Manners....are they obsolete ?

[Keepstanding, ASN, RN]

Manners......I am hard pressed to see anyone use good manners in schools anymore. Heck, for that matter, almost anywhere.

Students pop in the clinic and shout "bandaids". I say, yes, would you like some bandaids for your classroom ? They say yeah...... No please......?? I give them a handful and they walk out of the clinic without any THANK YOU. I have to say..."what do we say" and they look at me like I have three eyes ????

WHISKEY, TANGO, FOXTROT !!

It's not just the students. I have teachers that won't say please or thank you either.

I want to very sarcastically say: "YOUR WELCOME" when they leave here without so much as a thank you.

I mean, who is teaching kids manners these days ? Certainly not parents, and apparently teachers either !

The times sure have changed my friends.

[OldDude]

Some parents get offended if you say anything to their kids about manners or being polite and can get really defensive and toxic. I've given up on all but my kids. My clinic restroom frequently gets used by visitors; adults. (long story but our school wasn't built as an elementary school). When they enter they find the door closed with the light off. Most of the time when they leave they walk out with the light on and door wide open. You're right Praiser...sad.

[SnowyJ, RN]

Reminds me of the hospital when, despite introducing myself AND writing my name on the marker board, patients would holler "NURSE!!"

I always wanted to answer back, "yes, patient?"

I feel that often our students aren't learning even basic manners at home. One student would come in and shout "INHALER!" (He takes it QD before recess.) I answered with "excuse me? Is that how you ask?" Now he says "inhaler, please!" LOL! I'll take it.

[DEgalRN]

I want to very sarcastically say: "YOUR WELCOME" when they leave here without so much as a thank you.

I do.

Some of them actually get it. And the ones who don't, well, nothing I do is actually going to change it.

[Flare, ASN, BSN]

that irks me too. I Can't stand the one word demands and lately i've been getting more kids that will just walk out of my office as i'm talking to them. That one astounds me. I really can't imagine that they just walk away from their parents mid sentence as they are talking to them.

[MrNurse(x2), ADN]

Progressive thought has invaded our schools to the point that we shouldn't judge manners. They want to say it takes a village, but not when it comes to morals. Teachers have their hands tied if they want to teach manners. We do teach manners here, with weekly skits at morning meeting, to specific classes and reinforcement. Helps that we live in an area where holding doors for each other, yielding to allow left turns and please and thank you still exist. So sorry you have to deal with that.

[JenTheSchoolRN, BSN, RN]

I ask students to step outside my door and try their request again, this time using a magic word that they are missing. I say this with a big smile on my face. Admin loves that I do this. And you know what? For a lot of kids, it actually works. They know I won't address them without a polite request and they have started using the word please and thank you with me. Now with others? Well, I can't fix it all .

[Kittery]

When kids walk in and immediately launch into their complaint/request, I let them finish, then I say, "First, HELLO." Most of the time they smile sheepishly and say hello back, so I think they know ... and just forget.

I'm originally from TX, living in the northeast now. Parents here hate that I address them as Mr./Ms./sir/ma'am (makes 'em feel old, they say), but that's just how I was raised!

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

I ask students to step outside my door and try their request again, this time using a magic word that they are missing. I say this with a big smile on my face. Admin loves that I do this. And you know what? For a lot of kids, it actually works. They know I won't address them without a polite request and they have started using the word please and thank you with me. Now with others? Well, I can't fix it all .

I always said that with my own kids when teaching them manners . . . "What's the magic word?". I used it at school as well and now with my grandkids.

Edited to add . . I've been known to say it with adults as well and remind them to say "You're welcome".

Stickler for being polite.

[bsyrn, ASN, RN]

When student's come in stating "I Need..." I usually come back with well I need a million dollars so I guess we are at a standstill. After a moment of confusion, they usually get it and ask politely for what they want.

[Jedrnurse, BSN, RN]

I frequently send kids back out the door for a re-do for many of the ill mannered behaviors described before. It's all well and good if some of my health teaching sticks, but I'll be doing them a REAL service for the rest of their lives if their manners improve.

[Jensmom7, BSN, RN]

When kids walk in and immediately launch into their complaint/request, I let them finish, then I say, "First, HELLO." Most of the time they smile sheepishly and say hello back, so I think they know ... and just forget.

I'm originally from TX, living in the northeast now. Parents here hate that I address them as Mr./Ms./sir/ma'am (makes 'em feel old, they say), but that's just how I was raised!

I STILL say sir and ma'am, the thing is, I'm now the same age as the people I'm saying it to lol.

I'm a city girl, but spent lots of time in the country when I was a kid, at my great grandma's house. That's where I got in the habit of looking at people and saying "Hello" to everyone.

If I had forgotten my manners, by the time I got back to her house, the first question would have been "And why didn't you speak to so-and-so this morning when you were in town?"

I swear, those LOL got information to each other faster than the Internet!!