The Day the Crayons Quit

Year 6 pupils at Model Church in Wales School, Carmarthen, have been reading and discussing a wonderful picture book. Gail Hawkins, Head teacher, describes a valuable lesson in communication.

The Day the Crayons Quit is the story of a young boy called Duncan and his box of very unhappy crayons. The crayons bravely communicated their needs and wishes in order to be understood and respected. Some felt overworked, some under-appreciated, some had identity issues, felt misunderstood, or simply wanted to do things other than what Duncan wanted them to do!

Through some interesting discussion and debate, we delved into the unique perspectives of Duncan’s crayons who each voiced their concerns and wishes. The pupils then had the task of relating the issues in the story, to that of real life. We all have different wants and needs and should communicate these to help us to be understood and respected, and to help improve our mental health and well-being.

This then progressed to them relating things to their own personal experiences, and understanding the importance of demonstrating empathy for others, concluding that considering the feelings and point of view of others is so important.

We discussed obligation versus self-interest.

Should we be able to ignore our duties or obligations just because we want to? Is it okay to quit something when other people depend on you? An in-depth discussion followed around if the crayons have an obligation to do what their owner wants them to do because it is their duty, or should they be able to satisfy their self-interest and do what they would like to do instead?

The children thought that this would depend on what the role and responsibility was, and whether it was an adult or a child. It would be dependent on one’s character and own moral expectations. They were steadfast in their view that their teacher couldn’t just quit and not turn up the next day, there were people that depended on her to teach them lots of new things!

In amongst all of this truly wonderful and thought-provoking discussion, they were turning their hand to some whittling in their outdoor learning sessions, to create their very own set of crayons!

This was an excellent lesson in communication, expressing needs, walking in someone else's shoes, and realising that negotiations can bring about change and conflict resolution, which can be applied to all aspects of our lives.