While my parents tried to impress a lot of this (including the thank you card thing, which I’m admittedly TERRIBLE at) on us when we were young, it probably would have sunk in more had instructions come from a third party like the teachers of this class.

Keep us posted on how they do! I’m very curious.

By the time I was 12, I could set a formal, semi-formal, and casual place setting for any meal; practice proper social posture for all occasions; perform proper introductions; instruct anyone (including the bride) on the proper attire for any type of wedding at any given time of day; discern which were considered appropriate in inappropriate topics for conversation; and practice proper performance at meals from picnics to formal dinners. Even though I had no occasion to use the information, my grandmother lovingly encouraged me to practice at home and made it fun.

As far as every-day manners, I always said (and still say), “Yes, ma’am,” “No, sir,” “Please,” “Excuse me,” and all those other polite comments meant to acknowledge and respect other people. Concerning thank-you notes, my mother wrote them according to my dictation (however simple and childish it was at the time) and let me scribble my name at the bottom until I was old enough to write them myself. I wrote a thank-you note for every single gift I ever received growing up. It is still my practice to do so.

My family had no reason to expect that I would ever need to know most of these skills. I was a poor kid in an anything-but-formal world. No one in my life even used proper grammar, which irritated me to no end. However, I have never been more thankful for my training than when, as a pastor’s wife at age 20 and fresh out of college, I knew how to give a formal dinner for some wealthy, socialite church members. I cannot convey to you their shock. They came to criticize, and they left speechless, having enjoyed a proper evening. My husband was very pleased, and I was pretty proud of myself.

I grew up in the inner city of New Orleans and now live in rural Arkansas, but I certainly know how to be a lady.