A few weeks into the new school year and you are really getting to know your class – their idiosyncrasies; their foibles; their needs; their likes and dislikes. Over the years, we have all experienced a wide range of personalities in our classroom, some time and time again. The different blends of those personalities creates the character of your class and it is this that gives each class their distinctive qualities. Not only that, these personalities make teaching varied and rewarding in a multitude of ways.
So, let’s take a light-hearted look at some of the personalities that you may come across or are yet to encounter.
Anxious Angie – Angie is eager to please and doesn’t want to make a mistake. This spills over into anxiety over the smallest detail. She frequently asks questions such as: “I’ve reached the bottom of the page – what do I do?” and “My pencil is broken – what do I do?”
Boisterous Bertie – You can hear Bertie entering the classroom long before you see him. When he enters the room, his ebullience is evident as he charges to his place knocking several other children out of his way. He has yet to learn when to use his classroom voice – if, indeed, he has one!
Clever Charlie – Bespectacled Charlie has his nose in a book as he walks into the room, only putting it aside to point out the teacher’s errors during a lesson. At break and lunchtimes, he will have organised the class Reading Corner using the Dewey Decimal classification system. His work is exemplary, his social skills less so.
Docile Danielle – Danielle is a lovely girl – we all know that because it says so on every single school report she has had thus far. Often blends into the background; never puts her hand up; is easily flustered but is well-liked by her peers. Kind and compassionate but her teachers always feel there must be more to Danielle hidden deep down – they just haven’t found it yet.
Excitable Eddie – Whatever the teacher announces is happening next, Eddie is excited about. A new topic? Eddie screams in delight. New Pritt sticks elicit high fives. Chips for dinner and Eddie gabbles about to it anyone who will listen. Difficult to keep in his seat for more than 2 minutes at a time – his excitement is infectious and before you know it everyone is excited about the next spelling test!
Flatulent Freddie – every class has one – that child who lets one rip at just the moment when the teacher has the class in the palm of their hand. Gales of laughter ring round the room and the moment has gone. Freddie’s diet plays havoc with his digestive system but he loves the reaction from his mates.
Gorgeous George – the heartthrob of the classroom. George is blessed with stunning good looks – blonde hair gelled within an inch of its life; sparkling blue eyes; a smile that melts hearts and the overwhelming pong of half a can of Lynx. Brilliant at sport and academically bright – no wonder Y6 girls can’t concentrate as their hormones go into overdrive.
Haphazard Henry – one of life’s characters. Henry cannot organize himself much less his belongings. Strewn all over the cloakroom and classroom, the contents of his schoolbag and PE kit occupy more space than the rest of the class’s belongings put together. His pen is permanently lost and his is the unnamed sweatshirt that, at the end of the day, is repatriated to him using the foolproof ‘sniff’ test.
Joker Jack – need a laugh? Jack is your go to man! He loves a joke and spends hours researching new ones to tell you each morning. If there’s any mischief in the classroom, you can guarantee he’s behind it! He loves making the class laugh with his facial contortions and timely epithets. Jack can lighten any moment.
Kind Katie – loves animals and is always worried about spiders in the classroom, which she lovingly removes from the classroom whilst the quaking teacher stands on a chair. Katie can be brought to tears when animal characters have an unfortunate end in the class story. Equally kind to her fellow classmates, Katie makes sure that everyone is included.
Lazy Laura – spends the entire lesson wondering which date she should use – the long or the short – by the time she has decided the lesson is over. “How much do I have to write?” is her frequent refrain. When her pencil needs sharpening, she just takes someone else’s – she really doesn’t want to walk across the room. Items of PE kit disappear only to reappear just as the lesson finishes. Laura loves the easy life and takes it at every opportunity.
Messy Mel – as she enters the classroom, cardigan half hanging off, books flying out of her arms and her socks falling down, Mel looks like she has been dragged through a hedge backwards. She deposits her books on the table, knocking over the pencil pot which she then tidies up but in the process her cardigan falls off onto the floor. Bending down to pick it up, Mel finds the ruler she misplaced yesterday. Her books bear the evidence of much rubbing out, smudges, crooked underlining and more that you don’t want to enquire about.
Nosey Nora – involves herself in everybody else’s business. A fight on the playground? Nora will know the details – she wasn’t involved, you understand, but she has chapter and verse on it as she bustles up to the nearest teacher to spill the beans. A gaggle of girls gossiping in the corner? Nora will nonchalantly be walking by antennae twitching for the latest gossip.
Outsider Olly – poor Olly, he just doesn’t seem to fit with any of the different groups in the class. No matter how hard he tries, things just don’t fall into place. Often wandering the playground alone or playing with younger children, he longs to be included and volunteers for little jobs in the classroom to avoid the playground.
Perfect Penelope – not a hair out of place; no crooked underlining or smudges in her book – she is ‘practically perfect in every way’. Nothing ruffles her feathers, popular with the class, charming to adults and children alike. She has teacher’s pet written through her like a stick of Blackpool rock.
Queen Bee Queenie – rules the roost amongst her acolytes. Not one of her ‘friends’ dares to breathe without permission much less put a foot out of place. Queenie uses her power to control her cronies and manipulate all situations to her own advantage. All are scared of the repercussions of failing to do her bidding, catering to her every whim no matter what the cost to themselves.
Robust Robbie – has a body that can withstand anything! Daily he throws himself, literally, at anything whether it be across the adventure trail; down a steep slope or from the top of a wall. Robbie is a risk assessment writer’s nightmare on two legs. No matter what obstacle he encounters, Robbie hurls himself at it, bouncing like rubber and surviving unscathed where lesser mortals would need urgent first aid at the very least.
Sensible Susan – always knows the right thing to do. She considers a situation and then offers advice; Susan never breaks a rule nor takes a risk. A safe pair of hands with any task, utterly reliable and loves responsibility. She is the librarian; school councillor and the best class monitor of all time – give her a badge and a rota – she is in seventh heaven.
Talkative Tony – does he ever stop talking? Never – he has an opinion on everything! He monopolises class discussions; paired talk and struggles to understand the concept of thinking before speaking. A thought enters his head and leaves his mouth simultaneously, he barely has time to draw breath before the next thought emerges. He loves the sound of his own voice – even when he’s alone there’s a running commentary continuing!
Unusual Una – is a little bit off the wall. Often a dreamer who stares into the middle distance and then makes a statement that is totally unrelated to the ongoing situation. She wears a uniform slightly differently from everyone else, skirts a bit longer, jumpers in the summer, hair loose with interesting accessories that may or may not be left over from Halloween. A Goth in the making – how she longs for the all-black uniform of secondary school.
Violent Vince – need something ‘sorting’? Vince will ‘sort’ it. Not big on words, but large on fisticuffs. Acts before he thinks. Keep on his side to stay out of trouble, is the mantra to which his mates adhere. He seems to be as tough as a nut, intent on fronting it out – but is this the real Vince?
Whiny Wendy – the constant moaner – nothing is ever right or good enough. Her favourite phrase is “It’s not fair!” The classroom is too hot, too cold; someone’s stolen her pencil, ruler or other item that she has mislaid; she wanted to have the main part in the play and much, much more. Wendy has negativity pouring out of every pore in her skin. Aided and abetted by her helicopter mother, who is the author of countless emails clogging up your inbox, decrying every minor detail of the day that her darling daughter has moaned about that evening.
X-rated Xavier – has a vocabulary containing expletives that are enough to make a nun blush. Unfortunately, he has picked up a range of swear words from his older brother – he has no idea of their meaning or offensiveness. He’s trying to be ‘cool’ like the older brother he idolizes; he thinks that sharing these words with his mates will earn him kudos. He’s wrong – as numerous trips to the Head teacher to discuss the offending language have shown.
Young Yvonne – although she is the same age as her peers, Yvonne, is delightfully naive and lacking their street smarts. She is a firm believer in the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny and Santa long beyond the moment her friends have sussed it out. Believing that life is one long fairy tale, she whole-heartedly believes that everyone ‘lives happily ever after’. A romantic at heart.
Zany Zac – is the coolest dude in the class. His unconventional approach to life marks him out as an individual – his kudos level is high. Zac knows the latest sounds, the vibe and dance moves; he’s ahead of the trend and everyone loves his unique style.
There’s plenty more to be found in every classroom. Seriously, there are some you should watch out for, their behaviour might well be masking deeper issues. Ask yourself if you are seeing the whole child, then you will know how to help them reach their potential – they’re yours for the year!
