October 26, 2026
By Eric Hollister Williams, Communications & Marketing Advisor
Listen to the Hooray For Monday podcast.
Each morning in Lisa Brosnan’s classroom, students choose how they would like to be greeted. Sometimes, a child doesn’t want a greeting at all. Lisa respects that choice and offers a good morning wave instead.
These exchanges allow learners to practice setting boundaries, expressing preferences, and seeing an adult respect their decisions.
In this week’s Hooray For Monday, I speak with Lisa, a pre-K teacher at Tubman Elementary and a 2026-27 Teaching with Improvisation Fellow. We explore how young children learn about consent and caring for one another through everyday classroom experiences.
For Lisa, asking permission is something children and adults can practice together. Before giving a hug, ask whether the other person would like one. Before touching someone’s hair, ask first. Pay attention to their expression and body language, too. And remember that someone can change their mind.
These lessons also make room for the joy of being in our bodies: dancing, moving, playing, and choosing to share affection. Lisa invites children to show their favorite way to move, then gives everyone a chance to try it. A silly dance can be part of learning about ourselves and one another.
“I think that it can be really joyful and fun,” she says.
Together, these everyday exchanges help children experience what respect feels like and practice extending it to others.
One thing to consider this week
Think about a familiar classroom routine that involves touch or personal space: morning greetings, sitting together for a story, or playing a game.
- Where could learners have the opportunity to express a preference?
- How could you model asking permission and responding comfortably to the answer?
Try offering a choice of greetings this week, including an option without physical contact. Notice what you learn when children choose for themselves.
Resource of the Week
Reading & Resource Recommendations from Lisa
Lisa recommends these books, songs, and classroom resources for exploring boundaries, kindness, and feelings with young children. Alongside the resources discussed in our conversation, she shared PATHS, the social and emotional learning curriculum used in her classroom.
Books
Music and classroom resources
Hooray For Monday is an award-winning weekly publication of Center for Inspired Teaching, a social change nonprofit organization that champions the power of curiosity and is dedicated to transforming the school experience from compliance-based to engagement-based. Inspired Teaching provides transformative, improvisation-based professional learning for teachers that is 100% engaging – intellectually, emotionally, and physically.
