BEA is part of solution to educational problems

APRIL 2009 - At the February Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce sponsored forum and at the follow-up BEA monthly meeting, both business and school leaders emphasized that teaching youth “soft skills, workplace etiquette and professional communication” is key to San Joaquin County ’s future. Chamber President Dennis Goldstrand said, “Our goal is to become a resource for students and businesses”.

Did you know that one of the members of our chamber offers a unique instructional service many of us take for granted... manners and etiquette? Mary Claire Attebery runs “Beyond” Please and Thank You, and has since 2002 been hired by a variety of educators, parents, businesses and organizations interested in reinforcing positive professional behavior through “mannerly communication skills and business etiquette”.

Attebery instructs both adults and youth in a variety of settings from corporate boardrooms, school and college classrooms and cafeterias, community centers, and private living rooms, including the San Joaquin Juvenile Probation Camp. Her presentations on “mannerly people skills” are informative, humorous, creative and interactive.

“Current mannerly social skills are essential for anyone to successfully function in life and the need is urgent and critical within our communities to maintain civility,” according to Attebery. “It is crucial that children learn to connect civility with the power of manners, and strength, rather than weakness,”.

She also points to recent facts from the National Association of School Psychologists. “The extent to which children and adolescents possess good social skills can influence their academic performance, behavior, social and family relationships, and involvement in extracurricular activities. Social skills are also linked to the quality of the school environment and school safety.”

In the past, we have relied exclusively on families to teach children important interpersonal skills. However, increased negative societal influences and demands on family life make it imperative that schools partner with parents, businesses and organizations to facilitate this social learning process. Attebery’s primary goal through her “fun, fluffy never stuffy” entertaining youth activity classes is to provide educators and parents affordable opportunities to assist them in reinforcing and validating the importance and benefits of mannerly behavior for youth development with additional direct instruction.

To some, mannerly communication skills and etiquette are becoming a lost art. Mary Claire Attebery’s company “Beyond” Please and Thank You is leading the way in manners and etiquette preservation. Teachers, parents, businesses and organizations interested in learning more about “Beyond” Please and Thank You, can contact Mary Claire at (209) 476-1615 or mattebery@comcast.net. For more information on her Community Services youth manners classes, visit www.stocktongov.com.