Has the art of cursive writing died? Apparently, there are schools across the nation that have deemed it an unnecessary lesson. In fact, for many elementary school students, the curlicue letters of cursive handwriting are becoming as alien as the signs and symbols of Egyptian hieroglyphics. More and more, in high school classes and college lecture halls, students pound away on laptops and tablets.

Despite the fact that the technology available in the 21^st century makes the use of pen and paper an exception rather than the rule, there are still legitimate reasons for cursive writing to be resuscitated! Here are just five:

1. Your John Hancock: Every adult will encounter the need to properly affix his or her signature to a legal document. Putting one’s John Hancock to paper is required for everyday tasks such as signing checks and picking up certified letters at the post office, as well as more significant tasks such as completing documents for the purchase of a home or a bank loan. American institutions still require signatures for things!

2. Motor skills: Though it’s been years and years since you learned to write in cursive, I bet you can recall how intense a mission it was to get the letters looking just right. Putting pencil or pen to paper in that flowing manner was a creative endeavor. It required patience. These facts support the notion that cursive writing is indeed a skill and it involves using the muscles of the hands and fingers in a distinct way. In fact, it aids in motor development, and in turn has a beneficial impact on other skills.

3. Speed and Brain Stimulation: Cursive has the advantage of speed. It is the quickest way for writers to get their thoughts onto paper. A bonus of cursive writing is that apparently the sequential hand movements that are needed actually activate the regions of the brain associated with thinking, short-term memory, and language.

4. A link to the past: Anyone who has studied American History should recall the thrill of examining the Bill of Rights and the Constitution, among others. With the loss of cursive writing comes the risk that today’s students will become tomorrow’s adults who are incapable of deciphering these valued writings.

5. Aesthetics and emotion: Face it, cursive writing is beautiful when done well. Cursive writing seems capable of expressing the feelings of the writer more so than printing. Consider the way in which letters flow fluidly in an emotional love letter or poem, or the manner in which thick, dark pen strokes convey anger or disappointment. Printing is far less individualistic, as well.