Please and Thank You

Please+and+Thank+You

Elizabeth George, Writer

I was raised with the rule of “please and thank you”, and maybe I’m old fashioned, but I believe this practice is not antiquated enough to completely abandon. When it comes to manners, I do not consider myself to be a mogul of politeness, however, I understand that I should pick up after myself, say “excuse me” if I bump into someone, and hold the door open for someone if their hands are full. Unfortunately, many students have not gotten the memo.

In my time at Westside, I have encountered, on numerous occasions, various impolite peers that honestly grind my gears. Today, for example, after A lunch, there was a table covered in Chic-Fil-A trash. Trash has been a pressing issue, especially to our principal, but Mrs. Stewart is not the only one who sees this as a nuisance. The custodians at WHS have a difficult enough job cleaning up after thousands of adolescents and nobody is making it easier for them. I understand leaving behind a crumb but there is a significant issue when you leave behind heaps of trash; especially when we have tens of trashcans/recycling bins within walking distance.

Additionally, the halls at Westside get crowded: that’s no secret. We’ve all have experienced the horrific lack of latitude in front of East 1 and 2. With this comes the occasional shoulder bump, which in the scheme of things, is no big deal. Please refrain from running in the halls because 75 % of the time, you will ram into a bystander who simply wants to get to AP Literature. But by chance you do, make sure you apologize. I have been bumped into countless times and yes, it hurt…every single time. I cannot recall the last time this happened where an apology followed. I do not want to seem entitled, but maybe don’t do that?

I might be preaching to the choir, but it seems like people forgot the lyrics: use common sense and the manners will come with it.