TT 14 - Mrs Green is Funny

Ever since Basil came into Mrs Green's class at the beginning of September she has resented his presence. She resents that whatever topic she plans to teach in class that day, it is quite possible that Basil has already read around the subject quite extensively. She resents that she has to use a dictionary to check her own spelling before she returns his work book. But most of all, she resents Basil's 'Bohemian' appearance which does not comply with school regulations.

It is not unusual for pupils at Tendringhoe JMI to transgress the school dress code, whether it's Kiel with his earing or Kayleigh with her Fimbles socks, but the opportunity to gently remonstrate with these offender's parents tends, if anything, to improve Mrs Green's mood. She particularly looks forward to impersonating their response to her husband, Gordon, when she gets home: "But Kiel likes 'is earins, dontcha Kiel?" Basil Timothy Pryse Briding does not provide her with such happy opportunities. She is particularly disgusted by the theatrical purple velvet cape and matching cap that Basil has taken to wearing to school lately and she makes sure that they go straight onto the peg in the cloakroom in the morning and are not put on again until home time.

Mrs Green has developed all sorts of democratic pedagogical strategies for keeping Basil in his place in order to give the other children a chance. Usually, this takes the form of suffixing general questions to the class with the words "not you Basil." Often she'll simply pretend she hasn't heard his answer, or 'mishear' it as incorrect. Today, though, she has a special plan. During art class she comes over to Basil and stands behind his chair. Basil thinks that she will makes some comment on his painting of the two horses that live in the field behind Geoffrey Lamb's house. Instead, she takes hold of a handful of his shoulder length chestnut curls, the curls that Eleanor can't quite bring herself to cut off. Taking from her pocket a pink hair-band with a sparkly bow on the top, she puts his hair in a high little bunch on one side then does the same with the other side.
"Look what a pretty little girl Basil makes." she says to the class, and thinks to herself that perhaps now he will go home and tell 'Mummy darling' to cut his hair into a more appropriate style.

The class giggle but not entirely comfortably. Even they sense a deeper political purpose to Mrs Green's actions. Basil just sits rock still. He doesn't look up or down or to either side. He waits for Mrs Green to go back her desk, then he gently pulls the pink bows out of his hair and lays them on the corner of his desk. He is pleased to have the sunny meadow and his horses to go back to.