When they are waiting for the bus, because she is truly concerned for his safety, not because she enjoys ordering her class around.
Mrs Kay does not believe in traditional teaching methods of discipline and high standards, she is lost to understand the unfairness of a society which puts these children to the back of the queue. She wants the children to least have a good day out, even if they are not going to resolve the struggle of the unequal chance and social injustice.
For many of the children she has perhaps taken on a motherly role, she hold there hands, put her arm round them and cuddles them, which they may not get at home, she possibly feels they need more love and care then education. She also stands by what she believes in and defends her pupils against difficult attitudes based on discrimination.
However Mr Briggs is completely the opposite to Mrs Kay, he is strict and intolerant to bad behaviour, he believes in the “old school” way of teaching with systematic views of discipline, standards and uniform, whatever the ability or background of the pupils in the progress class.
Mr Briggs thinks that he can demand respect from the students by acting like he is in charge and they must do what he says. He thinks that by getting angry the children will behave themselves.
Mrs Kay and Mr Briggs could not be more unalike. The only similarities that they have between them is that they are both teachers and work at the same school in the inner city of Liverpool.
In a way Mr Briggs may want what’s best for the children but he takes his approach the wrong way.
The children will not show respect and co-operation unless they receive respect first. This is proven in the incident between Mr Briggs and Carol on the cliff top.
At first Mr Briggs is angry and tries to tell Carol what to do.
“Carol Chandler!... Now just listen here young lady.”
Carol is not at all affected by Mr Briggs’ attitude towards the situation. Carol has fallen in love with the country and doesn't want to go home.
“You go. I’m not comin’”
Carol then threatens to jump over the cliff edge if Mr Briggs goes near her so Mr Briggs has to stop and consider his actions very carefully. In order to succeed in the circumstances he will have to change his approach, which will truly put his skills as a teacher to the test.
Briggs realises that being forceful with Carol doesn't work so tries the nice approach instead.
“Carol. Carol, please come away from there. [Stretching his hand out to her] Please”
This is very out of character of Briggs and it is surprising to the reader. Carol changes her mind about staying on the cliff and wasn’t really going to jump, but Mr Briggs didn’t know that. She has now seen Mr Briggs in a new light and finds it amusing.
“Sir...sir you don’t half look funny, y’know.”
After Carol agrees to go back down to the beach and I think that Briggs has learnt that he must understand the children a little more to improve his effectiveness as a teacher.
After the incident with Carol, it put his mind into perspective. He realises that the kids aren’t stupid, they just have a problem learning. When he shows them respect, he gets it back. Before Carol was on the cliff, Briggs took things with the kids too personal and Briggs thought that they were all against him.
“I trusted you lot.”
“Now, I’m warning you, all of you, don’t expect any more trust from me!”
The way that Briggs uses ‘I’ and ‘ME’ makes it seem like that he is the only important teacher on the trip. I think that he uses this kind of language because that is how he sees himself, just because he is deputy head he feels that he has all the authority.
The next day at school I don’t think that Briggs will tell the Headmaster that it was his idea to go to the funfair at the end of the day. I also think that Briggs will not mention any of the trouble that they had on the trip such as the smoking because he will want to give a good impression to the Headmaster and make him think that Briggs can keep the children under control well even though it was the progress class. He also would not mention about the incident with Carol firstly because he promised Carol he wouldn’t and also because he wouldn’t want the headmaster to find out that Briggs begin to feel nervous, edgy and worried because of one pupil.
This is the main difference between Mr Briggs and Mrs Kay. Everybody knows that Mrs Kay is nice to the students and concerns for their welfare. Mr Briggs is concerned for the pupils but he doesn’t want anybody to know this and doesn’t show it in fear of losing respect from both the pupils and the Headmaster.
