Manners, never too young to start

[Gob]

Pupils may leave school well-versed in the three Rs but knowing how to mind their Ps and Qs is another matter.

One public school, however, is attempting to reverse a decline in good manners with an etiquette week for pupils, including those as young as three.

Special classes will cover subjects ranging from holding doors open to deportment.

The youngest pupils at Llandovery College, in Carmarthenshire, will be taught how to write thank you letters and practise saying 'please' and 'thank you'.

Older pupils will learn how to present themselves to future employers and use 'net-iquette' when sending e-mails.

Ian Hunt, headteacher at the school charging £12,800 a year for senior day pupils, said: 'We want to drive home the message that manners maketh man or woman.

'We hope our programme puts old-fashioned manners into a modern context.'

As part of a 'finishing school' for sixth-formers, they will be set a light-hearted exercise involving walking with books balanced on their heads.

General rules on manners also include how to circulate at social events, keeping hands out of pockets when talking to someone and writing thank you notes.

While using mobiles, pupils will be encouraged to speak quietly, to ignore calls in cinemas and restaurants, and to excuse themselves if they have to take a call in front of someone.

There are also many social rules for e-mailing, such as not using the web to pass on bad news or negative comments.

Pupils will also be advised not to discuss confidential information on the net and to think twice before hitting 'reply to all'.

Lynne Jones, director of marketing and admissions, who attended finishing school, said: 'We'll have fun, but there is a serious message here as well: manners matter.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z0rXPsSvNs

[dales]

What finger does one use when picking one's nose

[The Hen]

I think it is worthwhile. Many parents these days do not have manners themselves. Without the basic courtesies under THEIR belt, how on earth are they goign to be able to train their own children on manners?

Good manners cost nothing ... that is why so many people devalue them.

[loCAtek]

Yes, of course! Why just the other day I texted Garth the Goth, Redneck, Jew to inquire as to whether he was a heathen or a pagan? Can't be casting disparaging remarks indiscriminately! There's a proper way to insult a Jew, and an improper way,

[Crackpot]

Neither

[rubato]

What finger does one use when picking one's nose

The hand opposite the one you use to scratch your butt with.
yrs,
rubato

[Miles]

What finger does one use when picking one's nose

The hand opposite the one you use to scratch your butt with.
yrs,
rubato

Well I am screwed then, I scratch my butt with both hands..........

[loCAtek]

Neither

You sure? He said he was a heathen, because Pagans worship nature, or many gods; while heathens were non-Xtians but still monotheistic.

(There are the sort funny sort of psuedo-intellectual talks he and I always have. Like would a zombie werewolf still change at day break?)

[Crackpot]

Heathen doesn't count for Jews as they believe in the same God.

hea·then (hn)
n. pl. hea·thens or heathen
1. Offensive
a. One who adheres to the religion of a people or nation that does not acknowledge the God of Judaism, Christianity, or Islam.
b. Such persons considered as a group; the unconverted.
2. Heathen An adherent of a Neopagan religion that seeks to revive the religious beliefs and practices of the ancient Germanic peoples.
3. Informal
a. One who is regarded as irreligious, uncivilized, or unenlightened.
b. Such persons considered as a group.

(mind you there is some argument when it comes to Islam)