Welcome

Polite Society School of Étiquette offers Beginning, Advanced, Business, and Tea Étiquette Courses. Étiquette tutelage is presented at speaking engagements, webinars, school seminars, private dinners, and specialty tea events. The School's mission is to educate adults and children in customary codes of conduct with an emphasis on everyday social graces.

Wednesday, December 23, 2020

 Learn étiquette and manners with one-on-one training in the comfort of your own home.  

Visit www.PoliteSocietySchool.com for more information!

Newest book included in training!

The Art of Timeless Étiquette, Graceful Dining Manners, & Afternoon Tea


Enjoy!


Bernadette M. Petrotta
Founder & Director
Polite Society School of Étiquette

Friday, November 13, 2020

           Ça va de soi partnership with Polite Society School of Étiquette


GREAT OFFER!


EXCLUSIVELY FOR FIRST FIVE APPLICANTS


DECEMBER 1, 2020 – DECEMBER 31, 2020


ENROLL IN ÉTIQUETTE CLASSES


RECEIVE FREE $100 VOUCHER FOR BEAUTIFUL CASHMERE CLOTHING


RECEIVE FREE ÉTIQUETTE BOOK ON MANNERS AND DRESS ATTIRE




Beautiful Holiday Specialty Knitwear Outfits


www.çavadesoi.com









 

FREE étiquette and manners book entitled: 

The Art of Timeless Étiquette, Graceful Dining Manners, & Afternoon Tea.

 

www.PoliteSocietySchool.com

 




 

INVESTMENT of $75 for two personal one-on-one étiquette classes.

 

Étiquette online classes include:


Brief history of étiquette, introduction methods, conversation techniques, guidelines for entertaining, illustrations for formal, informal, and family style table settings, Continental and American style dining styles, history, usage, and care of all tableware that includes flatware, dinnerware, stemware, and crystal, appropriate dress attire instructions, personal grooming guidelines, history of tea, types of tea, 

tea pairings and tastings, tea food dining instructions, and other useful tea information.



Here is how to apply:

 

Send an email to Ms. Bernadette M. Petrotta at:  BMP@PoliteSocietySchool.com

 

Ms. Petrotta will instruct you where to send $75.  

Upon receipt of your $75, you will receive your requested specific date 

for your personal on-line étiquette class via Zoom.  

You will receive your personally-autographed étiquette book.

 You will also receive your $100 free clothing voucher from ça va de soi via email.


Bernadette M. Petrotta
Founder & Director
Polite Society School of Étiquette



 Ça va de soi partnership with Polite Society School of Étiquette


GREAT OFFER!


EXCLUSIVELY FOR FIRST FIVE APPLICANTS


DECEMBER 1, 2020 – DECEMBER 31, 2020


ENROLL IN ÉTIQUETTE CLASSES


RECEIVE FREE $100 VOUCHER FOR BEAUTIFUL CASHMERE CLOTHING


RECEIVE FREE ÉTIQUETTE BOOK ON MANNERS AND DRESS ATTIRE




Beautiful Holiday Specialty Knitwear Outfits


www.cavadesoi.com

 









 

FREE étiquette and manners book entitled: 

The Art of Timeless Étiquette, Graceful Dining Manners, & Afternoon Tea.

 

www.PoliteSocietySchool.com

 




 

INVESTMENT of $75 for two personal one-on-one étiquette classes.

 

Étiquette online classes include:


Brief history of étiquette, introduction methods, conversation techniques, guidelines for entertaining, illustrations for formal, informal, and family style table settings, Continental and American style dining styles, history, usage, and care of all tableware that includes flatware, dinnerware, stemware, and crystal, appropriate dress attire instructions, personal grooming guidelines, history of tea, types of tea, 

tea pairings and tastings, tea food dining instructions, and other useful tea information.



Here is how to apply:

 

Send an email to Ms. Bernadette M. Petrotta at:  BMP@PoliteSocietySchool.com

 

Ms. Petrotta will instruct you where to send $75.  

Upon receipt of your $75, you will receive your requested specific date 

for your personal on-line étiquette class via Zoom.  

You will receive your personally-autographed étiquette book.

 You will also receive your $100 free clothing voucher from ça va de soi via email.


Bernadette M. Petrotta
Founder & Director
Polite Society School of Étiquette

Saturday, October 17, 2020

Learn Étiquette with personal one on one training @ Polite Society School of Étiquette

Learn étiquette and manners with one on one training in the comfort of your own home.  Visit www.PoliteSocietySchool.com for more information!

Newest book included in training!

The Art of Timeless Étiquette, Graceful Dining Manners, & Afternoon Tea


Enjoy!


Bernadette M. Petrotta
Founder & Director
Polite Society School of Étiquette

Friday, October 2, 2020

The Art of Timeless Étiquette, Graceful Dining Manners, & Afternoon Tea

 POLITE SOCIETY SCHOOL OF ÉTIQUETTE

PRESENTS TIPS ON CONVERSATION TECHNIQUES

Stimulating conversation is considered an art.  Learning to express thoughts and opinions diplomatically may either come naturally or may need to be developed over time.  Effective delivery will allow people to enjoy a conversation with you.  The best conversations are calm and quiet interchanging of sentiments where there is no competition and no vanity.

 

 

The following questions are conversation starters:

 

How is the weather?

Who is your favorite entertainer?

Who is your favorite actor?

How do you spend your free time?

Do you have any pets?  What are their names?

Have you taken any vacations lately?

What would be your perfect weekend?

Do you enjoy the theatre?

Do you have any cultural pursuits?

What are your personal interests?

Have you read any good books lately?

Are you very active or do you prefer to just relax in your free time?

 

 

 

The following topics should never be included in public conversation:

 

Any part of a person’s body, hair, hair color, or disability

Money

Politics

Religion

Sex

Family

Love life



The Art of Timeless Étiquette, Graceful Dining Manners, & Afternoon Tea

Visit website for personal online classes and books @ www.PoliteSocietySchool.com


Enjoy!


Bernadette M. Petrotta
Founder & Director
Polite Society School of Étiquette

Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Étiquette during this time...

 Polite Society School of Étiquette


Safety is the guideline right now and it is important to protect ourselves and others.  Be respectable and considerate.


Polite Society School of Étiquette not only teaches common courtesies, it teaches you how to dine properly with others.


Please see my book for everything you need to know.  You can also take an online class.  Please email or call to schedule.  Go to PoliteSocietySchool.com for more information.



Bernadette M. Petrotta
Founder & Director
Polite Society School of Étiquette

Friday, August 28, 2020

Polite Society School of Étiquette - Brief History

 From my newest book:  

The. Art of Timeless Étiquette, Graceful Dining Manners, & Afternoon Tea






 

Brief History of Étiquette

Since the dawn of time, social skills, manners, and rules have existed so societies could cooperate and survive. In man’s early efforts to interact smoothly with others, he created ways to make life easier and more pleasant. In doing so, certain practices developed for all aspects of life. While table manners were probably low on a long list of priorities, the chief focus was on sustenance for survival. 

Eating implements and utensils evolved mainly out of necessity, not fashion. 

When fire became a means to cook foods, burned fingers surely led to the employment of sticks, shells, animal bones, and whatever else was handy for bringing the food to one’s mouth. Sometimes a stick fastened to a shell allowed for a longer reach or protection from steam if a liquid was hot. Animal horns from sheep and goats also functioned as vessels for liquid. These early utensils did not last very long and were eventually replaced by other suitable items with the development of copper and other malleable materials.

Though evidence shows forks were used throughout early history and during the Roman Empire, the Dark Ages in Europe brought many changes, including the abandonment of forks andspoonsfordining. Instead,  double-edged knives, fingers, cupped hands, and hollowed- out trenchers (a primitive plate made of dried bread) came into use by the majority of Western Europe. 

Forks and spoons remained in use in the Middle East and Africa though more commonly for serving purposes. Chopsticks were favored by Asian cultures. Dining with one’s hands, however, remained a popular method among the more primitive societies.

Soups and broths were drunk from saucers and bowls. Within time, bread trenchers were replaced by wood, pewter, and porcelain tableware depending on the household and family budget. While eating, pinkie fingers were extended and kept away from the greasy foods so they could be used for dipping into expensive spices.

By 1533, Catherine de Medici of Italy brought several dozen small dining forks with her when she arrived in France to marry HenryII.  She was the first notable to have used forks as eating utensils in Western Europe. Considered an oddity at first, the fork slowly became popularized in European courts. Silver utensils of all sorts along with Chinese-inspired tableware were created for the wealthy.

As table manners evolved throughout Europe and with more foods available, larger and more extensive sets of silver were created for the table. By the mid-eighteen hundreds silver electroplating made utensils affordable for the growing middle classes of Europe and America. Silver-plated utensils and sterling dining implements were marketed as “heirlooms of the future.” 

These were the luxury items every very household needed and could be passed down to future generations. Every food item soon had its own utensil.

During the Victorian Era, hosts and hostesses became fond of highly specialized and elaborately decorated flatware. Numerous styles of ice-cream forks, corn scrapers, orange spoons, and mango forks were created. Implements were designed specifically for serving olives, peas, baked potatoes, berries, and for tinned fish such as sardines and herring. Breadwas served with specifically designed forks. Even crackers had their own scoop-like serving spoons. Pickled foods were served with ornately adorned forks, spears and tongs along with pickle castors.

The finest of dining became an event with silver utensils flanking place settings of beautiful porcelain and crystal. These were the items that separated the wealthy of society from those not so fortunate. The expression, “one knows the correct fork to use,” suddenly became synonymous with being well mannered, though one had little to do with the other. It was simply society’s way of distinguishing between classes.

The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries also saw a greater influx of reading material for the everyday homemaker and businessman on how to avoid social faux pas in everyday life. Numerous popular books on étiquette, dress, culture, and decorum came from society mavens and gents determined to spread the word on proper decorum. Books also covered the dyeing of fabrics, grooming tips, color coordination for skin tone, hair color, dress color, and even palmreading—a favorite Victorian pastime for women. Many books included advice on greeting heads of state and European royalty.

By the late nineteen hundreds, society in the presumed “civilized” world began to accept a more relaxed standard of manners which has continued up to today. However, though it is known that invitations require a response and that the appropriateness of one’s dress is still a factor in how others view us, modern society still has the need and is still interested when it comes to étiquette and manners. Fortunately, over the years, books have been written on étiquette that encompass not only the acceptable customs from the past but also allow for new customs resulting from the leaps taken in technology and the changes which have taken place.



Enjoy!

Please leave a review on Amazon!  I would so appreciate your interest.


Bernadette M. Petrotta
Founder & Director
Polite Society School of Étiquette

Saturday, July 25, 2020

The Art of Timeless Étiquette, Graceful Dining Manners, & Afternoon Tea

Polite Society School of Étiquette Presents:





Bernadette M. Petrotta
Founder & Director
Polite Society School of Étiquette