National Courtesy Month—R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Rodney Dangerfield never could get any. Aretha Franklin popularizes it in a song. Educators who teach good manners find it every day in student behavior. Could mastering manners make a difference in your classroom?

Though the fine points of acceptable manners may vary slightly from decade to decade and from one state to another, experts agree, behavior based on respect is still the ultimate goal. Unfortunately, American adults are exhibiting less civility toward one another, and children are following suit with teachers and peers in the classroom.

In 1999, 73 percent of Americans in an ABC NEWS/World News Tonight poll thought manners were worse than 20 or 30 years ago. Respondents primarily placed the blame on inadequate parenting. They also cited movies and television shows that encouraged children to be less respectful of others. Under those circumstances, it's no surprise that "manner illiteracy" is rampant in classrooms from coast to coast.

Although character education is a hot topic in schools across the nation, education in manners generally receives scant attention. With growing demands on teaching time, etiquette is rarely a priority. A growing number of psychologists and educators declare that manners and respect are inseparable. They believe that children can never learn to respect themselves unless they learn respect for others—and that begins with adults. They believe that teaching good manners to children helps them develop self-esteem, self-confidence, kindness, the golden rule, and that leads to life success through good human relations.

Assign students to learn more about the importance of courtesy, manners, and etiquette to success in life.

Students should create reports of at least 100 words or a presentation of at least two minutes and six slides that cites at least three resources. Students should address the following essential questions for critical thinking (you can add to or substitute others):

• What are examples of at least three manners that you think are important and why?
• What are three things that annoy you about other people's behavior toward you?
• What is the responsibility of the teacher and school in promoting good manners?
• How can developing good habits with manners and courtesy help you in life?

Select the Subject Heading option >Type "Etiquette" in the Search box > Note additional subjects list on right margin

Teachers may be interested in a ProQuest flexible rubrics model for evaluating inquiry-based learning activities.

Teachers may also be interested using this free (registration required) tool for creating a variety of printed resources including quizzes.

Your students can use our custom ProQuest models for written and PowerPoint-style reports.

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