Editor’s Note: The opinions and attitudes expressed by the author are those of the author and not necessarily of the publication’s editorial board.

Remember what we learned in the good old days of elementary school? Treat others as you would have them treat you. If we followed that rule today, I’d be concerned that we were being masochistic. 

The current reality seems to be that we’re just not following that rule any more.

The way many students conduct themselves in and out of class, to teachers and even to their own peers, is shocking: The raging controversy at Palo Alto High School over morals and cheating aside, I’m talking about the simple things — our etiquette.

Merriam Webster dictionary defines “etiquette” as “the conduct or procedure required by good breeding or prescribed by authority to be observed in social or official life.” That’s not quite as applicable for teenagers since today, we don’t look to “breeding” or “authority”; perhaps an alternate definition from Urban Dictionary seems more appropriate: socially acceptable behavior (which, by the way, Urban Dictionary notes is lacking in society currently).

Paly is already pretty classy. We do not post insulting blogs and memes ripping our rival schools. We are sensitive to events occurring around us, and we have admirable school spirit. We should strive to keep it that way.

But at times, our lack of manners and respect for one another is abominable. For instance, it’s hard to forget the inappropriate name-calling and targeting that happened during Spirit Week this year.

More recently, I’ve seen flagrant examples of lack of etiquette or “socially acceptable behavior”: taunting, teasing and trolling.

In one of my classes, we have a talking problem. It’s not the chat-with-your-classmates-that-sit-next-to-you, but it’s constant blabber going on while the teacher is trying to give a lecture. And there’s a problem when the entire class can hear your “whispering” while the teacher is talking so he or she has to stop to wait for you to finish your conversation.

I’m not saying that during class, we should not talk at all. Class participation is good and favorable for the class environment, and I’m aware that some degree of side-chatter can’t be helped and can actually be useful. It’s inevitable, and everyone does it a little.

But there’s an underlying, second greater problem in our lack of respect for each other.

Although what follows may seem like a step back from etiquette, I define etiquette separate from the classic manners like “please” and “thank you,” although those are nice sometimes. It’s more about the respect we must show each other. 

In classes, when interacting with peers, students need to respect other students and their opinions. It’s not polite to interrupt one’s conversation or take one’s possessions without permission. And if a student wants to pay attention to the teacher, then one is socially obligated to not poke the student to ask him or her to play I-spy.

So why is there eye-rolling, name-calling, mind-boggling blabbing, stealing, jabbing (yes, with a pencil, although not hard enough to break the skin) and throwing that people partake in during our classes?

Whether it’s obvious or not, it’s important to have manners. Besides the fact that manners are something that will be necessary later on in your life, job and friendships, having proper etiquette should be part of the Paly culture because it makes those around you feel better.

The question I leave you with is: How can we respect ourselves if we cannot respect others? Maya Angelou said, “If we lose love and self respect for each other, this is how we finally die.” Confucius similarly said, “Without feelings of respect, what is there to distinguish men from beasts?”

So the next time you think that it’d be funny to throw someone’s eraser down another person’s shirt or across the classroom at your friend, or that it’d be amusing to laugh at someone who is trying to solve a problem correctly or share their honest opinion, think it over one more time.

Etiquette. Manners. Respect.

Just because we live in modern society doesn’t mean we can abandon these things.