Manners are something that seems universal among cultures. We can't agree what is good manners vs bad manners but we all agree that manners matter. They do matter because we want to make good impressions and impacts on people. They matter because sometimes there's more than just a little offense or trouble that can be caused by insulting someone. I made a list of all the things Professor Ivers mentioned. Rather than write down exactly what is and isn't bad manners, because I doubt I'd remember which culture went with which manner, I wrote down things to keep in mind when traveling and interacting with other cultures.
How you hand things to people
How you eat and place your hands
How people act on public transit
Covering your mouth when you yawn, stretching in public,
How people are sitting—their posture
Hands in the pockets
Tolerance for noise—loud music elicits different responses
Blowing your nose in public—handkerchief’s are gross
Pointing the bottoms of your feet or shoes at others
Don’t use someone’s first name
Arguing isn’t always offensive—even if they use offensive words
I think as a teacher these will be particularly important to keep in mind. If students are using bad manners it could be because they aren't aware that their behavior could be considered bad manners. It is the teacher's responsibility to share that cultural knowledge with the student in a way that won't alienate or humiliate him or her. If the teacher has done something that offends the student's sense of manners then the teacher needs to make some changes, but also let the student know that in America people do things differently and mean different things by their choices/actions.
How you hand things to people
How you eat and place your hands
How people act on public transit
Covering your mouth when you yawn, stretching in public,
How people are sitting—their posture
Hands in the pockets
Tolerance for noise—loud music elicits different responses
Blowing your nose in public—handkerchief’s are gross
Pointing the bottoms of your feet or shoes at others
Don’t use someone’s first name
Arguing isn’t always offensive—even if they use offensive words
I think as a teacher these will be particularly important to keep in mind. If students are using bad manners it could be because they aren't aware that their behavior could be considered bad manners. It is the teacher's responsibility to share that cultural knowledge with the student in a way that won't alienate or humiliate him or her. If the teacher has done something that offends the student's sense of manners then the teacher needs to make some changes, but also let the student know that in America people do things differently and mean different things by their choices/actions.
We have a lot of responsibility as teachers! I agree that sharing our cultural knowledge with our students in a way that won't alienate or humiliate them is important.
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