OXNARD : Man of Letters Puts Class on Right Track

Norman R. Brekke, superintendent of the Oxnard School District, has had a lifelong love affair with the art of handwriting. His flowing signature attests to his love of the art, as does the gold fountain pen he always carries in his shirt pocket.

“It means a lot,” Brekke said. “Handwriting is an area I enjoy. I had a degree of success in school. It gives pride if you write well and that pride carries over into other work that you do in school. Every child can do it.”

Brekke, a teacher who rose through the ranks to become superintendent 17 years ago, periodically goes back to the classroom to teach handwriting. On Tuesday, he faced more than 80 students at Driffill School, demonstrating the finer points of the art.

Brekke, showing the students a replica of the inkwell George Washington used at Mt. Vernon, told them that good handwriting is a survival skill.

“Your grades will reflect your handwriting,” he said.

Brekke’s handwriting class began with a history lesson when he showed students John Hancock’s signature.

“He not only had a famous signature, but he was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence,” Brekke said. “John Hancock was proud to be an American. He had the largest of all names on the declaration.”

Brekke then showed students handwriting examples of Oxnard students from the 1930s, pointing out that those students wrote with a steel-pointed pen, which was harder to use than today’s ballpoint pens.

Finally, the superintendent showed the Driffill students recent examples from students in the district.

“Here’s one from a third-grade student from Juanita School. His handwriting is magnificent,” Brekke said.

The students from the fifth-grade classes of Alberta O’Neill and Jeff Maulhardt and the fourth-grade class of Ellie James set to work, following Brekke’s examples on the blackboard.

Each time he showed something new, such as putting a “butterfly whisker on the front of a cane” to make the capital letter “K,” Brekke went around the room, checking papers. Good work earned praise; if the student was having problems, Brekke took a pencil and offered a demonstration.

At the end of the lesson, fifth-grader Arthur Jimenez said he liked learning about John Hancock.

“I also found out how to do a butterfly whisker,” the youngster said, proudly showing his paper.