Ankita JakhuProfessor NeufferEnglish 3 Section 757/26/2015

Whats Lost as Handwriting Fades by Maria Konnikova - Summary and Response

Summary

Teaching children handwriting has been an accepted and integral part of early childhood

education. But the Common Core Standards that many schools have now adopted no longer

require that handwriting be taught past kindergarten and first grade. Should such methods be

abandoned? Is writing even helpful? Don’t we have computers to do the writing for us, so do we

really need handwriting? Is writing effective? Maria Konnikova addresses these questions in her

article What’s Lost as Handwriting Fades published in The New York Times on June 2, 2014.

She cites the concerns of neuroscientists and psychologists that handwriting has long term

benefits in both children and adults. Writing stimulates neurons in the brain to increase learning,

memory, and the ability to create new ideas. Writing is also used therapeutically, helping those

with disabilities such as alexia or other brain oriented disabilities. Overall writing is still

beneficial and should not be abandoned.

Response

As our taste buds are stimulated while we eat something appetizing, writing stimulates

nerves in the brain to increase learning, memory, and the ability to create new ideas. Writing is a

form of exercise to the brain, like humans need exercise to stay fit and healthy, our brains do as

well. I agree with Konnikova; As a student I took notes aggressively writing everything I

possibly could in class so I wouldn't forget any important information. This helped me

tremendously; by writing I was able to increase my memory and learning skills. Taking art

classes in highschool I was encouraged to go to as many art galleries as possible. Paintings done

by Vincent Van Gogh, a famous artist always peaked my interest. I decided to look up letters by

him possibly explaining reasons why he painted the way he did. I stumbled upon letters he wrote

about his private life with pictures he drew alongside his letters. Looking at his handwriting font

and style helped my understand him as a person and as an artist. I began to view is painting and

imagine the strokes of his paint brush matching with the strokes of his pen. I believe writing is

important when it comes to brain development and understanding. Writing connects with reading

and if an individual is a strong writer then they are a strong reader. To answer Konnikova’s

questions, yes writing does matter.