What Handwriting Means to Students in 2025

Most students spend several hours every day writing by hand and reading their own handwriting. While some strive to perfect their pencil strokes, others dread the terrible, sometimes frustrating act of writing by hand. Regardless, handwriting is permanently ingrained in one’s body and brain, forming an integral part of one’s identity. The increasing prevalence of technology, though, has pushed many students to exchange their pens for keyboards. However, since the New York State “bell-to-bell” cellphone ban took effect this fall, many students have had to confront their handwriting head-on. Love it or hate it, one’s handwriting is unavoidable, sometimes creeping into students’ perceptions of themselves and of others.

Handwriting typically varies immensely from person to person. Some write messily, some neatly; some scribe curly script, some use straight strokes. Every person’s handwriting has its own unique characteristics. “[My handwriting is] quick, I take a lot of shortcuts in my writing instead of separating it into the strokes that it should be,” senior Kai Nunziata described.

Other students are more methodical in their approach. “My handwriting is very neat, I’d say. I generally write pretty small and kind of round, but sometimes I write in a hybrid between cursive and my own handwriting when I’m taking notes in class,” senior Alexa Leahy explained.

Though many students likely learned cursive in their early elementary school years, few write in full script. Similar to Nunziata, senior Alex Ausiello explained, “I connect a lot of my letters, so I don’t lift my pen from the page.” This pattern of teenagers adopting parts of cursive writing into their daily handwriting most likely stems from its phasing out, with cursive being taught less in public schools and valued less in a tech-heavy world.

As technology becomes more common in classrooms, students tackle the pros and cons of virtual notetaking and handwritten notes. “I prefer to take notes by hand. I was opposed to taking notes in a notebook in freshman year because the computer was easier and quicker, but I’ve come to realize I retain more from my notes when I take them by hand,” Leahy shared. 

Similarly, senior Tawsif Rahman shared, “I prefer to take notes by hand. I can’t process anything if I don’t write it down.” Rahman and Leahy are on to something; multiple studies link writing by hand to increased content retention and learning.

Since completing many school assignments and taking tests requires writing by hand, some students make a conscious effort to improve their handwriting. Oftentimes, these improvements come from the early years of education. “I always liked handwriting, but I struggled with it in Pre-K because I have bad finger dexterity. One of the teachers was very strict about handwriting and taught me how to write, and I’m really thankful to her for that because I think that’s why I have good handwriting now, because it was drilled into me from such a young age,” Leahy recalled.

Though most early education teachers emphasize neat handwriting, many students believe that deciphering messy handwriting is simply part of a teacher’s job, and students should not be penalized as long as their handwriting is generally legible. “Teachers themselves have said [handwriting] doesn’t matter, they’re trained to understand bad handwriting,” Rahman said. 

Some students feel that gender biases go hand in hand with biases concerning handwriting in the classroom. “Oftentimes, I’ll be surprised when a guy has good handwriting, which is bad, but there’s a stereotype that girls have good handwriting and boys have bad handwriting. I think that’s part of a larger problem of how girls and boys are perceived in society. Girls are typically [assigned] secretarial roles and need to be organized and have good handwriting, and I feel like that’s where it started,” Leahy explained.

Handwriting, a significant part of students’ academic and personal identities, can reflect other personal characteristics. “I feel like I’m very easygoing, kinda go with the flow, and I guess that’s how my handwriting is. It’s not one set thing,” Ausiello shared. 

Leahy shared this sentiment. “I think my handwriting matches my personality. I’m a pretty put-together and organized person. I keep a calendar, and I make to-do lists every day. My room is a mess, though. My digital world is super organized, and my physical one is a mess,” she described.

Despite the rise of digital note-taking and studying, the act of writing by hand has irreplaceable benefits. While digital note-taking is often seen as easier, quicker, and more convenient, many students recognize that handwritten note-taking improves memory and retention. Handwritten notes are also easier to access in a phone-free Stuyvesant, making them more desirable to students who utilize their free periods to study. Though it may be more tedious and offers more opportunities for biases about students, writing by hand is an irreplaceable human act, and handwriting is an integral part of each student’s uniqueness.