Kids with bad manners can cause problems at school.  When children are rude to each other (and their teachers), they don’t do as well in school as they might if they were polite and respectful.  They also take valuable time away from other children’s learning.

What can parents do to teach their children “school manners”? 

• Start at home, because the manners children use these are the ones they’ll take to school.  Children who say “please” and “thank you” at home will use those words at school.  Here are some other polite behaviors that will help children in school:

•  Raise your hand.  Imagine having 30 children in a class, each of whom wanted attention right now. When children raise their hands and wait for the teacher to call on them, they show that they have self-control.  They also are showing respect for other students.

•  Pay attention to what the teacher says (follow directions).  A teacher who has to repeat an assignment because one child wasn’t listening has less time to help students who really need it.  When children refuse to do what the adults in school say, they need to know their parents will support the school.

•  When you disagree with a teacher, do it politely.  Teachers are human - they make mistakes, too.  But asking, “Didn’t you say the book report was due on Friday?”  Is more polite (and likely to work) than shouting, “You said Friday.  You can’t change now.”

•  Behave in the cafeteria.  One firm rule should be not to cut in line.  Another should be to clean up after yourself.

•  Don’t make fun of others.  Children will not always be friends with everyone in their class, but they need to learn not to tease others - not about their weight, about their new glasses or about the fact that they aren’t good in math or PE.

Source: Joan Leonard, What to Do to Improve Your Child’s Manners, 1998