The Importance Of Good Handwriting

There is one aspect of education today that is being terribly neglected and that is handwriting. I see many young adults who are trying to find jobs in a very competitive market failing, not because they lack intelligence or motivation but because their handwriting is so poor employers feel they cannot employ them. It sounds trivial and petty but it is true. I have had situations where I have had to look through applications and found some where so poorly written that they were unreadable. These were bright young people eager for a chance but hand written communication is vital in the work place. Just think about it, you are in the A&E department and the nurse has filled in your paperwork and because her handwriting is so bad the doctor misses the fact that you are allergic to penicillin. It could kill you. Another scenario, there is a engineer working on a piece of machinery and he writes a sign to warn people not to use the machine but his handwriting is so poor the employees can`t read it and ignore it. Someone could get hurt. I know these are extreme cases but I have run into both of them in my working life. Schools don`t bother to teach this basic and essential skill. They expect parents to do the job for them. Some parents have the time and those children are lucky but not every parent does. Your child`s ability to succeed may hinge on whether he or she can write in a clear manner. If you haven`t already done so I recommend that you have a good look at their hand writing and if it needs to improve invest some time and work with them. If you don`t have the skills yourself find a tutor who does because it may mean the difference between an education and career they love and working in a minimum wage job with no future. Don`t let your children fail for something that can easily be corrected with a little time and patience.