There are many ways a child can stand out in school. There are the obvious ways…being smart, musical, or athletic, but maybe you don’t know the one that stands out to many teachers – well mannered. Having manners is something you hope your child will have, but will your child use the manners you taught him?
When my child was younger, different teachers had told me at conferences that her manners stood out in the class. I thought it was a different topic to bring up at conferences. Aren’t conferences about how your child was doing academically and socially? But then I thought about my own class and what I really valued in my students.
It was true. The students who had good manners always stood out in a good way. They were usually kind, caring, and understanding of others. They usually had patience and tolerance. Now, I always mention to parents if their child has outstanding manners because in this world of fast-paced interactions, both personally and in technology, excellent manners really do stand out.
How can you teach your child that manners matter? Well, you always need to remember that YOU are your child’s first teacher. If you model good manners wherever you go, your child will see this as the norm.
Manners are not just please and thank you, though these two words are a good start. Manners are holding the door open for people who are your elders, acknowledging someone in the halls when they speak to you, answering someone and looking him in the eye when responding, and writing the good old-fashioned thank you note (on paper and sent in the mail) when receiving a gift.
Manners are not just please and thank you, though these two words are a good start. Manners are holding the door open for people who are your elders, acknowledging someone in the halls when they speak to you, answering someone and looking him in the eye when responding, and writing the good old-fashioned thank you note (on paper and sent in the mail) when receiving a gift.
Another “old-fashioned” form of manners to be taught is how to speak correctly on the phone. In the age of texting and caller-ID, children need to be taught the correct way to speak on the phone. In addition, children need to be taught how to speak to adults in the correct tone.
The best teacher for all of these non-please and thank you manners is YOU! Each day you will encounter times to model these skills for your child. Show your child what the appropriate action looks like. Model what appropriate responses are for each type of scenario. Praise your child when he demonstrates these manners for you and for others.
Manners may seem like something trivial and something everyone has, yet, not all students easily display them in the school setting. Good manners are making students stand out in positive ways. Remember…manners matter and YOU make manners meaningful!
