The Essential 55: Rules 22-32

After reading chapters 22-32, There are many things that stuck to me but most of all, the ABC's of etiquette. I feel like he manners mentioned are going extinct nowadays. "Even if the kids never need to eat at a formal dinner, at least they will be prepared to..." (Pg 99) I love how he said "prepared", because really all his rules are to prepare his students for the future as grown individuals and that's exactly what I want to do with my students. Prepare them for life. "In the beginning, I had to remind them every day but after I worked with them a couple months, they know to pick up their trash before they leave."(pg 100) Here he talks about cleaning up after themselves. But the reason why I liked this quote is because what he did required repetition and consistency. It follows along what Mr.Wong taught as well. And I'm really starting to see the importance of this in the classroom. "....it is important to thank drivers and to wish them a good day." (Pg 105) I personally like this quote because throughout this chapter he speaks about the bus drivers and how people should be respectful out of consideration for others. I ride the bus, you cannot imagine how loud and crazy it gets in there. Many get in the bus and don't salute the driver and when they get off, they say nothing as well. I've always thought about how rude that is. I try to always say thank you and wish them a good day out of courtesy. "Entering an unknown environment can be intimidating and scary." (Pg 86) I know this feeling far too well. When I just moved to Texas, I mean everything is different here. I was definitely uncomfortable. My first day of school, I felt overwhelmed. But gladly, I had a student show me around, and even though I never heard of her afterwards, that helped me be a lot more comfortable with my surroundings. I love the idea of having the kids show a visitor around the school and escort them to the classroom. Taking pride of the school as well as showing them that you took the time and effort into welcoming them always ends in positivity. I wish more schools did this. The last and most simplest quote I chose is " I would allow them to keep a bottle of water on their desks..." (Pg 78) I liked this because kids always use the excuse of having to get a drink of water to get out of their seats. It simply disturbs the class. I remember doing this when I was in elementary, middle school and honestly sometimes here as a senior in high school. This removes that problem. Anyway I enjoyed this section of the book, can't wait for the rest.