Dear Poirot,

I totally agree. It starts in the family home
where children learn not only good manners but
also core values and ethics. If this was further
instilled in schools this could possibly reverse
the rudeness and violence that many feel has
become endemic among the young. I remember my
Scottish headmistress at the all girls' high
school that I attended and the national anthem
being played during our school assemblies as well
as her lectures even today. She was awesome (and
scary) but she left her imprint on all of us.

cont'd ...

I'll repeat what I've written in the past:

Every parent I know lives with the uneasy sense that
their children are growing up too fast, without clear
values or a real code to live by. While we spin our wheels
worrying about "reading, writing, and arithmetic" our
children may be missing the "real basics" like respect,
loyalty, and a sense of fair play. Survey after survey
shows that children who will be the best educated and
most privileged in human history, are too willing to do
anything it takes to "get ahead."

As far as teachers are concerned - most of the teachers I
know have a difficult job. Their pain comes from the
nature of life in school. Some of the teachers lose faith
and give up hope. Others clamor for reform. The more
radical seek to change systems in midstream. The more
conservative pursue palliatives. Meanwhile life in the
classroom marches on. There are children to teach,
parents to appease, and principals to account to. They
all make demands on teachers' time and energy. How to
survive with dignity is not a rhetorical question for
most teachers.

There's a story about a man in dire trouble who came
to his priest for help. The priest listened and
advised - "Trust in God. He will provide for you."
"Yes," answered the man. "But tell me what do I do
until them?"

Teachers ask similar questions. "How can I survive
until the system changes?" "What can I do today to
improve life in the classroom?"

Teachers are expected to reach unattainable goals with
inadequate tools. The miracle is that at times they
accomplish this impossible task.

Teachers have a unique opportunity to counteract
unkealthy influences in a pupil's early childhood.
They have the power to affect a child's life for better
of for worse. A childe becomes what he experiences.
While parents possess the original key to their
offspring's experience, teachers have a spare key.
They too can open or close the minds and hearts of
children.

We can all remember the ones who had a positive effect.

Of course manners start in the home.
My sons when they were preschool were expected to say hello to people
who entered our home and to not ask rude questions, and when asked by
a visitor to answer politely.
Also not being rude to their parents is the often excepted rule as we all know.

What I notice in shops etc is on their own teenagers and younger are OK
but when in a group they can be outrageous.
That is probably a good place for the schools to start.

So as expected Foxy you are just using the seemingly innocuous subject of 'manners' to springboard into a political ideology.

Have a chat with students and young adults and you will find that they are a wake-up to and resent the sly attempts to re-wire them as automatons for the political benefit of others.

It is no wonder at all that so many young adults are browned off about politics.

G'day there FOXY...

No, not necessarily 'taught' in schools, rather 'upheld' in schools. Surely it's the parents job to teach, and when necessary correct, the manners of our children ? Whereas it's the school's function to teach our children the appropriate academic subjects in order to prepare them for further training, both in secondary and later on, tertiary studies at TAFE or University.

From my limited exposure to 'tertiary learning', manners, dress and general decorum, are more or less ignored thereat ? Ostensibly because young people are considered as young adults, therefore it's often thought, it's a matter for themselves as to what standards they comply with or conform to ? Rather than those that are imposed upon them by some external influences.

Several visits to the UNSW Union Café, has shown me a series of 'behaviours' (from both sexes) more suited to that of Long Bay gaol, by the language and standards of behaviour exhibited by the students therein ?

I don't know, I guess I'm just a real 'square' and very very old fashioned, still don't manners 'make-ith' the man ? (sorry about the spelling?)

Dear Bazz,

Thank You.

I'm pleased that we agree on this issue.

Dear O Sung Wu,

Yes, we often see the results of the bad behaviour
of some of the young both in the
newspapers and on television. It becomes tragic
when this turns to violence with serious consequences.

I agree with Julie Bishop's strong feelings
on this problem -
and although it may not solve everything - it certainly
can't make things any worse. Teaching fair play, respect,
and good manners as she points out - would be a good attempt
to reverse the rudeness and violence that many feel have
become endemic among some of the young. As she points out
this issue should be above politics. All governments,
ministers, and especially those concerned with education
and the kind of society we should strive for in this
country -
should support the teaching of good manners, etiquette,
core values, and ethics, in schools and organisations.