Etiquette & Social Graces

Hello. I am Claire Bennett. I am eleven, and I teach Junior Academy. Mrs. Hale is our headmistress, but this hour is mine. This is week 23. Today's lesson is Etiquette & Social Graces. Sit with me and we will learn it together. Etiquette is not a trap set by fancy people. It is a set of agreements that keep strangers from colliding. We introduce with names, a look in the eye, and a brief context: 'Mom, this is Meg from academy.' We pass food, we do not announce every dislike, and we write thank-you notes because gratitude that never leaves your head does not strengthen a friendship. Church etiquette is love for people who came to worship — arrive as you are able, silence the phone, let others through the pew, teach children to whisper. The law of kindness on the tongue will outlast every forgotten fork rule. And kindness includes a clear no when someone is unkind or unsafe.