Students at Pike Road High School attended an ALIEEP-hosted calligraphy workshop led by Linda Muse on September 3, 2025. The three classes, each with no more than fifteen students, took place in Mrs. Mary Chon’s Korean class from 8:30 AM to 12:45 PM.
Students practiced cursive, developing their own signatures by writing the English alphabet. Skills varied based on prior exposure. Each workshop began with Mrs. Muse asking questions:
- “English is a romantic language. Where did it originate from?”
- “What is the significance of letters?”
The questions render many students perplexed. However, one bold student from each class answered the questions with confidence.
- “To communicate and record what has happened.”
- “From Latin. It was spoken by the Romans and Greeks!”
- “They form words?”
The last question invoked hesitation. However, Mrs. Muse encouraged the class and reassured them that their thought process was not far off the mark. She said, “Many people did not have a written language. So, letters were developed to communicate sounds.”
The lesson commenced with Mrs. Muse going through the standardized way of writing the alphabet. Each student was given a dry-erase marker, whiteboard, and worksheets to practice writing upper and lowercase letters. Mrs. Muse emphasized the importance of paying special attention to letters present in one’s name. To maintain engagement, she creatively described the letter shapes to the students. For example, the cursive “J” has a large head, or the “q” resembles the number two.
The students found solace in Muse, struggling with writing the letter “k” due to deviating from the standard script for stylization. Despite the typical commotion exhibited by young people, many were engaged and practicing throughout the workshop. I overheard students complimenting themselves and others using words like “demure” or “feeling myself.” Some nonverbal compliments included the “clock it” hand signal, which exposes someone’s motives; however, the students were using it incorrectly to communicate praise –a gesture that originates from the LGBTQIA+ community.
The most shocking development was the students’ bewilderment about the importance of cursive. Muse educated them on the importance of signing one’s name to legal documents and, from an academic perspective, the importance of taking notes quickly.
Nevertheless, the Calligraphy Workshop successfully demonstrated the value of cursive and imparted a new skill to students. I hope the students continue to perfect their scripts.
