Manners To Go is happy to announce we have licensed and certified another teacher to start an etiquette business.
I have a very special place in my heart for teachers. My mother was a teacher for nearly 36 years. My sister was a school administrator. All of my aunts and uncles were teachers.
A Teacher Starts an Etiquette Business
My lineage runs deep. I remember helping my mother set-up her classroom at the beginning of the year.
If you are looking to start immediately and save money on travel and time, then this is your best option.You choose the dates of our trainings. Most choose to have their sessions once a week, others twice. This is a “live” and private training. It is NOTself-guided.
PRIVATE Training. That’s right, we meet in person, the two of us and our focus is completely on your business. Click the image above or follow the button below to learn more and to see a list of cities available for your training.
My heart goes out to children. I often wonder what is happening to their ability to connect. Teaching manners in the classroom have never been more important.
What is it like for them to build relationships with their friends at the moment? How about with other adults outside of their parents?
Many children have dealt with this for years as we have become so accustomed to our lives orbiting around our digital devices.
What is in store for this generation that has been robbed of social interactions now for almost a year and tied to devices to make somewhat of a human connection?
Over the years as I have worked with parents, I often hear the comment “they will listen to you more than me”- meaning, when teaching manners, children listen to a third party. For some reason, this is the way of the world.
Finding moments or dedicated time to teach manners in your classroom is actually very easy. Most likely you are using good social skills all day every day in the classroom (virtual or in-person).
Manners and Life Skills such as:
Eye contact: When using eye contact, point out what you are doing. As students use good eye contact, let them know you noticed.
Respect: Point out respectful behaviors as you see certain actions (helping others, expressing gratitude, holding the door, saying “good morning”)
Conversation skills: We have multiple conversations a day. Recognize students when they engage with each other. Conversation skills are becoming a lost art. This skill is the cornerstone of building friendships.
There has been a focus at the school level in many states to focus on the whole child.
Teachers love using our lesson plans to teach manners in their classrooms. The lesson plan objective along with suggested dialogues and handouts are included.
This book will help you teach social skills in your classroom.
Last weekend I was in our local bookstore. This title, Luli and the Language of Tea by Andrea Wang, jumped off the shelf. I walked right to it.
Yes, the cover is bright and inviting but once I opened the book and read a few pages, I knew I had to add to my resources for Preschool children.
Use This Book to Make a Human Connection
And this is why: this book speaks to the many cultures that make up the classrooms across the world. This book also addresses how to make the human connection.
If you have been following us, you know I am a big believer in this topic. Why not start them young – in Preschool?
“The playroom was quiet. Luli couldn’t speak English. Neither could the others. All around the room, children played alone.”
The story goes on to tell about Luli’s plan. She has a fat-bellied (don’t you love this description) teapot with matching cups.
Luli passes around the tea cups to all the children in her class. And everyone speaks a different language- however, they all speak the language of TEA!
This story is heartwarming! I encourage you to get your own copy and share it with your students.
Luli uses a “fat-bellied” teapot to connect with her classmates. This type of teapot is easy to find. You can use paper cups to pass around lemonade or water. Let your students practice pouring tea for each other.
During this time, have them engage in conversation with their classmates. You can read them the story of Luli while they are having “tea”.
A Teacher Becomes More Interesting When Teaching Manners in Elementary School
Storytelling is what sets you apart as a teacher.Think about it.As a teacher, I don’t need to tell you how much younger children love it when someone reads a story to them.
This works for elementary school students too…only you don’t need to read to them….TELL them a story.
A story about you and an experience you had.Maybe you made an “etiquette” mistake.Maybe you made the right decision by choosing to use your good manners in a certain situation.
Good or bad, share your story.Make it real for this age group.
I can promise, they will sit up and listen to “your” story.It will make you more interesting.
The moment you share your story is the moment you take control of your classroom and become more interesting as a teacher.
Manners are not about rules so don’t teach it in that way.Share a real-life experience.
Lisa Richey, founder, Manners To Go | Join Our Manners Movement
How do you teach your students to have a conversation? Isn’t it special to have someone be fully present with you? To have a conversation with anyone, an adult or a child is something to behold these days…a conversation without distraction.
My most popular topic when teaching business etiquette in the workplace is The Art of the Human Connection. The art of having a conversation, is a lost “art”. We are so consumed with social media that often we are so buried in it we miss out on so many opportunities. Often, it is the first request I have from a human resource director to discuss the basic skills of conversation to their team.
Take the time to teach your students how to converse! Life is fuller when you have this life skill. You actually become interesting. A children and teens learn so much about life when they hear others conversing.
Eye contact: This is a social skill that is so very important. By making eye contact, it shows someone that you are interested. It sends a message that you are confident. Point this out to your students. Explain why this is important. Take the opportunity to talk about confidence and how it feels. If your students are six or younger, get on their level. Literally! Get down on your knees if necessary and make eye contact with them.
Teach them to listen to others: Another important social skill is to listen. Tell them it is alright for there to be silence when having a conversation. This is the time to practice sharing-sharing the space to tell ideas and experiences.
Ask questions: By asking questions, you show others that you are interested in their experiences. Ask a student questions. Explain to them that you are having a conversation.
Phone skills: The Wall Street Journal had an article about answering the phone. Remember when we were growing up and we took messages for our parents? With smart phones, this most likely is not happening. This was a great way to teach conversation skills. It is still important for children to know how to answer a phone and converse. Below you will find a link to the article.
Read a story. After reading a story, talk about it with your students. Did they like the story? What was their favorite part?
These might be the questions you are asking yourself about now.
Trust me, your students need you to show them how to not be socially awkward or uncomfortable.
When you teach manners and life skills in your classroom, you add a great deal of value to the lives of your students.
Here is how they feel when using good manners:
Here is How Students Feel When Using Good Manners and Life Skills:
More confident
Self-assured
Ready to take more risks
Prepared for college or job interviews and internships
Happier and healthy
Friendlier
Today, I am sharing an activity/lesson plan that you can easily easily teach in your classroom. In fact, if you click on the image below, you can download the specific manners lesson plan.
I believe when we set a goals or intention we need to understand our “why” behind it. This lesson plan will help your students understand the “why” we use our good manners everyday – in public, at at home, with others and especially in your classroom.
This is a fun activity and one that can take only five minutes – or more. You choose.
Your students can engage in a conversation, answer as a group or write down their answers independently.
