Maura McTighe

Handwriting Essay

Handwriting is something that, now, comes very easily and natural. But, handwriting was

not always that way. While taking these assessments, watching the videos, and reading the text,

I learned that handwriting is a lot more complex than it seems. I learned a lot about the

handwriting teaching process. Thinking back, I never remember being taught handwriting. But,

I had to have learned at some point how to properly form letters and hold a pen or pencil. I

learned that it is better to start kids off on a golf sized pencil. It is easier for them to grip and

have control over. One thing that I found very beneficial for myself was how to hold a pencil. I

realized that my entire life, I have been holding my pens and pencils wrong. But, if I was

corrected during my younger years, I don’t think that I would have gone this long without

noticing. I also learned that children tend to not begin their letters at the top. I also learned that

it is easier for kids to learn letters with the “magic c” than it is to learn letters that can be

reversed. I also learned about spacing tactics for students. One way to teach spacing that I

thought was very interesting was when you give a student a sentence with no spacing. This

shows children how important proper spacing is. In the book, it said to teach the kids to put their

index finger in between their words to get into the habit of proper spacing. The last thing that I

found very interesting about the handwriting teaching process were the steps and how long it

took. It is clear that someone can’t learn how to write over night, but I did not know how long it

really took to teach someone.

I noticed that these assessments went along with 2 standards in the Iowa Core. The first

standard that I recognized in these assessments was standard 1.1, Conventions of Standard

English. This standard states Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English
grammar and usage when writing or speaking. Then continues Print all upper and lowercase

letters. This is something that I noticed was brought up in the assessment, videos and the text.

First, the lowercase letters should be taught. Lowercase letters are more commonly used than

uppercase letters and they can be more challenging for the kids to pick up on. Then, uppercase

letters are taught. Uppercase letters are more easily identified also. The second standard that I

noticed went along with these assessments was 1.2, Conventions of Standard English. This

standard states Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization,

punctuation and spelling when writing. This standard partially focused on capitalization. The

assessment and text both talked a lot about capitalization. After the children can master the

lowercase letters, they are then taught capitalized letters. The rest of the standard talks about

punctuation and spelling, which comes after mastering the letters themselves. Handwriting is a

very important part of any person's education. Mastering this at a young age will help them

continue to thrive throughout their lives.

When working with my first grader, Addison, I noticed that she had pretty good

handwriting skills. Addison was able to identify all the letters, upper and lower case, with ease.

She was also able to write all the letters with ease. I noticed that Addison held her pencil

properly. One thing that I did notice, was that Addison did not start all of her letters from the

top. She started most of her letters from the bottom. I also noticed that she would occasionally

put a capital letter in the middle or end of a word. Her spacing also could use some

improvement. There were times where she would write two words next to each other without a

space, and there were other times where her words were very spaced out. She has not yet

mastered the spacing aspect. Overall, I think that Addison is on the right track with her
handwriting and all the aspects that go with it. In the future, I think Addison will be able to

master all of the different parts of handwriting.

Overall, this was a very educational experience for me. I will be using a lot of what I

learned during this in my future classroom and my future everyday life. This is something that I

will use for the rest of my life. Handwriting if essential for any person to succeed in life. For me

as a teacher, this was extra beneficial to learn. It is a long process that will be a lot of work and a

lot of patience, but it is very important. I was able to think back on my learning and how I have

evolved in my own handwriting. I was able to see how this applies back to the Iowa Core. I was

able to relate this back to my own work with my first grader, Addison. Although this seemed

like a simple assessment for class, it is something that I will use and remember when I go into

my teaching career.