The History Boys L.O: To evaluate the different types of teachers portrayed in the play.

Starter What makes a good teacher? Sort the statements into three groups. Good teacher - Bad Teacher - Unsure Rank them in order of importance.

What’s your opinion of Hector, Mrs Lintott and Irwin. Reorganise your statements in relation to the three characters and the type of teacher they are.

Hector Hector: ...‘All knowledge is precious, whether or not it serves the slightest human use’. (4-7) Hector: … proudly jingling your A Levels, those longed-for emblems of your conformity, you have come before me once again to resume your education... A Levels... are credentials, qualifications, the footings of your CV. Your Cheat’s Visa. (4) Akthar: It’s just the knowledge, sir. Timms: The pursuit of it for its own sake, sir. Headmaster: Mr Hector has an old-fashioned faith in the redemptive power of words. (49) Hector never bothered with what he was educating those boys for’ (107) Mrs Lintott: Forgive Hector. He is trying to be the kind of teacher pupils will remember. Someone they will look back on. ‘It’s to make us more rounded human beings’ (38)

Irwin Irwin: The wrong end of the stick is the right one. A question has a front door and a back door. Go in the back, or better still, the side... Flee the crowd... History nowadays is not a matter of conviction. It’s a performance. It’s entertainment. And if it isn’t, make it so. (38) ‘…truth is no more at issue in an examination than thirst at a wine-tasting or fashion at a striptease.’ (26) ‘Education isn’t something for when they’re old and grey and sitting by the fire. It’s for now. The exam is next month.’ (49) Dakin: Like Mr Hector’s lessons then, sir. They’re a waste of time, too. Irwin: Yes, you little smart arse, but he’s not trying to get you through an exam. (38) ‘I sympathise with your feelings about examinations, but they are a fact of life (48)

Mrs Lintott They know their stuff. Plainly stated and properly organised facts need no presentation, surely (8-10) ‘One of the hardest things for boys to learn is that a teacher is human. One of the hardest things for a teacher to learn is not to try and tell them’ (42) ‘Their A levels are very good. And that is thanks to you’ (8) ‘You’ve force-fed us the facts; now we’re in the process of running around acquiring flavour.’ (33)

Review… Write a PEE paragraph describing what kind of teacher each of the characters are.

Homework Find definitions for all the vocabulary words on the sheet. Friday 15th