One morning, an elementary school teacher was giving her students a lesson in manners. She called on them one by one.

“John,” she said. “If you were on a dinner date with a nice young lady, how would you tell her that you need to go to the men’s room?”

John answered, “Just a minute, I have to go take a whiz.”

The teacher replied, “That would be rude and impolite!”

She then motioned toward Michael. “Michael, how would you say it?”

Michael replied, “I am sorry. I really need to go to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”

“Better,” the teacher replied, “But it’s still not nice to say the word ‘bathroom’ at the table.”

She then turned to Billy. “And you, Billy, are you able to use your intelligence for once and show us some good manners without making any wisecracks?”

“Yes,” Billy answered, “I would say, ‘Darling, may I please be excused for a moment? I have to shake hands with a very dear friend of mine, whom I hope you’ll get to meet later this evening.’ “