“Are there any more paint tins, Miss?” Bethany asked me. “I need a red.” I looked at the detailed pencil drawing she was carefully filling in with watercolours and at the rusting paint tin with its three remaining colours, none of which were red.
“I’m afraid all the paint tins have been given out,” I said. “But Daniel’s got a bit of red left in his tin. Why don’t you swap with him?”
I left her to it and went to preside over more paint tin swaps and plaintive requests for colours.
“This paint is rubbish,” said Alex. “It’s ruining my picture.” He was right. He was attempting to paint a tree with the dregs of some decidedly brownish green and an old splayed-out paintbrush. Clearly, our painting equipment wasn’t up to the task.
At some point in the year, every primary teacher longs for new resources
At some point in the year, every primary teacher longs for new resources. When recreating Van Gogh’s Sunflowers just seems too much of an uphill struggle, considering the quantity of yellow paint on offer. Or when the fading glue sticks give up mid-mosaic. Sometimes you can scrape by with rationing and trading with other classes. Sometimes only a self-funded trip to a budget stationery shop will suffice.
Pupils really care about their classrooms
I read recently that teachers spend too much time tinkering with their classroom environment, doing things that have a minimal impact on learning. While this is probably true, it’s also true that for primary children who spend nearly all their days within the same four walls, classroom environment is hugely important. In fact, if you’re looking for something that your children feel passionate about, it’s their classroom. When we asked our class for two suggestions to make school better, they didn’t opt for more PE or longer playtimes: they wanted trays under their desks and to bring in their own handwriting pens.
Too often in schools, we ask children to do things adults would refuse to do. Share one dilapidated glue stick between seven; paint from a dried-up, half-empty tin of watercolours. It has been claimed that class size has little effect on learning but tell that to the child using a windowsill as a desk.
We know the true value of brand new colouring pencils
But, as cuts bite, these problems are unlikely to go away. It’s no wonder teachers so often fund stationery from their own pockets: we know the true value of brand new colouring pencils or fully functioning whiteboard pens.
We also know it’s important to see things from the child’s perspective. When our class won their tray victory, the sense of happiness was palpable. At the end of the summer term, one child told me he couldn’t wait to be in our class. “That’s great!” I said. “What are you looking forward to most? The space project? Ancient Roman day?”
“No Miss,” he said. “I want to get my own tray under my desk. It’s going to be brilliant!”
Jo Brighouse is a primary school teacher in the Midlands
