I had an idea I wanted to present to the school board. The Superintendent, in an email to me, said he needed to review what was in the content of the letter I wanted to present to the school board in order to get onto the agenda. I felt that he would deny my attempt to communicate to the school board while in session, so I came up with a plan to circumnavigate the superintendent. I simply prepared seven packets which contained this letter, four articles stating the advantages to the students' brains when cursive is utilized in school, a few lined pages of white paper, a few pages of 1st grader ruled paper with shadow letters so the kids can trace the letters and one No. 2 yellow pencil.

Needless to say, I did not specify what my idea was to the school board so he rejected my request to be put on the agenda. After the school board meeting adjourned I walked up to the desks where the SB members were sitting and I handed out my packets. I then walked out of the building, not knowing or caring what transpired after my actions. The ball was in their court, I didn't violate the Superintendent's non-speaking DURING the meeting, nor did I complain that I wasn't on the agenda. I simply handed out the packets and left.

Here is the letter to the School Board:

Good evening. My name is Tynyyn and I am a taxpaying citizen within the ABCDEF School District. Thank you for allowing me to take a few moments of your time to address a concern that I have which is prevalent in all grades of the ABCDEF School District.

Currently the ABCDEF School District, as a whole, has a reading comprehension level of “around” 40-44%, depending on which study you accept. This means that out of a possible top score of 100% the ABCDEF School District ranks around 44%.

I ask myself, why after four years at the helm of Dr. Jones’s and the School Boards Strategic Plan, has the level of reading scores not improved? What is lacking in the children’s education experience? Certainly, it’s not the school buildings. I took a tour of the school grounds with the building superintendent and was exceedingly impressed at the thought and architecture put into the buildings. So that shouldn’t be the overwhelming cause of the substandard scores. How about the teachers? After talking with Dr. Jones and Mrs. Smith I feel the efforts to bring qualified teachers to the school district has not been a contributing factor to the reduced reading comprehension scores. Getting teachers to drive from large towns, thirty miles away is indicative of good recruiting practices.

Lastly, and the most important reason I feel for the low scores, there is a lack of basic learning skills. Since around 2008 cursive writing has not been taught in this state or within this school district and I feel that this function of learning has detrimentally affected the writing and reading scores of the school district.

If we want kids to learn to read and write in cursive the schools should teach handwriting, beginning in preschool. Brain scanning has demonstrated that handwriting in cursive helps preschoolers learn their letters. In doing so the child who is learning to print letters is setting up their neural systems that underlie reading. Why? By connecting several reading and handwriting distinct shared neural networks in the human brain. Think of writing by hand as being indispensable for helping children develop a brain that reads with proficiency. That’s why schools that have thrown out teaching handwriting and they should bring it back.

To put it simply, when a child learns to write letters and sentences in cursive new pathways are created in the brain and those pathways cause a higher level of learning, thus increased reading scores.

I am not here to cast a dim light on anybody or any strategic plan which is currently in place. I simply see a need or an additional tool to be utilized so the ABCDEF School District can begin improving its reading comprehension scores. This school board has the authority to authorize the expenditure of

funds to purchase pencils, ruled paper, and textbooks for teaching writing skills. 2021 revised statutes Title XI, Chapter 170, Section170.051, Line 3.

I urge this board to come together at some time and debate the future of the educational process and see fit to expend monies on the materials to educate the preschoolers on how to write in cursive. It is within your purview, as an oversite to Drs. Jones and Xxxxx, to see that the reading comprehension scores improve.

On a side note, after the last school board meeting, I was chatting with a cafeteria worker when four young high school boys came up and began talking with her. I butted into their conversation and asked the students, “Can you write in cursive?”. All four said “No” but one of the lads said he could write his name in cursive. The other three boys couldn’t even do that basic task. Think about that…… Also, one of the boys said he hated the Chromebook. I did not press him on his dislike, but it got me thinking about why he didn’t like it. The students are tied to that Chromebook and what if some of the kids want to take notes with pen and paper as an alternative? Or take their tests on paper? Or just learn how to write while in school? Isn’t that a form of educational bias? Teach both. Utilize the Chromebooks yet have all grades learn and continue utilizing cursive writing skills so their brains can continue to develop new neural pathways.

Also, it is a shame that a high school student can no longer read the United States Constitution in its original form because cursive is no longer being taught. That simple fact is designed to keep the kids as mental sheep, because if the electricity ever goes out and the kids cannot bring the Constitution up on their dead Chromebooks, then they won’t have the abilities to read what their American Rights are.

Inside of the packet I’ve given the board members is a No. 2 yellow pencil, ubiquitous to all students prior to 2008, a few sheets of ruled paper, and a cursive outline of the Preamble to the United States Constitution. Also included are a few studies I found online which bolsters my opinion about how cursive writing helps children’s brains create new neural pathways and why cursive is vital to a child’s educational curriculum. It’s not hard nor expensive to put these tools into the hands of the children of this school district. It only takes initiative from the school board to begin asking the questions of how to raise the reading scores and then begin taking action to ensure this happens in a timely manner, say beginning next school year.

Thank you for your time,

Tynyyn

Thanks to all GAW members who have chimed in and given me ideas. I appreciate so much your input. The gears are spinning within my gray cells and I cannot begin to show how much your help has been.. God bless.