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Origin of the SmithHand Method

Handwriting, like speaking and proper use of the English language, is a form of communication. People whose handwriting is illegible are crippled in their ability to communicate fully. At the same time, a beautifully written page captures the attention of a reader and begs to be read.

Most American students struggle with cursive writing. As a history student doing research with original documents written in the 1870s by thousands of different people, I discovered a universally beautiful and legible hand developed by the Spencer brothers and known as Spencerian. The Spencer brothers insisted that students form their letters in a way which suited the mechanical structure of the human hand.

Since 1900 the flowing Spencerian hand has been abandoned in favor of various forms of the Palmer Method of Business Writing. This hand was designed to be read, not written. 

Consequently, most students who have been taught to write using the awkward Palmer alphabet spend years trying to reinvent their handwriting. This has resulted in the present sorry state of handwriting in America.

We at SmithHand believe it is dishonest and counterproductive to introduce a child to a method of penmanship which cannot be achieved or used in a practical fashion, leaving them with the task of creating a workable means of writing over many wasted years after instruction ceases. Most people fail at this effort and print or scrawl.

In order to correct the widespread problems with the current methods, SmithHand has been developed based upon functional principles. These principles include the natural action of the hand and wrist, correct slant, and letter proportions. Because SmithHand is both achievable and comfortable to write, it results in a legible and practical modern hand.

The entire course consists of ten lessons which have been carefully designed to include proper letter formation, initial and terminal connections, capitals, and numerals. One brief course gives the beginning writer all the experience needed to write an attractive cursive hand.

Both students and teachers of SmithHand report the method is easy to teach, learn, and write. We like to call it the "phonics" of penmanship! Just as phonics opens the world of reading to a student, let SmithHand open the world of handwritten communication.

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