Fine dining--a special experience for young students

Sarah Kakacek, school counselor for Clarion-Goldfield-Dows elementary, has found that students rarely have the chance to learn table manners in a fine dining setting, except at a wedding or maybe a special occasion at a restaurant. Last year, she started hosting fine dining lunches for kindergartener students. “I see it as something that’s very valuable,” she said.

For fine dining, Kakacek invites two students from each of the three kindergarten classes for lunch. They bring their trays to her office, where they learn about etiquette, manners, polite conversation, and get to have fun doing it.

Kakacek has found it to be a good way to get to know kids she otherwise only sees once a week for classes. “This was an opportunity to see them in a small group setting,” Kakacek said. “That gives me a better picture of how the student is liking school.” This helps Kakacek establish a relationship with the students, which can carry with them for the rest of their elementary school years.

The other initial goal, of course, was to help students learn table manners in a social setting, which some students may not have had an opportunity to learn. “If kids aren’t aware of what their etiquette looks like, people can give them flawed character assumptions,” Kakacek said.

For the full story, see the January 5 editon of the Monitor.