Apparently I have a "superpower."
I've had it for years but I just took it for granted. Now I'm thinking about using my power to go back in time — to that time when our country was fighting a Revolutionary War.
It's exciting to have this power, despite my age. In fact, I have this ability because I've been around a long time and because my early schooling dates back to the 1950s.
It's the schooling part that counts. It's how I got my "superpower." I'm probably exaggerating my strength a bit. But hey, I pulled that word "superpower" right out of this USA Today headline: "National Archives Is Seeking Volunteers Who Have the ‘Superpower’ of Reading Cursive."
There are 24 states (including Illinois) that require teaching cursive, according to a recent Education Week article. Less than 10 years ago only 14 states required cursive lessons.
So the federal archive is looking for volunteers who can read the cursive writing in more than 200 years' worth of documents — many from the Revolutionary War.
“Reading cursive is a superpower,” said Suzanne Isaacs, community manager with the National Archives Catalog. If you can navigate a computer you can help from home, she said.
Well I — and probably all you Boomers out there — have this magic decoding power. It feels a bit selfish not to share it.
Yeah, maybe it's time I took a little trip back in time ... to the Revolutionary War.
I’m Lonny Cain … and that’s my Perspective.
