Ticket to Success!

 

I was delightfully surprised when a 5th grade boy knew the origin of the word "etiquette."  Do you?*

Yesterday, 40 students from Northland Christian School arrived at Campioni's for a manners luncheon.  A former client of mine set up the event...to prepare them for next year. 

At the end of our session I asked what they learned.  A few replies:

1. Where the silverware is placed
2. That the napkin goes on their chair when they excuse themselves from the table
3. They enter the table by going in on the right side of their chair
4. Salt & pepper are passed together
5. Butter one piece of bread at a time

I can't tell you how appreciative I am when I catch the eye of a young peron...and they're listening.  In this crowd, all the students got  it.  They are well on their way to feeling confident and comfortable in any social situation.

* (The word ‘etiquette’ used to mean "keep off the grass". Louis XIV’s gardener noticed that the aristocrats were walking through his gardens and put up signs, or étiquets, to ward them off. The dukes and duchesses walked right past these signs. Due to this blatant disregard, the King of Versailles decreed that no individual was to go beyond the bounds of the étiquets. The meaning of etiquette would later include the ticket to court functions that listed the instructions on where a person would stand and what was to be done. Etiquette, like language, has evolved, but it still means literally "keep off the grass". Until the 1960’s, the importance of good manners were taught without question, but with the liberated 70’s came a decline in the popularity of teaching proper etiquette. Proper etiquette and protocol has given children and adults alike a vital tool that not only provides a competitive edge, but a sense of confidence.)