The world has changed a lot in recent years.

But Julie Johnson has a conviction — no matter how many times the way people communicate morphs, they should always use manners.

Growing up in Pine Bluff, Ark., Johnson took classes at The Graces, an exclusive course in formal poise and etiquette. She said she was surprised to find out Natchez — a city in which people still have formal balls and high dining in their homes — did not offer similar courses to its young people.

“I don’t know if it is something that we are a society are getting away from, but I was definitely surprised that it is not offered in small towns like it used to be, because we were raised with respect and etiquette and manners as something that was expected,” she said.

Johnson is reaching out to fill that void, starting P’s and Q’s of Natchez, an etiquette school that will begin this fall.

The six-week course will be in the Queen’s Room at The Carriage House on Monday evenings starting Sept. 15. The classes will be divided into four age categories of first and second grade, third and fourth grade, fifth and sixth grade and seventh and eighth grade.

“The children we have around here do have good manners and are respectful, but in today’s society, etiquette is disappearing,” Johnson said.

“I see it on airplanes, when I talk to children in my work setting, in people’s homes — it is a disappearing art.”

While Johnson said she wants to ensure the art of proper etiquette doesn’t disappear, she also just wants to offer a means for the area’s children to learn proper manners and realize they are important.

“I find I use what I learned in etiquette school ever day,” she said. “When you use manners, it really makes for a better day for everyone.”

But even as the course will focus on proper behavior for formal settings and in the home, Johnson said P’s and Q’s will also address good manners for everyday circumstances that have come into being in recent years, things such as social media and cell phone etiquette.

“The old lessons — the old etiquette — can apply to today’s world,” she said. “We are learning every day technology is going to change and we are going to learn new things, but some of the same values will hold firm, and we can always tailor passages from back then to meet today’s demand.”

One of the biggest challenges children face today is being present in the moment, Johnson said, and manners are all about realizing how you make people feel.

“Their noses are in their cell phones and they are not present in the moment, and including this in the course is just me trying to increase the awareness of how you make people feel when you are not present in the moment with them,” she said.

“I try my best every day to try to make somebody feel important, to make them feel respected,” she said.

“It is an awareness of your actions, trying to be aware of the other people’s feelings and their actions.”

Though she will be teaching formal manners, Johnson said the classes will be largely informal and will involve role playing as well as hands-on learning.

“I think this is important, but I also want to make it fun,” she said.

“One of the reasons I am doing this is I like it. I really enjoyed my classes growing up, and even though it was something my mom made me do, I look back and am glad I learned those skills.”

Many of the skills she learned in formal classes, such as how to behave at weddings or funerals,  might have gotten picked up along the way, but the classes brought them to the forefront ahead of time, Johnson said.

“It is something you can work on for your entire life,” she said. “How you made people feel, that is how you will be remembered, and respect and etiquette are a huge part of that.”

The classes cost $175 per child. For households with more than one child enrolling tuition is $125 per child.

For more information, contact Johnson at 601-870-2059 or by email at johnson.juliem@yahoo.com.