When Emily Post’s “Etiquette” was first published in 1922, it advised against hiring butlers with mustaches and included advice on proper finger bowl use, among other now outdated passages. However, the doyenne of manners also made remarkably relevant statements on human behavior that echo in several upcoming Belmont Recreation classes.
“Consideration for the rights and feelings of others is not merely a rule for behavior in public but the very foundation upon which social life is built,” Post said in Chapter V, which was written more than 100 years ago.
In a similar statement, Nikki Sawhney, founder and director of the New England School of Protocol, said that “Manners are about how we make people around us feel.”
Sawhney has been offering a variety of modern etiquette classes for children and teens through Belmont Recreation since 2022 with the goal of “teaching empathy and patience” as well as how to behave in specific situations.
Some of the upcoming workshops for children focus on restaurant manners as well as conversation, social and dining skills, while teens can sign up for classes on college and job interview preparation as well as proper “netiquette” or behavior online.
Filling a need
While some parents encourage their kids to take classes to improve their social skills, others simply want their children to learn the best way to behave in specific settings.
Lucia Baldock was pleased after bringing her 11-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter from Quincy to attend one of Sawhney’s Belmont workshops on dining skills.
“This class sparked my interest because learning proper table manners is an important life skill and a valuable tool for children to develop,” said Baldock. “I would recommend this class to other families.”
Sawhney established the New England School of Protocol in 2017 after observing the way technology and social media were shaping people’s behavior and relationships.
“I just felt they [parents and children] were neglecting the world around them” by focusing on their phones, she said.
Sawhney knew the word “etiquette” conjured ideas of old-fashioned rules for a bygone society so she was determined to craft new lessons on modern manners, building relationships and encouraging empathy.
With the onset of the COVID-19, “social skills were even more disrupted,” she said. “The prohibition on group activities and in-person interaction impacted children’s social confidence and increased anxiety.”
After COVID-19, when Sawhney began offering classes and workshops, “We definitely saw a lot of interest in our programs.”
Eric Abruzzi, Belmont Recreation’s director of programs and services, concurred about the pandemic’s impact on kids, saying that “they missed out on important years of [social] development.”
Since offering Sawhney’s etiquette classes starting in 2022, “We’ve gotten good feedback from parents,” said Abruzzi.
All Belmont Recreation etiquette classes from the New England School of Protocol are offered at the Beech Street Center at 266 Beech St. For the latest schedule of offerings, visit belmontma.myrec.com/info/activities/default.aspx?type=activities
