While
there are certainly plenty of etiquette and "finishing"
schools in the market, at The PoliteChild®
we prefer to think of ourselves as the "starting line"
— good manners must be adopted early, used consistently,
and become part of normal and daily interaction - a new habit
- in order for it not to look stilted or affected. True confidence
in dealing with any social circumstances comes with being comfortable
with the rules of conduct and proper behaviors.
Unlike
traditional finishing schools or charm classes, our courses
provide instruction far beyond just etiquette and protocol.
We believe our focus must FIRST be on the fundamentals. Our
program is built around the timeless concepts of the “3
Cs”: Courtesy, Caring, and Compassion. The Golden Rule
– “Treat others the way YOU want THEM to treat
You” – is the cornerstone of all our courses,
and these critical foundations are used and reinforced in
everything that we teach.
All of our
unique courses are designed
to meet the learning needs of the specific age groups for which
they are taught, making them fun as well as educational, and
they accommodate these needs through class sizes, class length,
and content tailored for each age group.
At The
PoliteChild we dispel a number of "myths"
and support this through our distinctive program. These myths
include:
 Myth
#1: You don't need an "outsider" to teach social skills
and manners; it should be part of every child's at-home learning.
Ideally,
children should be using these critical lifeskills at home,
where they can be constantly reinforced. The reality is, however,
that many parents may have not been taught the proper rules
of good behavior and basic proper conduct by their parents,
or are so busy that traditional venues for learning social
skills - like the family dining table - no longer provide
primary teaching opportunities.
The
PoliteChild program
includes a number of tools, both for children participating
in the courses, and for their parents as well, that helps
further educate and reinforce those lessons learned in the
classroom. The goal is to transfer these new skills beyond
the classroom experience, to help students incorporate them
as natural modes of behavior.
Myth
#2: Children this young (pre-teens) are too young to learn good
manners.
Children
love to learn, and, just like reading, writing, and arithmetic,
the basic foundations of social skills and good manners can
be taught to even the youngest pre-schooler. In fact, early
education and adoption of good manners can help ensure that
these behaviors "stick" and become part of the child's
normal mode of personal interaction.
The
PoliteChild series
of courses is designed to meet the educational needs and learning
tendencies of the different age groups to which we offer classes.
This ensures that students are exposed to and acquire age-appropriate
concepts, which is key to mastering these new skills and developing
social self-esteem.
Myth
#3: Learning social skills is boring and dry
Learning
a new skill - any new skill - is easier if it's made interesting.
Good manners and social skills are no different. The
PoliteChild courses are intrinsically designed
to capture the attention and interest of the student - in
age-appropriate ways - combining conceptual instruction with
hands-on activities and other engaging teaching techniques.
Ask a PoliteChild student
if they're having fun while they are learning and you'll see
that our courses in social skills are anything but boring!
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