Post by abigailrobinson on Mar 4, 2012 22:44:15 GMT
' Our Day Out '
'' Our Day Out '' written by Willy Russell, tells the story of a group of school children who have a day out with two of the teachers from their school, Mrs Kay and Mr Briggs. Mrs Kay comes across as a friendly and caring individual who loves her job and teaching her pupils. The children also enjoy having Mrs Kay as a teacher, they think of her as a motherly figure. Mr Briggs is a stubborn, grumpy old man who seems like he hates children and the children do not take a liking to him either. The purpose of this essay is to compare the characters of Mrs Kay and Mr Briggs to conclude which teaching is best for the progress class.
Firstly, Mr Briggs and Mr Kay relationship with the pupils are very different. Mrs Kay gives the pupils trust, she has great fun with the children and she believes they should have freedom:
'' It's a shame really isn't it, eh? you know, we bring them to a crumbling pile of bricks mortar and they think they're in the fields of heaven.''
This shows that the children do not get out a lot as Mrs Kay is explaining to Mr Briggs that the children struggle to have fun and she sympathises the pupils .
In contrast, Mr Briggs is a grumpy teacher who thinks that shouting at the pupils is the best way to teach them a valuable lesson:
'' sit down now, come on, move''.
This establishes that Mr Briggs is quite spiteful and horrible towards the children.
Mrs Kay understands the children are not doing extremely well at school and that they are finding it difficult. She is sympathetic towards the pupils and would like the children to have a great experience on the trip as it may not happen regularly:
'' Mrs Kay is paddling, dress held above her knees ''
This establishes that Mrs Kay is trying to make the experience enjoyable for the children as it may be their last.
Mr Briggs, on the other hand, does not understand how difficult the children's lives are and what they have been through:
'' there's a few of 'em i could sling off right now.''
This shows that Mr Briggs is not too fond of the children due to the fact that he thinks that they will not succeed in life.
Mrs Kay does not enforce rules upon the children:
'' it's all right, Mr Briggs... i've checked it with the driver. I thought it would be a good idea if we called into the zoo for an hour.''
This shows that Mrs Kay has arranged an unorganized trip as she pity's the children and she wants the entire trip to be an experience aswell as a memory for the pupils.
In Mr Briggs opinion, children needs rules to teach them discipline in their case:
'' are you listening girl! we look nicely out of the window at the scenery. And we dont do anything else. ''
This vertify's that Mr Briggs is a strict teacher and enforces discipline towards the pupils.
Mr Briggs is more inhospitable to the children as he has a strict regime and he assumes that discipline is the way to solve problems.
Secondly, both teachers opinions about discipline are very different. Mrs Kay is the kind of the teacher who any child would love to have as their teacher. She also thinks that the children should be allowed to have some freedom and gives them some trust to value the importance of school:
'' ooh... leave them. They've been cooped up for over an hour. They'll want to stretch their legs and let off a bit of steam.''
This establishes that Mrs Kay is telling the other teachers to give the children some credit as they have been stuck in the school bus for over a hour and too leave them be to have some fun in the zoo.
Mrs Kay lets them go off on their own in the zoo while her and Mr Briggs go to the cafe to a have a cup of tea. It took some time for Mrs Kay to convince Mr Briggs to leave the kids to roam around the park. Mr Briggs does not agree with Mrs Kay as he thinks the pupils should not be trusted:
'' you act like animals, animals!... i've learned that trust is something you people don't understand.''
This establishes that Mr Briggs is referring to the children as animals.This suggests that Mr Briggs had put inadequate trust in the pupils which they have threw away by doing something wrong, which has also led Mr Briggs to be angry towards the pupils.
I agree with the majority of what Mrs Kay says, that the children should be given a little bit of freedom but to an extent. However, Mr Briggs does have a point too, the children had a assigned trip which had been from school to Conway Castle. Instead, Mrs Kay insisted it would be a good idea to take the children to the Zoo and Funfair for a enjoyable experience for the pupils but it was also a risky idea as there had been only four teachers to take care of a big group of children.
Thirdly, Mrs Kay and Mr Briggs opinions differ about the point of school trips. Mrs Kay would like the children to have fun and achieve something they have never done before:
'' I'm not going to let you prevent the kids from having some fun.''
This suggests that Mrs Kay is determined too make sure the children have some fun before they leave to go home and be miserable again. She would also like too make sure that she has made the right decision for the children, so this trip has been something they can remember in the nearer future. Whereas Mr Briggs wants the trip to be educational for the pupils and wants them to learn from it:
'' it's a shambles, the whale-ill organized affair.''
This suggests that Mr Briggs is explaining to the children the complete ruin of scene but is explaining it in the most difficult vocabulary possible which the pupils may not understand.
At the end of '' Our Day Out '', Mr Briggs attitude changes massively and he starts enjoying himself throughout the trip:
'' anyway, you can't come all the way to the seaside and not pay a visit to the fair ''
This establishes that Mr Briggs is finally starting to enjoy himself as the trip progresses on and suggests to go to the fair.
Finally, Mrs Kay and Mr Briggs teaching styles are very different. Mr Briggs does not particularly like Mrs Kay, he does not think she is experienced enough to be a teacher:
'' She always reminds me of a mother hen rather than a teacher. ''
This shows that Mr Briggs does not particularly want to be with Mrs Kay on the trip.
Mrs Kay loves teaching the children, but knows that school wont even help the children get anywhere in life:
'' There's nothing to do, any of them; most of them were born for factory fodder but the factories have closed down.''
This establishes that Mrs Kay understands why the children are so missed behaved, it is due to the fact that they do not have any activities or youth clubs to go to in the poverty-stricken area they reside in. Also that the majority of the pupils were only conceived for factory fodder, so they could earn money by working in the factories to support their families.
Mr Briggs knows that there is always a chance for anyone to succeed in life as-long as they put the effort in aswell. He also believes that teachers are supposed to be there to educate the pupils not be a friend to them:
'' I think you have to risk being disliked if you're going to do any good for these types of kids. ''
This establishes that Mr Briggs is only being strict for one reason and that is to make sure the pupils accomplish their life by getting good grades at school. As a result, Mr Briggs is actually helping the pupils to succeed in life by being strict.
In my own opinion, i agree with Mr Briggs, children are at school to be educated not to earn a friend. However, the children should also get the impression that they should gain trust in the teachers as they are there to help them.
To conclude, Mrs Kay is the better teacher because she seems to bring something exciting to the children education. The pupils who have been involved with crime and vandalism need some love, care and affection in their lives. They are only children who are still growing up and most of them do not know right from wrong. Mr Briggs is a strict teacher, he puts the children in their place to show where they stand and they have a chance in life if they stick in school. So on that account, Mr Briggs is a better teacher for the progress class.
By Abigail Robinson
'' Our Day Out '' written by Willy Russell, tells the story of a group of school children who have a day out with two of the teachers from their school, Mrs Kay and Mr Briggs. Mrs Kay comes across as a friendly and caring individual who loves her job and teaching her pupils. The children also enjoy having Mrs Kay as a teacher, they think of her as a motherly figure. Mr Briggs is a stubborn, grumpy old man who seems like he hates children and the children do not take a liking to him either. The purpose of this essay is to compare the characters of Mrs Kay and Mr Briggs to conclude which teaching is best for the progress class.
Firstly, Mr Briggs and Mr Kay relationship with the pupils are very different. Mrs Kay gives the pupils trust, she has great fun with the children and she believes they should have freedom:
'' It's a shame really isn't it, eh? you know, we bring them to a crumbling pile of bricks mortar and they think they're in the fields of heaven.''
This shows that the children do not get out a lot as Mrs Kay is explaining to Mr Briggs that the children struggle to have fun and she sympathises the pupils .
In contrast, Mr Briggs is a grumpy teacher who thinks that shouting at the pupils is the best way to teach them a valuable lesson:
'' sit down now, come on, move''.
This establishes that Mr Briggs is quite spiteful and horrible towards the children.
Mrs Kay understands the children are not doing extremely well at school and that they are finding it difficult. She is sympathetic towards the pupils and would like the children to have a great experience on the trip as it may not happen regularly:
'' Mrs Kay is paddling, dress held above her knees ''
This establishes that Mrs Kay is trying to make the experience enjoyable for the children as it may be their last.
Mr Briggs, on the other hand, does not understand how difficult the children's lives are and what they have been through:
'' there's a few of 'em i could sling off right now.''
This shows that Mr Briggs is not too fond of the children due to the fact that he thinks that they will not succeed in life.
Mrs Kay does not enforce rules upon the children:
'' it's all right, Mr Briggs... i've checked it with the driver. I thought it would be a good idea if we called into the zoo for an hour.''
This shows that Mrs Kay has arranged an unorganized trip as she pity's the children and she wants the entire trip to be an experience aswell as a memory for the pupils.
In Mr Briggs opinion, children needs rules to teach them discipline in their case:
'' are you listening girl! we look nicely out of the window at the scenery. And we dont do anything else. ''
This vertify's that Mr Briggs is a strict teacher and enforces discipline towards the pupils.
Mr Briggs is more inhospitable to the children as he has a strict regime and he assumes that discipline is the way to solve problems.
Secondly, both teachers opinions about discipline are very different. Mrs Kay is the kind of the teacher who any child would love to have as their teacher. She also thinks that the children should be allowed to have some freedom and gives them some trust to value the importance of school:
'' ooh... leave them. They've been cooped up for over an hour. They'll want to stretch their legs and let off a bit of steam.''
This establishes that Mrs Kay is telling the other teachers to give the children some credit as they have been stuck in the school bus for over a hour and too leave them be to have some fun in the zoo.
Mrs Kay lets them go off on their own in the zoo while her and Mr Briggs go to the cafe to a have a cup of tea. It took some time for Mrs Kay to convince Mr Briggs to leave the kids to roam around the park. Mr Briggs does not agree with Mrs Kay as he thinks the pupils should not be trusted:
'' you act like animals, animals!... i've learned that trust is something you people don't understand.''
This establishes that Mr Briggs is referring to the children as animals.This suggests that Mr Briggs had put inadequate trust in the pupils which they have threw away by doing something wrong, which has also led Mr Briggs to be angry towards the pupils.
I agree with the majority of what Mrs Kay says, that the children should be given a little bit of freedom but to an extent. However, Mr Briggs does have a point too, the children had a assigned trip which had been from school to Conway Castle. Instead, Mrs Kay insisted it would be a good idea to take the children to the Zoo and Funfair for a enjoyable experience for the pupils but it was also a risky idea as there had been only four teachers to take care of a big group of children.
Thirdly, Mrs Kay and Mr Briggs opinions differ about the point of school trips. Mrs Kay would like the children to have fun and achieve something they have never done before:
'' I'm not going to let you prevent the kids from having some fun.''
This suggests that Mrs Kay is determined too make sure the children have some fun before they leave to go home and be miserable again. She would also like too make sure that she has made the right decision for the children, so this trip has been something they can remember in the nearer future. Whereas Mr Briggs wants the trip to be educational for the pupils and wants them to learn from it:
'' it's a shambles, the whale-ill organized affair.''
This suggests that Mr Briggs is explaining to the children the complete ruin of scene but is explaining it in the most difficult vocabulary possible which the pupils may not understand.
At the end of '' Our Day Out '', Mr Briggs attitude changes massively and he starts enjoying himself throughout the trip:
'' anyway, you can't come all the way to the seaside and not pay a visit to the fair ''
This establishes that Mr Briggs is finally starting to enjoy himself as the trip progresses on and suggests to go to the fair.
Finally, Mrs Kay and Mr Briggs teaching styles are very different. Mr Briggs does not particularly like Mrs Kay, he does not think she is experienced enough to be a teacher:
'' She always reminds me of a mother hen rather than a teacher. ''
This shows that Mr Briggs does not particularly want to be with Mrs Kay on the trip.
Mrs Kay loves teaching the children, but knows that school wont even help the children get anywhere in life:
'' There's nothing to do, any of them; most of them were born for factory fodder but the factories have closed down.''
This establishes that Mrs Kay understands why the children are so missed behaved, it is due to the fact that they do not have any activities or youth clubs to go to in the poverty-stricken area they reside in. Also that the majority of the pupils were only conceived for factory fodder, so they could earn money by working in the factories to support their families.
Mr Briggs knows that there is always a chance for anyone to succeed in life as-long as they put the effort in aswell. He also believes that teachers are supposed to be there to educate the pupils not be a friend to them:
'' I think you have to risk being disliked if you're going to do any good for these types of kids. ''
This establishes that Mr Briggs is only being strict for one reason and that is to make sure the pupils accomplish their life by getting good grades at school. As a result, Mr Briggs is actually helping the pupils to succeed in life by being strict.
In my own opinion, i agree with Mr Briggs, children are at school to be educated not to earn a friend. However, the children should also get the impression that they should gain trust in the teachers as they are there to help them.
To conclude, Mrs Kay is the better teacher because she seems to bring something exciting to the children education. The pupils who have been involved with crime and vandalism need some love, care and affection in their lives. They are only children who are still growing up and most of them do not know right from wrong. Mr Briggs is a strict teacher, he puts the children in their place to show where they stand and they have a chance in life if they stick in school. So on that account, Mr Briggs is a better teacher for the progress class.
By Abigail Robinson