I learned cursive in US public school. No one guided my hand; no one needed to. This was long before touching was such a no-no (assuming it is; I don’t know what goes on at schools in the 21^st^ century).
Just because you learned it that way doesn’t mean it’s the only way nor necessarily the best way. You could learn it by watching an animation of the characters being drawn, for instance, or watching someone draw on a chalkboard.
