Edison State DCC Students Teach Courtesy and Respect to Elementary Students

Edison State students pose with Ansonia 3rd and 4th graders following their presentation on manners, courtesy, and respect.

Eight Edison State Community College Darke County Campus communications students headed to Ansonia and Mississinawa Valley to talk to nearly 300 third and fourth graders about an important topic in life–manners, courtesy, and respect.

“Manners and courtesy show respect for another person, right?” the Edison State students asked. Nearly all agreed. “What has to happen before that can happen?” While many hands went up, for most it was the lesson of the day… they had to respect themselves to be good at respecting others.

“It was an important values lesson,” said one of the Edison State students later. “It’s tough being respectful if you’re having a bad day… but maybe it’s easier if you know the things that can help you, like having the right manners and learning to be courteous.”

While the lesson was important, getting and keeping the attention of eight and nine-year-olds was the first order of the assignment. The two teams used examples, questions and answers… and candy!

“Candy was a good motivator. I loved it that every student earned a piece of candy by practicing the skills they learned,” said an Ansonia teacher. Mrs. Mayo at Mississinawa Valley and Stacy Eubank at Ansonia agreed. “Candy helped with engagement!” Mayo said. “Candy is definitely a way to a fourth grader’s heart,” Eubank added.

Mayo said they also did an excellent job of “modeling good manners versus poor manners.” Others agreed. “The scenario examples were perfect for this group,” said a teacher from Ansonia.

Teachers at the two districts were advised that the team presentations were part of the final assignment of Edison State’s Fundamental of Communication course, which surveyed all forms of communications but focused specifically on public speaking. The team speech involved all six Edison State core values: Communication, Ethics, Respect for Learning, Critical Thinking, Human Diversity and Teamwork. Teachers, overall, were impressed, awarding almost exclusively 9 and 10 points out of 10.

There were also suggestions for improvement, which course instructor Bob Robinson said would be incorporated into his teaching program for teams in the future. This was the second set of presentations from two Fundamentals of Communications courses this spring. The first involved five teams on three campuses talking to fifth and sixth graders about drug abuse.

“The students worked for six weeks putting their programs together,” Robinson said. “Bullying in the fall and drug abuse this spring are tough topics but relatively easy to research. Some research is available on manners, courtesy, and respect, but considerable creativity is required to develop a program that will grab the attention of the younger students.”

The program was also appreciated as well by all teachers who watched with their students. Ansonia’s Angie Drees said, “Nice job connecting with the kids… nice delivery!” Mississinawa Valley’s Teresa Birt and Mrs. Roessner both agreed. “Smooth, they were excellent!” They both said.

The two Edison State teams who delivered the manners, courtesy and respect presentations consisted of: Brittany Brewer, Sherrie Colon, Shelby Dowler, Alex Knepsheld, Derek Lusher, Hunter Rich, Brad Slyder, and Megan Studebaker.