Posted on 02/21/2010 7:45:01 AM PST by AlanD
In addition to the three R’s, boys at one Arizona public high school have spent the past year learning to open doors for girls, pull out chairs for their female classmates and stand when a girl enters a room.
Incorporating etiquette lessons into the classroom was the brainchild of Cord Ivanyi, a Latin teacher at Gilbert Classical Academy, a public college prep school 30 miles east of Phoenix. Courtesy of Cord Ivanyi Male students in Cord Ivanyi’s Latin class at Gilbert Classical Academy high school have learned such etiquette techniques as seating the girls at their desks.
“I teach old-fashioned subjects,” Ivanyi told AOL News, “so I don’t think I’m doing anyone a disservice by promoting oldfashioned traditions.”
A teacher for 14 years, Ivanyi said he was inspired to start demonstrating what he considers proper etiquette after witnessing the coarse behavior that some of the boys in his classes displayed toward the girls.
“Boys treat girls pretty roughly,” he said. “And there was so much disruption, so I decided to do something about it.”
(Excerpt) Read more at aolnews.com ...
We have raised our son and daughter to have good Southern etiquette. When we go up North to visit my husband’s family, the adults always compliment us on the behavior of our children. In addition, we are a military family, so we have a good discipline structure in the house. My children are not angels, but they know how to “snap to” if we have to call them out.
rude and offensive
Women’s Lib has some people confused and bamboozled.
Time to rethink that *our womenfolk need to be more like men and our men need to be more feminine*.
Hasn’t worked out very well.
Young girls dressing like tramps & cussing like sailors (sailors didn’t cuss in mixed company BTW) and young men not marrying the mothers of their children and abandoning both to government welfare.
An Urban Legend perhaps, but I once read of a guy who held the door open for a businesswoman who walked like she was in a hurry. "You don't need to hold the door for me!" the feminazi snarled." My apologies, ma'am, I thought you were a lady" he replied.
I have yet to use that though, as here in rural AZ the ladies are appreciative. Being long of tooth, I often say "beauty before age" as I hold the door. Most of 'em giggle, a couple of old Gunny Sgt types say "Yeah, sure." but smile anyway. Hell, I've even had doors held open for me by some younger type, so cchivalry is not quite dead. Depends upon where you are, I guess.
I live in a community where people of both sexes routinely hold doors open for strangers entering the P.O. behind them, and the latter say "thank you." Politeness (or its opposite) is contagious, and courtesy tends to become an unofficial community standard.
Looking at the picture in the article, I'm happy to see that the kids are decently dressed. The girls don't look like strumpets, and the boys don't have saggy pants. These kids have a high probability of success in life.
I agree, it is a foreign term up nort.....
Perhaps we should encourage forum decorum on some of FR’s more contentious threads.
I’m feeling like a hypocrite - ‘cos I don’t always follow my better angels of good manners;(
Gonna start over;)
Amen to that!
Fact: Genies don't go back into bottles.
I hate to point this out, but things are different up north.
Manners and customs will invite “extra attention” in unwanted ways, because it represents a vestige of something that isn’t wanted by the social planners, their recipe demands that “women and children first” thinking be expunged from the lexicon. It’s liable to result in a sexual harassment charge with resulting loss of employment, etc. Clearly these things are very important to social planners.
My husband & I moved down south about 16 years ago & it was like moving to another planet. Once I got used to it, I became totally charmed.Yesterday I was in town ( we live in a university community) & several young men went out of their way to open doors & make sure I did not have to do it myself. I was raised a feminist and I will tell you that southern manners make me feel so feminine & put a smile on my face EVERYTIME.
When we go back to Boston to visit my husband’s family I say sir & ma’am always. It’s now ingrained in me- I wouldn’t think of NOT doing it. I think what this man is doing is lovely & I only hope he can keep it up. Any added shred of respect & manners can only be a good thing!
Trustworthy
Loyal
Helpful
Friendly
Courteous
Kind
Obedient
Cheerful
Thrifty
Brave
Clean
Reverent
That’s exactly why it will benefit the young men to continue this practice
Why is it only the young men who need these lessons?
I've no objection to this being taught, but both the article's author and your responses to me leave the impression that boys are the ones who need to change.
I submit that ladies have things to learn as well, and this article doesn't mention them.
my boys are taught yes sir and yes ma’am but even in Tennessee it’s less common even amongst young southern parents
when I hear such manners nowadays in Nashville I’m impressed
in Mississippi from whence I hail it’s much more common
Your story reminds me of when, as a young lady, I went to visit family down in the Houston area. I was born and raised in NYC, and this would be my first trip to Texas.
Well! I tell you, I did not open a single door for myself when I was down there, and I remember thinking, “I could get used to this....”
When I looked at the other girls, I said, “They are all so pretty,” but when I took a moment to think about it, I realized that those Texas girls were no prettier than NYC girls, it was that they carried themselves and acted like ladies, and they expected — no, they demanded (not in words) that the young men treat them like ladies.
Now...I had been raised in a household run by parents who expected us to always be polite — and my father was one who advised my extremely handsome brother that he should consider any girl he took out on a date to be far, FAR better than he and to “get down on (your) knees and thank God she’s willing to even be seen with (you) in public.”
However, none of my own dates was able to pull it off like those boys down in Texas...until I met my husband.
I tell you, that trip down South changed my life.
Regards,
A couple of Robert Heinlein quotes that would relate to your thread.
“Moving parts in rubbing contact require lubrication to avoid excessive wear. Honorifics and formal politeness provide lubrication where people rub together. Often the very young, the untravelled, the naive, the sophisticated deplore these formalities as ‘empty,’ ‘meaningless,’ or ‘dishonest,’ and scorn to use them. No matter how ‘pure’ their motives, they thereby throw sand into machinery that does not work too well at best.”
‘Whenever women have insisted on absolute equality with men, they have invariably wound up with the dirty end of the stick. What they are and what they can do makes them superior to men, and their proper tactic is to demand special privileges, all the traffic will bear. They should never settle merely for equality. For women, “equality” is a disaster.”
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
He needs to add these with their meanings to the lesson
Trustworthy
Loyal
Helpful
Friendly
Courteous
Kind
Obedient
Cheerful
Thrifty
Brave
Clean
Reverent
Shhhhh!.... Don’t you know that’s “HOMOPHOBIC?”
Hey dear one. I was raised in the military too, and we were taught the very best of manners. Folks always complimented our parents.
When my SweetBaby and I married, our children were taught the same thing and then we in turn, received those same sweet compliments.
They, thankfully, have done the same with our grandchildren.
Manners are what’s missing in the crass society we have allowed to take over. Indeed in our culture itself.
I also think liberals are less mannerly too.
LOL
Did she demand to be called Senator?
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