguably called uncommon sense these days. Our toddler grand likes me to use air tools. She is good with hand, ear and face protection, so I let her help me. She compares it to photos of her uncle in his medical garb, she wears her car doctor getup. Different times, I learned to use the old long screwdriver as a stethoscope, and nor I have a mechanics stethoscope, and a borescope. We have 5 oil changes and safety checks coming up this weekend. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcb39 Posted March 14 Report Share Posted March 14 Try being left-handing and learning cursive in a parochial school in the 40's and 50's. I did it and am proud of it. All of my life, I was told there were things that I could not do; and I did them. I learned to knit by watching my mother-in-laws hands in a mirror. I can spell, I can type, but I can also make homemade bread and can tomato juice. I am computer savvy and can use a smart phone. I have never believed in cutting corners when it comes to education. I am pretty good at tax law, but still learn something new every day. I'm not bragging but just stressing the importance of learning. At my age, I still thirst for knowledge; be it scholastics or hands on. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medlin Software, Dennis Posted March 14 Report Share Posted March 14 14 minutes ago, mcb39 said: Try being left-handing and learning cursive in a parochial school in the 40's and 50's. I did it and am proud of it. All of my life, I was told there were things that I could not do; and I did them. I learned to knit by watching my mother-in-laws hands in a mirror. I can spell, I can type, but I can also make homemade bread and can tomato juice. I am computer savvy and can use a smart phone. I have never believed in cutting corners when it comes to education. I am pretty good at tax law, but still learn something new every day. I'm not bragging but just stressing the importance of learning. At my age, I still thirst for knowledge; be it scholastics or hands on. I wish more would be done early to encourage use of both hands - which typing does. My first typing class was so foreign, to use my non dominant paw (other than for wrenching, which I did as soon as I could hole one). It is also a bit fun, as last week, we made our first Scholastic Book order for our grand (pre school). Something powerful about her picking her own books, and having them to touch. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcb39 Posted March 15 Report Share Posted March 15 3 hours ago, Medlin Software, Dennis said: It is also a bit fun, as last week, we made our first Scholastic Book order for our grand (pre school). Something powerful about her picking her own books, and having them to touch. That is SO powerful. I hope that she retains her love of books as I have done to this day. There is something magical about the feel of a book. Typing was another thing that they said I would never be able to do. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joanmcq Posted March 15 Report Share Posted March 15 I cannot read on a tablet. I had covid two years ago and got stuck at my sister's house for 11 extra days until I could fly home. I ran out of books so I downloaded a few onto my laptop. I didn't finish that book and it sat and sat & sat. I even ordered the second book in the series to try to motivate me to finish the first one. I finally bought the first one as a book and finished both quite quickly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcb39 Posted March 15 Report Share Posted March 15 7 hours ago, joanmcq said: I cannot read on a tablet. I had covid two years ago and got stuck at my sister's house for 11 extra days until I could fly home. I ran out of books so I downloaded a few onto my laptop. I didn't finish that book and it sat and sat & sat. I even ordered the second book in the series to try to motivate me to finish the first one. I finally bought the first one as a book and finished both quite quickly. I savor the feel of a book in my hands. Never have read a book on the tablet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee B Posted March 15 Report Share Posted March 15 I read a lot. I haven't bought a physical book in about ten years. I have well over 2,000 books in my Kindle account. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lion EA Posted March 15 Report Share Posted March 15 I love real books. We felt it was one of our missions to keep small independent book stores alive during Covid, so we bought lots of books. Still do. Give books to grandkids for every occasion and any reason. (Another mission was to keep our favorite restaurants alive by doing take-out every Sunday; we're still doing that.) However, we both have Nooks, and hubby has the Nook app on his tablet also. Sometimes the Nook is lighter, plus it doesn't require an external booklight to read at night. And, I don't have to wear my reading glasses in bed, because I can adjust the font. (I've bent and broken a few reading glasses by laying in bed reading.) I just got a cover that has an elastic hand-hold-thing, because I usually drop my Nook on the floor when I fall asleep in bed. As well as preferring the Nook for reading in bed to unwind so I can fall asleep after working late (unless I'm reading a lightweight book that holds my booklight without flopping), I prefer it for travel to take lots and lots of books with me in one compact, lightweight package. Right now, I have one hard-cover book and my Nook on my nightstand; hubby has a tall stack of books and his Nook on his nightstand and his tablet in the living room. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gail in Virginia Posted March 15 Report Share Posted March 15 I was running out of room to put more bookshelves, and space under the pool table is full of boxes of books so for me a Kindle is a blessing -a while library that I can carry in my purse. Never again will I be caught somewhere without something to read. If for some reason I don't have my Kindle with me, I have the app on my phone so I almost always have at least that with me. And the cover for my Kindle has the elastic hand hold strap as well as a stand so I can prop it on a table and read while I eat Plus the Kindle is water-proof so I don't have to worry about ruining a book in the bathtub or the pool again. But I still love shopping bookstores too. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara EA Posted March 16 Report Share Posted March 16 In our business we spend so much time in front of a computer screen that I have no desire to read on one. We even get physical newspapers and enjoy our coffee and papers in the morning on our porch (even in the cold weather, just not for long.) I do subscribe to the NY Times and Washington Post online, although we buy the physical Post on Sunday and read it all week. I too love physical books. Nothing like flipping back to find what happened in an earlier event or to remember who this character is when he resurfaces. I get most of my books from friends and at the library book sales. I do love our local bookstores too, but I can't keep myself from going overboard when I visit. I don't keep many books. Almost all get passed on to friends, sometimes more than one, and a few donated. I'd rather have others enjoy them than collect dust on my bookshelves maybe to be read again someday. Share the wealth! Maybe that's another reason why i don't care for ebooks--you can't share them. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcb39 Posted March 16 Report Share Posted March 16 I have an open bookcase in my office just for the convenience of my clients. They are free to browse and take a book or two. They often leave books as well. The readers in my clientele love it. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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