Teachers are often recognized as game changers in the lives of children, as well as in the future generations of our world. A third grade teacher’s act of including consent in her lessons for her students takes this job to heart.
Liz Kleinrock, a third grade teacher at Citizens of the World Charter School in Los Angeles, became so fed up with the news surrounding Brett Kavanaugh. Like many of us, she wondered what difference she could make. She decided to start with her classroom.
Kleinrock posted her lesson plan on Instagram, receiving support and praise for her innovative teaching strategy. How can one appropriately teach consent to children who are only 8 and 9 years old? By framing it into scenarios they can understand.
The lesson plan, entitled All About Consent, involves a chart with five sections, “What does it mean to give consent?” “What does consent sound like?” “When do we need to ask for consent?” “What can you do if you do not want to give consent?” and “What if…” which includes tricky scenarios, such as “The person let you hug them yesterday, but they do not want a hug today?”
Having this foundational skill on how to handle consent in a child’s world really will make all the difference for the next generation as they grow up and change the world.
Kleinrock has brought up such a vital idea about consent. While it may seem like she “dumbed down” the concept for her students, all she did was remove the sexual aspect that is so commonly present in the news in today’s society. When you break it down, consent really is as simple as asking someone permission to borrow a toy. Wouldn’t it be great for grown ups to understand how simplistic the concept really is?
Great job to these students, and great job to their teacher. Kleinrock is a perfect example of what drives so many young men and women to become educators, and as a future teacher, I admire her for restoring faith in the humanity of the world.