I’m pretty lucky with time off from work. I get all major holidays off and a few extended breaks throughout the year, as well as all of July and August. (I have to find summer employment because I make a teacher’s salary.)
While driving home today, in my car that now has Ontario licence plates on it, I made a last minute decision to swing by the Staples. Little did I know that that left turn would seal the fate of my weekend:
You see, I’ve become a little bit more obsessed with my handwriting in the last little while. It’s not so much that I can’t read my own handwriting, but that other people can’t. I get enough complaints from colleagues and students that I figure I should do something about it.
Back in grade six, my father bought me a kit similar to the one pictured above for the calligraphy class that we had in school. I’m going to say that I was pretty good at it — I know that I thoroughly enjoyed it — and I want to start practicing it again.
This is what I find entertaining these days.
A few days ago, I spent over an hour doing this:
I’d like you to note that this was done in pencil, and that an attempt was made to make the lowercase letters reach from the bottom line to the top line. If you look closely enough, you’ll see makeshift guidelines that I used to check on the slant on some of the letters. You’ll also notice small checkmarks next to the letters that I think are written well.
I can’t remember if I’ve already mentioned that I’m working on a post about my thoughts on the importance of the teaching of handwriting and penmanship in school, even in a digital age. That might be something for you to look forward to, if you’re not already anticipating pictures of the calligraphy that will come out of this weekend.
I’m getting old or boring or both.
Leave a Reply