Katie Couric's Notebook: Penmanship

Remember how frustrating those penmanship lessons were back in elementary school? That struggle to make all those graceful little loops and connect one letter to the next?

Well, writing in cursive is a dying art. It's usually introduced around third grade, but it's rarely reinforced after that - when keyboards and monitors replace pens and paper as primary writing tools.

I'm a proficient typist on my Blackberry and I understand the need for speed, but penmanship still has its place. A hand written thank you note means a lot more than a typed one. A love letter by E-mail isn't quite as romantic. And one by text? Fuhgettaboutit!

Experts say cursive is more natural than printing. It helps children strengthen hand muscles and improve their hand-eye coordination.

With fewer kids learning it, the writing is on the wall - but it needs to be back on a page of paper to keep the art of penmanship alive.

That's a page from my notebook.

I'm Katie Couric, CBS News.