A Word on Handwriting, Spelling and Grammar

I have recently read the article on the Straits Times on bad handwritng among students. Here is an online adaptation of the article:

http://digital.asiaone.com/Digital/News/Story/A1Story20080811-81645.html

Handwriting is extremely important. It makes sure our thoughts and ideas are well conveyed. In the world of spell- and grammar-checks, more and more teenagers are prone to bad handwriting, spelling and grammar. The absence of penmanship lessons in school, coupled with no penalties on errors in spelling or grammar in non-language related examinations has led to poor language usage and perpetually illegible handwriting.

Here are some examples of poor spelling (obviously, getting samples of bad handwriting would be humiliating)

1. I had a friend who doesn't see anything wrong with the words "vechile", "freind", and "speeling"

2. I had teachers (I assure you they are no Americans) that habitually spells words like "color", "traveler" and "gray"

3. I bet very few teenagers (and some adults alike) see the mistakes in words like "curb" (the roadside object), "licorice", "percent" and "skeptic".

For number 3, it would seem alright in the eyes of an American, but let's face it, British English is much more accepted and people always use the "American" excuse for bad spelling. Let's face it people, ENGlish is from ENGland, for crying out loud!

Returning to the topic of handwriting. Are doctors actually the olny ones excused for the behaviour of bad writing?

The answer: NO

Statistics show that the doctor's spidery scrawl has cost 7000 lives each year, and in America alone, 1.5 million people actually developed complications due to wrong dosages. Of course, it is also part of the phamacists fault not to ring the doctor and double-check, but the root of the problem still lies in bad handwriting.

Personally, I have been through doctors that do have atrocious handwritings. I was thinking, 'do medical schools have an adverse effect on handwriting, or is it doctors mentality of "I am a doctor and people should respect me, why would I care if they can't read my writing?"'

I certainly hope it's not my second thought that is the reality.