Suffolk County Elementary School Teaches Children Etiquette and Life Skills

Etiquette Lessons at Cherry Avenue Elementary

• 🍽️ Students at Cherry Avenue Elementary traded cafeteria trays for tablecloths and elegant place settings for a special lesson in etiquette.
• 🧑‍🏫 The event aimed to teach essential life skills, focusing on proper table manners and social graces.

Importance of Basic Values

• COVID-19 and increased technology use have led to a perceived decline in old-fashioned values and human connection.
• 🌱 The school initiative seeks to reintroduce fundamental values like caring, kindness, and courtesy.

Practicing Good Manners

• 🗣️ Students learned to interact politely, using phrases like "May I please have a roll?" instead of demanding.
• 👂 Key manners discussed include chewing with your mouth closed, not putting elbows on the table, and the importance of saying "please and thank you."
• 🤝 The lesson emphasized talking and listening to each other, making eye contact, and being polite to servers.

Lifelong Learning and Appreciation

• 🎓 Students in higher grades helped mentor younger peers, reinforcing the lessons.
• 📝 Conversation starter cards were created by fourth and fifth graders to aid younger students in polite small talk.
• ✨ The experience concluded with an emphasis on appreciation for both the meal preparers and the company.