... and gets it from his teacher Bishwarup Dutta

A hug, a handshake, a fist bump or a high five — kindergarten students of a city school can now choose a greeting to begin their day.

Mahadevi Birla World Academy introduced the practice a few months ago, inspired by a video doing the rounds on social media.

The new way of greeting initially took the children by surprise but soon they got used to it and even started looking forward to a hug, a handshake, a fist bump or a high five from the teacher.

“The video of a teacher offering her students a choice of greeting was widely circulated. When I received the WhatsApp message, I passed it on to a teacher and she was willing to try it in class. I asked her not to tell anybody else because I didn’t want it to seem like an order. But the idea caught on and other sections wanted to try it too,” said vice-principal Nupur Ghosh. “It’s a real-life connect, a constructive use of social media.”

The practice is in place for six sections of kindergarten but was introduced in only one section.

Such has been the popularity of the greetings menu that the school has decided to extend it to Nursery students who take admission in April 2020.

Stickers have been pasted on the doors to classrooms and students, while entering, points to the icon of their choice. The class teacher waits at the door to receive the kids and greet them.

The teachers said some children were initially a bit shy but most of them opened up to the idea easily.

“Such little gestures create a bond and help children connect. We have noticed that hugs are pretty popular,” said Akansha Chopra, a kindergarten teacher.

“A familiar touch is important and reassuring, too,” said another teacher.