I agree with you that good manners are becoming almost extinct. Parents are just not teaching their children common courtesies the way they did in the past.

I was taught to show all adults respect, which included saying "Yes and "No  Ma'am", "Please", "Thank you", "You're Welcome". It never would have occurred to me to argue with any adult, ESPECIALLY a teacher! I knew what kind of trouble I'd be in if it ever did happen!

While we can't control what parents do or don't teach their kids, we are tasked with at least modeling these behaviors in our classrooms.  There has been a recent emphasis on character ed., and teaching good manners is a part of that.

Oh, I am from Charleston and believe me when I say that while we have tons of polite people, we also have our fair share of rude ones just like any other city! I guess they just haven't been discovered yet by the media!

I think it's interesting that the teachers who have had big "miracle stories" (like Rafe Esquieth, Jaime Escalante, Ron Clark) all taught respect and manners in their classes.  It's not just a polite skill for life, it's also a key skill for obtaining and keeping a job.  

I couldn't agree more.  I have first graders and I teach them about holding doors, saying please and thank you, making eye contact when someone is talking to them...you name it!!  We even have a little mantra in our class "We're nothing if we're not polite!"  I remember my mother working with me on all these things at home, my teacher didn't have to....

Some people think it's okay to be rude.  My sister and I were in a Subway last week, and both ladies behind the counter were rude to us.  Role playing might be one way to help students see how rudeness really looks.  

we had a rougharoundtheedges group of seventh graders this past year and one of the things my teammates and myself emphasized was respect and character education. things were less than ideal, but there was some serious growth in many students. it cracked me up every time a student asked for a pencil and forgot to say it properly, b/c there was always at least one kid in class who would tell him/her how to say it, until the student said it correctly.

No, we can't change parents' attitudes, and we must accept that in order to help their children learn what they have not been taught at home.

The best way to teach manners is by example, and practice. I make it a point to always be polite to my students and other teachers (it's natural to me) and they see this behavior in me. The most affective tactic I have used with my students is to completely ignore them if they do not respond, or address me properly. They are determined to get what they wan from me and they eventually learn the only way to get it is to behave maturely, politely, and to swallow a little piece of their pride in the process.

I bring pride up because contemporary youth culture tells them that we (other people in general) must earn their respec before they will give it, and to turn the tables on that idea is very powerful in the hands of an adult.

I agree with eveyone!