I've been thinking back, 30 years .....
I took a course on what was then called 'Nursery Nursing' which was really a course on child development, and failed one assignment because I disagreed with the tutor.
The discussion had been about meals, nutrition etc and I had written something along the lines of the difficulties of teaching children to use a knife and fork and had added of course please and thank you are mandatory''.
I was held up for ridicule before the whole class.
He insisted please and thankyou were unnecessary words to which I replied that if someone asked me to pass the milk I would naturally say 'thank you' when I got it.
He insisted there was no point as I'd got what I wanted.
If we're not supposed to teach manners to our children, it explains why youngsters barge ahead of elderlies in queues, take the last bus seat, don't hold doors open etc etc.
What's happening?
ps - honestly I was marked 'failed' my dissertation on that subject.
