Manners Matter for Students

Fred Hartley and Andrea Hartley Smith
Barbour Books (2006)
ISBN 1597893064
Reviewed by Hannah Helm for Reader Views (3/07)

“Manners Matter for Students” is about manners.  The authors tell how they should be used appropriately in the life we live in today.  This book discusses how to treat other people and to use manners in conversation with other people also.  I think this is a good book because everyone should use manners, but I know there are a lot of people in this world that do not use them because they don’t know how.  Some people do not even care about them and do not even have a second thought about using them.  This book talks to both girls and boys.  Guys need to know how to treat girls on a date, how to ask them out, what to wear and some other things to do on the date besides just going to a movie…

“Go on a picnic
Take a hike or walk on a nature trail
Go on a bike ride
Visit the park and ride the swings
Build a sandcastle
Borrow a video camera and make your own movie
Go fishing or canoeing
Watch a Little League or soccer game
Plan a cookout
Make a butterfly collection
Go horseback riding
Take a tennis lesson
Try miniature golfing”

It also discusses how to take care of your body.  It includes tips for boys and girls.  This book explains the format of writing letters and e-mails.  It also discusses how to greet people properly.

I think this is a good book because I think it is really nice to use good manners.  I use them every time I go to a friend’s house so that I will always get invited back.  People like to be around others that use good manners and will use them in return.

I recommend “Manners Matter for Students” for everyone because we can all learn from it.  I especially think teenagers should read it because it talks about things that we would do more than the adults would do.  We can all stand to learn a little more about how to treat each other.  If we all take some advice from this book, we can make the world a much nicer place to live.

Manners Matter for Students

Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (12/06)

Have manners gone out of style for teens?  “Manners are timeless.  Manners are valuable.”  For us to become the person God means for us to be we must have manners.  This book is written specifically for teens who want to “live confidently and respectfully toward others and be shown respect in return.”  Those that exhibit manners will be much more successful in this world. “Manners Matter for Students,” covers many areas where a student might not know how to properly react such as:  introductions, making meaningful conversation, telephone manners, personal manners (hygiene), and personal values. 

The authors offer great advice on introductions.  They include instructions on what to do when you are being introduced or someone is being introduced to you, how to speak to adults, and opening conversation lines. Even as adults we’ve faced the insecurity of what to say to someone you’ve just met.  “After you ask a question, listen to the response.”  Soon you will “discover points of common interest.”

Your conversations will have an impact of how people perceive you.  “An important part of the art of conversation is learning to listen and asking appropriate questions.”  Meaningful questions show a person that you are interested and you are listening. This book has some very good guidelines such as not standing too close to someone, your body language, and hand gestures.  It is always to be remembered that certain things are off limits, such as gossip, flattery, ethnic jokes, inappropriate jokes and confidential information, which are not things that can leave people feeling good about themselves.

“Manners Matter for Students” has impressed me.  As an educator I have seen a failure of the parents and the school system to stress this important area.  The authors have done an excellent job covering many aspects of what should be common sense.  The cover is hilarious and will catch the eye of many teens.  I intend to take this book into my classroom and share it with my students.  This book should be required reading in all schools. It is with great honor that I highly recommend this book to educators, parents, grandparents, teens, and preteens.

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