I found this NYTimes article about rudeness in children interesting and pretty representative of the way most people think about young children: rude, misbehaving, etc. These are all seen as “typical” behaviors of young children.
But read about the way Montessori guides talk about “manners”. We use the phrase Grace and Courtesy to reflect the way in which we endeavor to engage in all of our interactions: with ourselves, with others, and with the environment in which we live. This page about Montessori, found on the Post Oak School website, is illustrative of the way in which we approach the teaching of manners. Which is to say, it’s not taught so much as modeled, and practiced, at every level of our work.
For many children, it’s not a matter of desire to be “naughty”, it’s a matter of them not having the technical skills or language to meet their own needs. We offer lessons in Grace and Courtesy to model this behavior and to empower them to be responsible for their own actions. Here’s a great link to examples of Grace and Courtesy lessons that are presented to the 3-6 year old in the Children’s House.
