| Exemplary Prose: |
| Essential Writing Skills in Context |
Handwriting
Use legible cursive handwriting.
Okay, I can understand why you, as a high school student, would not think handwriting is an important talent to develop. I can understand because I am one of you. My younger sister has beautiful handwriting that is as pleasing to the eye as any art I have witnessed and I hate her! (Not really, of course.)
"Why," many of my students have asked, "do I need to practice my handwriting when all my school work is done on a computer?" To this I have but one reply: "Because I said so!" Of course, this is not a legitimate answer, and not one I'd expect anyone to obey. All kidding aside, if you really think about it, writing is an amazing thing. Just think; all these little scribbles on a page mean something. Take a look at the Chinese written language and, if you're like me (and most Americans), you won't be able to decipher its message or meaning. Fortunately, this is not due to illegible handwriting (which is what I'm trying to convince you not to do), but to our inability to relate to the characters written on the page. But, give us that same message written in English, and we'd understand it thoroughly.
The point I'm trying to make is, if your ideas are wonderful and your handwriting is poor, teachers will look upon it as if it were Chinese. And the only one it hurts is you.
In order to pass the writing portion of the Alaskan HSGQE, you must demonstrate an ability to convey messages through your writing. This means that your writing will have to be neat enough to be read by the educators assessing your writing examples. Wouldn't it be a shame to fail the exam simply because your writing was careless and sloppy? So, take heed: always be mindful of your penmanship. If you start developing good writing habits today, the benefits will show tomorrow.