- I wanna burn this book.
I want to. But the cover is laminated,
so it probably wouldn't even burn. ♪ (playful intro) ♪ - (React) Can you read me
this sentence? - Lighting never sparks
the same place twice? - Skies the same place twice?
- Lightning never strikes the same place twice.
- (React) Do you know cursive, Robert? - Yes! And it is very hard
for me to read it. - I know how to spell
my name in cursive. - I know what cursive is,
but I don't know how to write it. - I was homeschooled
for fourth grade, And I was supposed to learn
cursive then, but I didn't. But my handwriting
is very similar to cursive. - (React) Here is a piece of paper.
- Yes? - (React) Do me a favor
and write your name on it. - (giggles) - (React) Write it real big.
You can really fill up that sheet there.
- Oh. (snickers) - I have horrible handwriting.
- (React) Looks good to me, Robert. - It's why I love typing things
instead of writing it. - (React) Now, use the other side
of the paper and write your name in cursive.
- I have no idea how to do that. - (React) That is really good, Hadley!
- It's terrible. - (React) So, cursive is a style
of writing that was required in all 50 states as part
of the early academic curriculum back in the 2000s.
- Oh. - (React) Nowadays,
less than half of the states in our country require it.
Did you know that? - Nope.
- (React) Why do you think cursive writing isn't taught
as much in schools? - Because I feel like
you won't really-- people won't really need it.
- It's hard to write it and stuff. - Not as many of us are sophisticated
as kids back then, I guess? - I mean, look at this.
This is cursive. And then this is
regular handwriting. Which do you think is better? Hmm?
- (React snickering) Here you go. - I feel like I'm learning what
I should have learned in fourth grade. - (React) This is
a cursive practice book. Go ahead and open it up
to the pink tab. There, you should find
the uppercase and lowercase alphabet. - I see it.
- (React) Using the pen that I gave you at the start,
I want you to trace through the alphabet and let me know
what you think as you're doing it. - I'm switching bracelets here.
We're getting serious. - This is how I write
my A's in school. - There's a lot of details in cursive.
- There are so many squiggles and just, you have to do boom.
Okay. That's the first step to 24. - They have many swirlies,
and you don't-- usually, I learned the rule,
"Don't lift up your pen when you're writing cursive."
I still do it, though. I i don't follow the rules.
- ♪ ("The Next Episode," Dr. Dre) ♪ - Oh, here comes H in my name.
- (React) Are there any letters that look really different
from how they normally look? - B.
- Q. This kind of looks
like a two z. - That is a two!
That is a two! - Especially J, the uppercase.
It's like an eight. - G. Uppercase G
is slightly different. And F. Definitely F.
- If three had a cousin that has been removed
five bajillion times, this would be that.
- That's how my mom writes her name? With that chunky thing?
My mom's name is Sarah. - I've never tried
actually trying to write in cursive. It's like it's more weird.
And there's more loops and lines and stuff.
- (React) So, you started school in Texas, where you were
learning cursive. - Yes.
- (React) And then, you are now at a school in Los Angeles,
where you are not learning cursive anymore.
- No, I am not. And I'm very happy about it.
I feel like I'm seeing this and having flashbacks.
It's kind of like the Vetnam War, but with writing.
And the thing that's basically beating me is cursive.
- Well, actually, I'm now back to public school,
which thank god. I sucked at homeschooling.
It wasn't extremely strict. You didn't even learn it.
I didn't know it existed until I got to sixth grade.
But they don't require it, so I'm happy about that.
- I don't even know why it's required in all 50 states.
- I wanna burn this book. I want to.
But the cover is laminated, so it probably wouldn't even burn.
- (React) Is this a way that you would write ever,
do you think? - I guess so?
Not very much, but sometimes. Maybe at school.
- I would say I could see myself writing in cursive.
I would most likely forget about Fs and stuff
because horrible memory here. - Okay, being honest,
Ys are my favorite. You just gotta go...
It's so nice. - (React) Turn to the purple tab.
There, you should find a bunch of three-letter words.
- Hot, ink, its, joy...jug?
- (React) So, back when I was in school, they would always tell us,
"When you're writing words in cursive, don't pick up your pen."
- Yup, that's what I get told. - That is what my Texas teachers said.
- (React) What makes cursive hard to remember sometimes?
- There is weird shapes, like the E looks like
the other way of Z. - If I don't know what the word is,
it could be a little difficult, and I won't know what to do 'cause I have to know
what the word is to do it, and I need to know
the letters and stuff. - It's difficult how you have to
get it in a certain angle. Like the O, you have to get it like--
it's like this. And it's difficult.
- There are so many unnecessary squiggles.
It is so hard to know which letter it is.
- Remembering which direction to write in 'cause sometimes
you'll just automatically go autopilot. And then you'd be like,
"No. Wait, no. I need a swirly here." And then, you'll just go back
and do the swirl. Or sometimes, actually,
the letters might be too close to each other. Ironic, isn't it?
It's cursive. - (React) Why do you think
it's important to learn cursive? - Just in case
you need to sign something and you want something
to be cursive. - Cursive is a bit less common now.
And no one's actually-- because usually, what they--
I remember they used cursive to write letters to each other,
like pen pals and stuff, 'cause you don't got a phone.
- If people aren't teaching kids to write cursive in school,
they should be able to learn cursive at home.
- (React) Now, this is the real challenge.
- I have to write in cursive. - (React) I'm gonna give you
two minutes to write as much of that phrase as you can in cursive.
You are allowed to refer to your alphabet.
- Okay, thank you. Okay. - (React) So, go back
to the alphabet. You are gonna start
in three, two, one. - I'm looking for G.
- (React) Tell me what's-- what you might be finding
a little difficult. Or what-- - How you have
to never pick up the pen 'cause then you have to go back
the same place over and over and over again.
- I'm looking for E? - (React) All right.
Got about 30 more seconds. - Oh my god!
Why does time go so fast? Why does time go so fast? - (React) All right,
you've got a minute left. Never.
S, S. Where is S?! S! There you are!
- (React) All right, we've got 30 seconds on the board.
- (gasps) Bruh! It's been... - (groans) R is my biggest enemy.
Usually, I see Rs like this. I'm more frustrated
with this one. - (React, sing-song) 10 seconds.
- Oh my god! Stop! - Okay, that surprised me. - Got it!
- (React) Just in the nick of time! And stop.
Time's up, Robert. - (groans)
- (React) And go ahead and hold up what you have. - That is very hard.
- (React) Show the camera. Lightning never.
- Lightning is the only word that's readable
other than twice and place. - I learned the alphabet
a few years ago, so I could have remembered a bit.
But honestly, I think I would have been fine with these letters.
- (React) Robert, do you want to continue to learn cursive?
- No. No, I do not. - Cursive, it's so difficult
because you're writing and you'll be like--
and then, you'll accidentally pick it up, and you're like,
"Oh, I have to write it again." Scribble out.
- Yes, because it's a very advanced skill that you could learn.
- It was easy, just the tracing. But when you freehand it,
it starts to get a little harder. - I mean, an extracurricular
like maybe for a little bit of fun, sure.
But if it's like, "Yeah, it's a requirement,"
I'm dropping out. I'm going back to homeschooling.
I cannot do cursive. - Thanks for watching this episode.
- Write your comments in cursive below.
- Subscribe for more content like this. - Bye!
- Bye! - I'm cutting you off because
I have the answer immediately: No! - (React) Tell me why
you don't want to learn cursive. - I'm pretty sure
my work explains itself.
