Alas no-one mentioned Dorothy Bishop. Delighted she is included in ‘East End Vernacular, Artists who painted London’s East End streets in the 20th Century’

GA, I can really identify with Dorothy’s plight teaching art classes at night to high spirited boys:

“I loved the wildness of the boys …They did enjoy things. The layabout boys tended to come to Art as in football training you had to do something, whereas in Art you could just sit and exercise your wit on the teacher and thus show off to your friends. The girls then were almost a different tribe and provided me often with members of the class who would work and were also friendly. They always supported me in any trouble with the boys and, on the whole, sex solidarity was more powerful than class solidarity.”

Having taught in an inner city high school, I can identify. Although, I taught English so at least the students were sitting down – most of the time. In art class with mobility and supplies (including paint), boys especially can get rambunctious. And their later apologies were typical:

“The next week they would be quite different and ask, ‘Did we upset you, Miss? We was only having a bit of a giggle.” Boys would never want you to hold a grudge.