Hand writing becoming ancient history

My boomer mother in law is one of the last examples left from the old world. Where school prioritized teaching kids to hand write. She writes poetry and grocery lists and notes all by hand. And is always in need of new ink pens.

For her birthday I'm getting her more ink pens, and never before has it been this hard to find a decent price for a couple blue ballpoint ink pens.

They are mainly found on scrapbooking sites like "CreativewithMia.com" where they take delivery charge double the price of the product.

I searched for around an hour scrolling scrolling reading typing scrolling. Until I found 1 product that had blue ink pens in a set of 10, with good hand grip in different colours and normal delivery costs. I snatched up the last one in layer.

(Ps. Not everyone online is from the US)

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DrWatson · 70-79, M

Do brick and mortar stores not sell these over there? I am thinking of stores that sell office supplies or back-to-school supplies.

Then again, I am also "old world." I only buy online as a last resort.

Queendragonfly · 31-35, F

@DrWatson The schools barely use pens anymore. Everything is in computers and on phones. So in such a store they are ridiculously expensive since so few people need them.

DrWatson · 70-79, M

@Queendragonfly Wow. Times really are changing!

Queendragonfly · 31-35, F

@DrWatson I worked as a substitute teacher for kids age 8-9 back in in 2009 and you know what they did instead of learning to write with pencils?

They just pressed random keys

Asgrykmnntrddxvnnlmlknnkkjgfsaaweetipnvcfetliiyfvbbnoourewwffhjjbceeesaafklllngrtfxxxvvvvvvgrweyolgsddsssssdbnnn

on the keyboard on the pc and then us teachers asked what it said and translated it to a story. Then we printed out these random letters next to the story that we wrote on the other page.

That was over ten years ago.

I know kindergarden kids 5 years ago uses electric tablets to paint and play on while in the daycare.

I know high school kids all have a school laptop.

Hand writing isn't in the education plan a anymore. It wouldn't suprise me if today's toddlers never will know how to hand write. Schools don't care. Parents don't have time or think it's important.

So again. We are 100% dependent on technology. It's terrifying.

DrWatson · 70-79, M

@Queendragonfly That is amazing. I cannot imagine raising a generation that cannot write at all. Although I suppose, if a person learns to type and to read, then they can teach themselves to write. But that involves hand-eye coordination, and takes some practice.

I teach mathematics , and I see this when students try to sketch curves by hand nowadays. They all come out looking like straight lines.

hartfire

@Queendragonfly And yet there are still parts of the world that have no electricity.