“The Business and Common-Sense Reasoning for Long Hand Cursive Handwriting”
Dear Bank of Prairie Village Shareholders and Clients ~
A few weeks ago, I was glancing through the “classified section” of the Salina, Kansas digital newspaper.
I was struck by an advertisement stating, “Learn Cursive Handwriting ~ 8 classes $20 per Class.”
I stared at this cursive handwriting ad for a long time. I could feel different emotions swirling. When did grammar school stop teaching cursive handwriting? Why is someone now offering private lessons for a critical “educational and life skill” ~ once offered both free and mandatory at every public grade school. When and why did the grammar schools, seemingly overnight, decide to stop teaching cursive handwriting? (For that matter when did they stop teaching the correct order of personal pronouns?)
I went to a public grammar school, junior high school and high school. Our graduating class had roughly 350 students. From an economic diversity standpoint, we could not have been more diverse ~ nor as tightly bound ~ given the diversity.
Let me use my 35 man “gym” class as an example. Following graduation, approximately 10 of the guys went to college, with several of these getting advanced degrees. 5 guys went into the military with all four-armed branches being selected by one or another. 10 guys went to work on the farms, railroads or auto shops. 5 guys went work on the local big “three factories” shop floors~ on either on first, second or midnight shifts~ and 5 guys went relatively shortly after graduation to state prison.
Of the 35 guys, we all knew each other well, could point out each other’s siblings, what sports each played, what clubs they were in, and what their afterschool/summer jobs were.
Spending endless time standing in line during gym class waiting for our teacher to decide what humiliating activity he would engage us in for that day’s class, I had the joy of always being between two of the five guys who went to prison.
We got along great. Early on, back in junior high, I cut a deal with each of them. Our deal was I would daily give one or the other one half of my lunch money. All three of us were happy. They received half of my lunch money daily. I was assured not only peace of mind, but the important bliss that none of the other guys ever make fun of me in gym class. (My two hombres did not want their money train boy mocked.)
One benefit of “our arrangement” was I never tried to skip school. These two fine gentlemen would not allow it. They were very concerned if I missed either gym class or school, they would miss their daily lunch payment bonus. I could self-write a convincing parent excuse for the gym teacher or principal, both these always alert guys, would never buy my self-drafted “parents excuse” as to why “Danny could not be in gym class or away from school on any given day.” They wanted their money.
I give you this background to explain the efficacy of the Salina Public School System. Let me stress both fine gentlemen could read and write long hand cursive and always used correct personal pronouns. How do I know?
They both read and reviewed in the finest detail my self-drafted parent’s excuse notes, (always written in cursive ~ as no parent would handprint or type an excuse note).
As for pronouns, these fine gentlemen always responded grammatically correctly. I.e. “Bolen ~ Nathan and I are not buying your note. Either pay us the money up front or you better be in gym class.” Alternatively, they would say “Bolen ~ Paul and I are going to skip school after gym ~ will you cover for us.”
From our initial gym class years going back to junior high, their requests and our shared conversations became more sophisticated. “Bolen ~ Let me show you what Nathan and I shoplifted from the Woolworth Five and Dime.” “Bolen ~ could you recommend any girls Paul and I could take to the dance?” “Bolen ~ Nathan and I want to know why you can’t dance like a real man?”
One memorable day, Paul called out “Bolen ~ get your skinny rear over here to my locker ~ Nathan and I want to show you something!” A variety of thoughts went through my mind that day as I realized we were the only three still left in the suddenly abandoned locker room.
As I very slowly walked over to Paul’s locker, I was pretty sure this was going to be the inglorious end of our formally “great” relationship. I kept mentally calculating whether I was current on my lunch money split.
As I stood just on the other side of Paul’s locker, I could see they were grinning and laughing, while both were holding something waist high in their hands. I swallowed hard (and prayed even harder.)
In a flash, Paul threw open the locker door. There Paul and Nathan stood, both still in their gym clothes, madly smiling and giggling ~ each holding a shiny pearl handled revolver waist high in the palm of their hand. Nathan, barely containing his excitement, blurted, “Bolen ~ have you seen anything like these beauties? Paul and I each got one. They’re matching .32 calibers ~ what do you think?"
As my mind processed, I was not going to be their victim spring afternoon but rather was to play the role of their admiring friend, I most enthusiastically complemented them on their “most beautiful matching guns.”
As Nathan happily spined his revolver’s cylinder, demonstrating how the bullets could be pushed in and then popped out, Paul stated he and Nathan “could probably get me my own .32 caliber gun at a really good price~ but it would not be as shinny or matching as theirs.” I thank Paul profusely for the offer but explained ~ If I bought a handgun, my dutiful parents would inevitably find wherever I tried to hide it ~ and we would all get in trouble.” Paul thought about if for a while and then agreed “Bolen ~ you are simply not ready for your own .32 revolver.”
Late in the summer following graduation, I ran into Paul, who explained he and Nathan “had gotten into a bit of dust up with the cops, and would be away for a while ~ but happily said, “Nathan and he would be back for our 10-year reunion.”
True to form I did see Paul and Nathan at our 10-year reunion. I bought them some beers. We chatted. They explained as they had “just gotten out” and both had a lot of “catching up” to do. They left early saying they were off to their next party~ and thanked me for “being such a good friend over the years.”
As our 10-year reunion party ended, the restaurant owner approached our class officers explaining two guys from our event had stolen the restaurant’s expensive “statuary” from out in front. Having just been told I had been such a “good friend”, I just opened my wallet and simply paid for the pilfered restaurant’s statuary on behalf of my “good friends.”
I tell you this story to underscore, throughout my many exchanges with Paul and Nathan neither Paul nor Nathan ever “butchered their proper personal pronouns.” Moreover, having drafted many sample “parent excuse notes” for both Paul and Nathan, whom I watched carefully copy my suggested parent excuse lines into their own beautiful long hand aka cursive writing, I knew they had both mastered penmanship. In fact, they each had their own personal long hand style ~ (if not slightly flamboyant) which I admired and tried to incorporate into my own penmanship.
Compare my years of classmate conversations with Paul and Nathan to today’s public, private, and parochial college graduates. I think you get my point. The first time I heard a graduate from Kansas City’s most expensive college preparatory school, who also graduated from one of the top Ivy League universities explain to me “Mr. Bolen ~ me and him went golfing this afternoon,” I cringed. What a waste of money.
My God, I thought, the Salina Unified School District #305 would not have allowed a student with such poor grammar skills to proceed from Lowell Elementary School to North Junior High. They would have held him back.
Nevertheless, I watched this personal pronoun-butchering, (but otherwise fine young,) man graduate from law school. My young pronoun butcher is now well on the partner track at one of Kansas City’s largest and most respected law firms. Who am I to judge?
Is it worth single handily trying to save the young generation from “pronoun butchering?” I remember a law firm partner becoming unglued with me for submitting a legal memorandum filled with “split infinitives.” (Whatever that means.) Rather than trying to go back and master split infinitives ~ I simply went into banking. Again, who am I to judge and throw the first stone?
Cursive writing on the other hand ~ is a different story. It is worth saving and promoting. I can cite study after study hypnotizing and proving students and adults writing in cursive, retain more of what they are writing. Further the benefits of writing by “long hand” also stimulates the brain’s neurotransmitters in ways providing lifelong neurological benefits.
Beside the neurological benefits, there is common sense in teaching long-hand cursive writing. To be specific ~
A) ~ Most of our grandparents’ Christmas cards, Birthday cards, personal letters and diaries are in long hand. Do we never want our kids to be able to read their grandparents’ life’s challenges and wisdom? B) ~ One writes faster in long hand than trying to print words by hand. C) ~ The single most important and effective tool in the business and social graces is a “handwritten letter or thankyou note”.
The faster one writes ~ the more likely and more numerically handwritten letters and thankyou notes one can send. It is a fallacy for our business schools, to teach and emphasize business formulas and excel spreadsheet mastery ~ (which AI will soon render as useful as being able to use as a slide rule.)
Meanwhile, while teaching formulas and calculations, Business Schools fail to teach their bushy-eye young financers the effectiveness of cursive, handwritten letters, and the importance of a prompt thankyou notes. These are critical business disciplines, habits, skills and character traits AI will never replace.
This summer and during the school year, let’s encourage our children and young graduates to learn long hand cursive ~ rather than play the latest video game, or agonizing over their fantasy football teams.
In the end, the former will generate a great deal more respect, promotions, sales, business relationships, and yes rewards and wealth. Thank you for letting us be your bank and bankers always!
Dan Bolen ~ Chairman
Bank of Prairie Village
“The Bank of Prairie Village ~ Home of Blue Lion Banking” ~ cited March 2020, April 2021, April 2022, April 2023 and April 2024 by the by the Kansas City Business Journal as one of the “Safest Banks in Kansas City for Your Money.”
Small Batch Banking ~ Once Client at a Time.
