These days everyone’s being encouraged to wash their hands more and kids definitely need extra reminders and motivation to keep their mitts clean. And one teacher came up with a smart way to help her students remember to wash up.
Shauna Woods, a third grade teacher in Hallsville, Missouri, has been teaching for eight years and says there’s always a spike in illnesses and absentees this time of year because of colds and viruses. So she was trying to think of a way to promote hygiene in the classroom to minimize sickness. And she decided to start stamping their hands with a “Mrs. Woods” stamp she uses in books.
She stamps the kids’ hands in the morning and if it’s gone by the end of the day because they’ve washed their hands several times, she rewards them with a prize. Woods says the visual reminder is a “great motivator” for the students and she even stamps her own hand to be a positive role model.
Handshakes are being avoided during the coronavirus outbreak… and that’s fine.
Greeting people with a handshake or hug is very automatic for many people, and declining them may be awkward but has to be done for a while.Myka Meier,founder of NYC-based Beaumont Etiquette has some solid tips for politely avoiding physical greetings and we had to share!
- Simply say “I’m going handshake-free to be extra careful.”
- Do not say “I don’t want to spread germs.” It makes it sound like you have the bad ones to spread.
- “Stop, Drop and Nod.” It involves a pause, then clasping your hands behind your back and nodding in acknowledgement.
- “Grasp and Greet. It’s simply folding your hands together in front of yourself and mouthing or saying hello.
- Air high-fives are perfectly acceptable.
Source:New York Post
So if handshakes are so yesterday... what do we do today?
Here are the results of a new survey that asked people about other physical greetings they'd be willing to use . .
1. A wave, 62%.
2. A nod, 55%.
3. Bumping elbows, 25%.
4. Bowing, 13%.
5. Tapping feet, 7%.
(YouGov)