Putnam 4th Graders Work On Eye Contact And Handshake Skills

Putnam County 4th Graders have spent time during the last weeks of school brushing up on their handshakes and eye contact skills.

Capshaw Elementary School Counselor Janna Shope said it comes as part of a system-wide series to help students become more confident in these skills. Shope said that she believes they come less easily to kids as of late.

“Instead of getting outside instead of talking to people, those kinds of things,” Shope said. “They’re on a phone, they’re on an iPad, they’re on a tablet. So I just feel like those skills, that looking at someone and talking to them face-to-face are things that are kind of, of the past for some of our kids.”

Janna Shope said that parents can help students maintain what they’ve learned over the summer by helping them practice. She said that it’s beneficial to have kids maintain eye contact while conversing or by having them socialize.

Shope said that the more practice they have, the better chance students have of forming a good habit.

“I remember with my daughter when she was younger, and she couldn’t stand it, but if someone spoke to her I’d make her stop and I’d make her make that eye contact and say hi or greet them,” Shope said. “And she didn’t like it because she wasn’t used to it, but it’s just a habit that you have to learn. They’re basic social skills that you have to have.”

Shope said that while 4th grade may seem like a young age to start learning these skills, she thinks they should start even younger. She said that the younger they are, the more they absorb and become used to having basic social skills.

Shope said that her students loved the experience and that they took really well to learning these skills.