Below are links to articles that reinforce the need for teachers to teach handwriting and some that describe issues regarding the erosion of handwriting in modern society.

Educators Stress the Importance of Handwriting

Handwriting, the Neglected Skill

Back to Basics of a Legible Hand

You will need to develop a philosophy of your own regarding student handwriting.  Students will increasingly use electronic media for written communication, but will still need to be able to write.  Will you require cursive or manuscript?  Will you care which one they use?

No matter what your answers are to the questions above, you do need to be able to model good penmanship - thus the handwriting samples assignment.