random poll

[rm]

Super busy. Am suddenly curious about this. Apparently most kids entering college in the US this year don't know how to write in cursive. I suspect this is less a sign of the apocalypse than it feels like to me.

So, tell me things (as usual, poll is un-scientific and reflects my biases and experiences (and 49-year-olds can choose which age category they like better!) -- if the boxes don't work, my apologies and comments super welcome.):

[Poll #1607173]

Comments

[gina-r-snape.livejournal.com]

I went to school in both urban and suburban environments, as my parents and I moved at one point. But I answered for the suburban part as I was older.

We learned cursive as a regular classroom in either junior high or high school. Electronics was part of our science course.

But wood working, cooking, sewing and metal working were junior high school 'industrial arts' options. Oddly, we also had technical (architectural) drawing. As we had to choose two out of five, I chose sewing and technical drawing. The gender lines were split pretty predictably except for the drawing class, though I believe boys were in the majority. Forgive, it was something like 25 years ago. Typing was a 1/2 year filler course, and it wasn't split by gender so much as filled with kids who didn't like academics. I took it to hang out with some friends and have an easy semester.

I don't recall teachers guiding us into picking courses. Rather, it was social herding/peer pressure that guided choices. And the drive to hang out with one's friends.