Irwin also uses both formal and colloquial language in this beginning scene, starting with saying - ‘This is a tricky one.’ adorning a sarcastic and casual attitude in concern with the seriousness of the subject he is about to address. The use of the word ‘tricky’ has connotations of deceit, reflecting Irwin’s educational philosophy. It is also quite colloquial in connection with political and formal language. This suggests that Irwin’s formal register is false, and a mask for his own insecurity concerning his dull personality. Later in the play Dakin notices the contrast between Irwin as a teaching figure with power and boldness, and Irwin outside of education as a lone personality without the aid of spins and revolutionary ideas. In a similar way that within Irwin’s educational philosophy he puts a spin on the drab truth to excite examiners, he also puts a spin on himself to disguise his falseness that he is bold and in control, and the use of mixing formal and colloquial register is a display of this.
Hector contradicts the educational attributes which Irwin displays in the opening scene, using it as an expression of his personality and opinions. The next scene is a lesson which introduces Hector and the boys, and displays that within his educational philosophy, Hector does not create a distinction between himself as a teacher and as a person. This scene also introduces Hector’s unorthodox view of examinations and qualifications. It is usually assumed that teachers would strive for their students to pass all exams with the highest grades possible, and that this would be the symbol of what encompasses a good teacher. Hector contradicts this, believing education is an aid to enrich a person’s knowledge and life, and that happiness stems solely from this and not from achieving qualifications. This is shown when Hector congratulates his students by saying - ‘proudly jingling your A levels, those longed-for emblems of your conformity, you come before me once again to resume your education.’ Hector uses the noun ‘emblems’ to mock the qualification, seeing it as a worthless symbol of intelligence, and suggests that being able to pass exams is cheap in comparison to being enriched with knowledge and language. Hector’s educational philosophy is cemented in this line, and in particular with the negative use of the word ‘conformity’ portraying Hector’s unorthodox way of teaching and view on how education should be taught. Hector’s dislike for ‘obligatory hurdles’ and his contrast to Irwin’s educational philosophy stems from a contextual factor of the play, that it was set in the 1980s. In this time there was a change in schooling with the introduction of the National Curriculum, and Irwin symbolizes the destruction of Hector’s liberal way of teaching, becoming a barrier in making the boys thoughtful and well-rounded people. This unorthodox way of teaching that Hector possesses is displayed when the boys complain that Hector is hitting them. This is not allowed in the 1980s, compared to when Hector first begun teaching and he was perfectly in his right to hit his students if you he so wished. Hector responds by saying: ‘Child, I am your teacher. Whatever I do in this classroom is a token of my trust.’ which shows that he still believes that as a teacher he should be trusted to be able to treat his students how he finds appropriate. When linking this to educational philosophy we can assume that Hector feels the same view about ‘trust’ towards the National Curriculum, Irwin, and the Headmaster, that he should be trusted to teach whatever he feel appropriate for his students. This also links to Hector being the protagonist of the play, and Irwin the antagonist, as he is the catalyst for Hector’s demise.
The opening of the play further introduces educational philosophy when Hector expresses his passion that the boys should try for ‘less lustrous institutions’ than Oxbridge. The use of the word ‘lustrous’ is overdramatic and sarcastic, which shows that once again Hector finds the need to expose that the qualifications, exams and top universities are only thought to be an achievement of happiness by stereotype, and he is mocking this belief, that even the boys share and display to him. The use of the word ‘institutions’ suggests confinement, and a lack of emotion - which further supports that Hector believes that Oxbridge do not necessarily bring happiness or enrichment to your life, but instead are places to imprison your expression of emotion.
The opening of the play not only introduces Hector and Irwin’s educational philosophies, but exposes the contrasts of the two. Irwin encourages the boys smartness, creating a spin to achieve his only perception of an enriched life: qualifications and top universities. Hector encourages the boys thoughtfulness, using his own life experience to create interesting, and often irrelevant lessons. These philosophies of education will become the pivotal themes in the unfolding events in the rest of The History Boys.
