Fountain pens and roundhand script

Two things we learnt this week about Austrian school.
1.) All kids start off learning to write roundhand script. By the second class a child should be able to copy a printed text into roundhand script with not too much difficulty. Our son has no problem writing and reading printed material, but suddenly he has to learn a whole new way of writing and adapt to reading this style of writing.

2.) We found out that during this year second grade students will learn to use fountain pens - the kind with ink cartridges. I've unpacked my old fountain pen and have started writing letters to our children to encourage and help them to read this style of writing. It feels like travelling back in time for me - and I realise that my writing has become very sloppy. I have to take great care if I want others to be able to read what I've written. Thank God I can use the keyboard for Blogger...