FLORENCE, S.C. (AP) - When you think of most 8- to 13-year-olds, the word “manners” doesn’t necessarily come to mind. Susan Swink and the Palmetto School of Etiquette are looking to change that.
Swink, a Certified Etiquette Consultant with more than 20 years of experience, is teaching a weekly course in manners and etiquette for young girls and boys. The class covers a wide range of topics, from personal grooming to poise and table manners.
The goal is to start teaching these life skills when students are young, so that they stick with them as they grow and become contributing members of society.
This year, the Palmetto School of Etiquette has partnered with Victor’s Bistro, located in Hotel Florence. Victor’s hosts the weekly sessions and will also play host to the final class where students will partake in a full, five-course meal, showing off their newly-perfected table manners.
This month’s class consists of seven students: two boys and five girls, with ages ranging from 8 to 13. Having a wide age range and both genders can present a challenge but Swink said she always comes prepared.
“I plan my lessons to be able to be understood by everyone,” Swink said. “(But) I am still able to be specific if needed.”
A recent lesson on hygiene rang true to this process.
Swink taught the girls that brushing can actually damage hair, and that a daily shampoo can have negative effects on certain types of hair. But she was quick to tell the boys that, for the most part, a daily shampoo is necessary for males, due to increased sweat output.
The classes also stress the importance of good manners and politeness outside of formal occasions. Students are taught that everyone is worthy of politeness, no matter the situation.
Swink is proud of the program she’s building, and even prouder of the progress she has already seen in the current group of students.
“Usually it takes them a little while to be comfortable around each other,” Swink said. “But they had no problems.”
Swink’s efforts to make students comfortable when meeting new people have contributed to the ease of settling in. Soon she will be tackling a fear that many people have, adults included: public speaking. Students will give a two-minute speech to the class based on the topic of their choosing.
All of Swink’s lessons carry one common key theme: working to become the best version of yourself that you can be. As she speaks about the impact The Palmetto School could have on a larger scale, growing to reach more kids in the Pee Dee, she cracks a smile and says, “I love doing this. I just love it.”
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Information from: Morning News, https://www.scnow.com
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