Two Different Teaching Styles in Our Day Out

The author Willy Russell wrote our day out. Willy Russell sets a lot

of his plays in Liverpool and bases them around the theme of education

e.g. "Educating Rita". Other plays that Willy Russell has written are

"Blood Brothers", "Stags and Hens" and "Shirley Valentine".

Mr. Briggs is a disciplinarian who believes that the only way to

control children is to keep a firm restriction on what he will allow

them to do, this is shown when he says, "I've learned that trust is

something you people don't understand. Now, I'm warning you, all of

you, don't expect any more trust from me!" The children see Mr. Briggs

as a monotonous teacher that they are unable to have fun with, this is

shown within the stage directions stating, "At the back the kids are

all stifled and bored by Briggs's presence." Les thinks that Mr.

Briggs is an arrogant git, this is shown when Les says "Arrogant get,

that one is".

Mrs, Kay treats the children like friends rather than students which

gives her a better relationship with them, this is shown when Mrs. Kay

smiles and links arms with Carol, Mrs. Kay also says to Mr. Briggs

"I'm not going to let you prevent the kids from having some fun". We

can tell that Mrs. Kay understands the difficulties that he progress

class face when she says "There's nothing for them to do, any of them;

most of them were born for factory fodder but the factories have

closed down". Mrs. Kay does not have many rules because she wants the

children to have as much fun, and varieties of experience while they

are still able to as it is likely that they will not be able to in

their foreseeable bad futures; although the only rule that she does

have is "Think of yourselves, but think of others as well." I think

that Mrs. Kay says this because the one thing that she sees as being

important to teach the children is to respect themselves and others,

and for them to learn some life skills.