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Why Manners4Minors?
When I noticed the lack of manners, basic etiquette and social skills being demonstrated by the young children attending my school (and these are really a great bunch of kids who are delightful, never outright rude or by any means unruly) I embarked on a mission to find a cultural programme aimed at the younger learner with the idea that educating them in the pre-primary part of their schooling would be beneficial to both them and their educators as they progressed. Whilst researching, I began to understand the urgent need for our young children to be exposed to a programme which introduced them to all aspects of life skills. There are many factors to be considered when trying to understand, or explain, the need for our children to be educated by Manners4Minors :
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High costs of living have forced both parents to work and therefore the quality of time and parental supervision has diminished.
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Many single parent families exist where the parental role becomes pressured by time constraints, work pressures, homework deadlines and generally the stress of every day living.
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Televisions and gaming systems in children’s bedrooms have isolated them and has resulted in a decline in the time families spend together.
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Cultural diversity and being part of the inclusion process is overwhelming for some children (and parents) and exposure to generally accepted mannerisms and etiquette is invaluable to many families.
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“Our relationships with our children have changed. Remember the old days when children were seen and not heard? Our generation of parents have become FRIENDS with their children and invite their opinions and views. Our children are very welcome to take part in adult conversation and social occasions. This has resulted in a relationship which is open and honest but not one essentially based on a healthy level of respect for adults and generally accepted mannerisms.”
After much investigation and coming up empty handed, I decided to develop the programme. Armed with a passionate, skilled and educated team - from the little seed of teaching basic manners has evolved a life altering programme which will assist any child to grow in self-esteem and confidence in himself and pride in his ability to act appropriately in situation.
"I had a great meeting with the child psychologist this morning. She loves the programme and didn't realise there was so much content! She often refers kids who've finished therapy to carry on with a social extra-mural but she'll now recommend they do Manners4Minors classes.” Ms Manners
“Hi Burnett (Ms Manners)! Wow! What a wonderful series of lessons on "restaurant rules"! Ryan has come home every week very excited to tell us what he learned in manners class that week - he has obviously had a lot of fun! We decided to take him out to a restaurant this weekend to "test out" his new lessons learned and to give him a treat. WHAT A REMARKABLE DIFFERENCE!!!! My husband and I could not believe it - it was like going out to eat with a totally different child! What used to be a somewhat tense experience was an absolute delight for everyone in the family. My husband and I were truly impressed and can only think that the credit must go to you and the Manners program for a wonderful series on restaurant rules. It has truly sunk in and made an amazing difference to what should be a relaxing and enjoyable evening out!
Many Thanks! Heather”
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Amy & Bakang getting to grips with table setting!
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