School Etiquette

School etiquette means having standards of acceptable behaviour by children in various situations at school in which they must co-operate with and show respect for their teachers, the other children and all adults.

Good discipline is a prerequisite of kids to enable school teachers to be able to teach a group of children the skills they will rely on for the rest of their lives.

If School Etiquette in its many aspects is not spelt out for them, how are they to know what the boundaries are? For this reason we have provided some simple guidelines for kids to follow (please see below).

It would help the education system immensely if children (including older students) arrived at school well disciplined, well mannered and respectful of adults. This web site provides a few pages related to Kids Manners & Etiquette.

Without the above, teachers would have an unruly bunch of juveniles following their own agenda and there would be chaos. Teach them the three R's before they get to school: Respect for self; Respect for others and to accept Responsibility for all their actions.

Children’s lack of respect for adults shocks the older generation who were brought up under a much stricter regime. They fear that standards of behaviour in today's generation have slipped below acceptable limits. Examples of this are clearly seen everyday on TV, the streets, public transport and wherever young people gather in numbers.

A lot of this behaviour is learnt from watching adults’ behaviour on TV and further reinforced by the behaviour of their own parents. The kids are simply emulating this deplorable adult conduct.

We therefore urge parents to please take charge and be better role models for them to learn from.

The psychology of child behaviour is beyond the scope of this site which is dedicated to setting high standards of manners and etiquette in schools and in all the many situations that children will find themselves in.

While different sets of rules apply in various school settings they all boil down to the basics of respecting the rights of each other; not doing only what they selfishly want to do, but doing what is expected of them and doing it with a good will.

The following suggestions of school etiquette are not exhaustive and we are sure you could expand on this considerably. If so, please tell us. But in the meantime, print it out and drill it into your kids for the sake of us all:

School Etiquette - Class Room

You are here to learn. This is your right and the right of the other kids. Teachers need your co-operation to help you and the other kids to learn well for your benefit.

You do not have the right to deprive the other kids of their rights

Be on time

Don’t give cheek

Don’t answer back

Don’t be noisy or disrupt the class

Co-operate with the other kids

Do immediately what the teacher asks you to do

Pay attention to the teacher

Don’t talk while the teacher is talking

Don’t snatch anything from anyone

Don’t fight, pull, push or shove anyone. Save it for your organised activity such as Tai Kwan Do.

Never bite anyone

Pick up your own litter

School Etiquette - Uniforms

No uniform? Abide by the school’s dress code

Sloppy dress impresses nobody

School Etiquette - Playground

Have fun by all means but not at the expense of any other kids. Keep it safe and happy for all by not throwing hard or sharp objects that could injure someone, possibly for life:

Never bite anyone

Don't litter the playground

No bullying. It shows cowardice not courage. Courage is what you have when you take on unbeatable odds for a just cause

Watch for bullies and report them

Prevent bullying if you are able to

Similarly, don’t gang up against anyone

Don’t smoke or do drugs. It’s gross and will slowly (sometimes quickly) damage your body

School Etiquette - Sports & Sports Field

Be competitive, play hard but play fair. Always remember that it’s only an activity. To win by foul means is a hollow victory:

Do your best

Never get into a fight

Apologise immediately if you make a mistake

Accept an apology with goodwill

Don’t spit on anyone, the grounds or anywhere

Be a good loser. Someone has to lose

Show good sportsmanship. It’s only a game

School Etiquette - Students

You will remember and talk about these days for the rest of your life. Use them to develop your strength of character, your integrity, your knowledge and your skills to the best of your ability:

Be punctual

Obey the school rules

Pay attention to the teachers

Be respectful to the teachers and staff

Do immediately what you are directed to do

Do not answer back

Respect everyone’s rights

Don't litter the school grounds

Don't mess the toilets. If you do, clean it up (see Toilet Etiquette) Practice being well mannered

Don’t bully. Prevent bullying. Report bullying

Don't litter the class room, school grounds or anywhere

Don’t graffiti or vandalise property

Report graffiti offences being committed

Report acts of vandalism being committed

Be respectful of public and private property

Don’t steal from anyone

School Etiquette – Public Transport

You are an ambassador of your school, especially if you are in school uniform, your behaviour must be exemplary. Transport officials and other passengers must not be disturbed or offended by your behaviour:

Be respectful to everyone, especially adults

No rowdiness, pushing, fighting or yelling

No foul language; no swearing

Always offer your seat to the elderly first, then to any other adult that is standing

Avoid obstructing doors and aisles. Step aside to allow passengers to pass without being asked to do so

Don’t gang up on kids from other schools. Keep inter-school rivalry for organised inter-school competitions

Don’t graffiti or vandalise public property anywhere

Your Comments Please

We would welcome your helpful comments and input through our interactive forum – School Etiquette.

We wish to maintain a high standard and to make these pages a valuable, straightforward, reliable and practical guide for students and teachers alike

Your own web page (or only be listed)

If your school does not have a web presence you are welcome to showcase your school on this site with a page of your own or only be listed to register your participation in the move to promote School Manners & Etiquette.

There is no charge for this because it adds momentum to our cause of promoting School Manners & Etiquette.

Simply create a profile of your school; include your motto or mission statement and articles written by students or teachers pertaining to the theme of this website.

Then submit the material using the form below and leave the rest to us.

If you already have a web site of your own, you are still welcome to showcase your school on this site with a page of your own placed on it by the same means.

Alternatively, please create a link to this page to convey your participation in the move to promote School Manners & Etiquette.

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