Posted on Fri. Jun. 29, 2012 - 12:01 am EDT

Small acts of courtesy show mutual respect

Recently Leo Morris wrote about tipping his hat to a lady and receiving a positive response from her, which he had not expected. He wrote about the little chivalrous actions men did for women in the past and now how our society has lost some of that. He referred to a Purdue University study that showed that smiling and making eye contact with strangers improves emotional well-being.

I want to publicly thank the sixth-graders at Blackhawk Middle School for demonstrating similar respect, kindness and courtesy and improving the well-being of the students and staff through those little social niceties so infrequently seen today. The male students were never required or made to stand out of respect when a woman entered the classroom – but the vast majority of them did.

A little act, like all the young men standing in unison when I entered the classroom was powerful. It set the tone for mutual respect and expectations for the treatment of citizens in the classroom. The boys were never required or made to carry chairs for the girls when classrooms were combined for joint lessons, but again, just about every boy did. The girls asked if they could sing and bring treats to the young men of A105 to thank them for such respect. The girls were not required, nor did they need encouragement, to do so.

The girls appreciated all the small chivalrous acts the boys did on their behalf. The children learned to shake hands (with the proper hand) while looking a person in the eye. They kept the hallway near our classrooms picked up of trash because our classroom was their home away from home and deserved respect. If the students asked for a reward for picking up trash, they were refused.

The young men and women were not rewarded for displaying respect, kindness and courtesy other than a heartfelt “thank you,” a smile and knowing that they had earned my respect as well. Children do not instinctively know how to act in social situations, how to behave in large groups, what to do when an American flag is part of a processional, how to conduct themselves without hurting the feelings of others and the little acts of respect like standing when a woman enters the room, opening a door for someone and shaking hands. These things were taught in addition to the required curriculum.

The students improved the well-being of many through respectful, courteous acts not so often seen in society anymore. And that mutual respect, courteousness and pride is not on any standardized test.

Wendy Wichern, teacher, Blackhawk Middle School
Spencerville

Doctor saved my life

Thank you, Bob Caylor, for your research and interviews in Focus Healthcare 2012, not only for writing “Lutheran Hospital: Progress For Patients,” but for including a picture of Dr. Amit Sanghvi.

It was Dr. Sanghvi who saved my life on Feb. 6 by rapidly diagnosing a ruptured brain aneurysm after I was brought by ambulance to Lutheran Hospital ER with “a headache like no other.”

A nationwide statistic reveals that two out of three people do not survive what occurred in my brain, but by employing methods least disruptive to both my body and brain, Dr. Sanghvi utilized angioplasty to insert microscopic platinum coils within the aneurysm.

Fort Wayne is extremely fortunate to boast so many fine doctors and hospitals, no doubt about it. And countless others have reasons to share certain praise and preference, but just for me and for today, please allow me the privilege of expressing, “It's all good!” to Lutheran Hospital and Dr. Sanghvi, with my gratitude for more years to watch my grandchildren grow up.

Becky Osbun