Tonight’s workshop was a mixture of laughter and
emotion as we revealed some of our memories to the group about our personal
experiences of primary school. Equipped with paper and colouring pens, we set
out to draw or write about an experience we had at primary school whereby we
were told off by a teacher for doing something ‘naughty’!
It was harder for some to think of an example for
this, which was humorous in itself. After some creativity and thought we came
together again and each shared our story. From knocking egg plants off
structures whilst playing chase, to throwing stones over the school fence to
singing too loudly to Christina Aguilera’s ‘Genie in a Bottle’, the memories
being shared differed in their entireties. Despite being humorous, it was clear
for some that these recollections of being told off evoked a plethora of
emotion, with some feeling as though the teacher was unjust in his/her ways of
punishment. I found it particularly interesting that I could draw on a memory
straight away because it was something that I have never forgotten, albeit
minor in the grand scheme of things, it was interesting to see that things that
happen to us a young age remain with us for a long time, into adulthood.
We then split into three groups and one person laid on
a big piece of paper and we drew around them. This stencil of a body then
represented that of a teacher and we had to label contrasting parts of the body
in order to depict the traits a teacher should have. Ideas included ‘patient’,
‘adaptive’, ‘creative’, ‘fair’, ‘calm’ and more, also writing why we thought
the teacher should have these attributes! Using this as a stimulus, we took
three of our words and made them into freeze frames and the remaining groups
had to guess what we were trying to illustrate.
We then took it a step further and did a short
improvisation, still in our groups, of a situation whereby a teacher uses two
of their attributes in order to resolve a situation or apply their authority.
For example, our group played stuck in the mud, one of us got hurt during this
and so the teacher had to adapt the game so that we could all join in. This
thus illustrated how a teacher should be adaptable and caring.
To end the session, we got into pairs and whilst one
person spoke about their memory of being told off in primary school, the other
had to act out what the other person was saying. We then swapped roles. I think
this is where the poignancy of the stories came out, especially as I was acting
out my pair’s story. It enabled us to explore the emotions that the other
person must’ve felt at that time.
Despite it being hard to draw on memories from when we
were so young, the session allowed us to explore and develop ideas about
feelings during primary school and the contrasting emotions we all experience
whilst becoming who we are. It was another productive and fun session.
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