My internal musings and real life intersected yesterday, when out of the blue, Andy asked if we could buy the software program, Type to Learn. This, just an hour after I posted about keyboarding and the sad demise of cursive. It seems he’s clocked the second fastest typing speed in his class, and he wants to buy the software used at school, so that he can practice, practice, practice and pass his rival (who, I then learn, has the advantage of having the software at home). And–here’s the big news–they’re even getting…

Will keyboarding triumph where Handwriting Without Tears failed for my child? Andy’s always had handwriting issues (except for one perfect moment in third grade, when he proclaimed, “Cursive rocks”). These days, it’s as if thoughts rush from his brain like a river in spring, down through his arm, then hit his tightly clenched fingers on the pencil, only to release in a very small trickle on the paper.

Keyboarding, which he has no trouble with, may offer a lightness that’ll help Andy express himself through writing. (Clenching is impossible.) That’s the concept educators are banking…