Are Teens in need of Social Etiquette in School? [Yuan qi-102830Y]

Are teens really in need of social etiquette classes? From my own observations in public, most of the teens are relatively well behaved. On a train, you can see teens giving up their seats to the elderly and in school lectures, many would automatically switch their phones to silent mode to avoid disturbing others.

For now, it is only a minority of the teens who seem lacking in basic courtesy and social etiquette. However, it is this small group of black sheeps that have gotten the attention of the media and is tarnishing the overall image of the teens in Singapore. Looking at this group, it will be more difficult to correct their errant behavior now as compared to if we have done it earlier. As the saying goes, it may be futile to fix the fence after the wolves have broken in. We should be fixing the problem before it happens.

For anyone, good social etiquette stems from the cultivated practices since young. Parents and school play a very important part in the development of an individual. Social etiquette lessons should be introduced into the school curriculum at the early primary levels to provide the necessary directions for our young. At home, parents should reinforce the learning and correct their child’s wrong doings immediately to prevent them from forming into bad habits.

With this, our young can mature into well-mannered teenagers, one who can respect others and be responsible for their actions.