I type all day. I swipe and tap on my phone. I scribble notes to myself on paper. I’m happy with my mostly-digital life. But every now and then I’ll get a handwritten note—from an old lady, ...

PHOENIX — With eyebrows furrowed and fingers holding pencils in clawlike grips, third graders at Lowell Elementary School in Mesa were tackling an assignment involving one of the most controversial ...