Role cards

M.N. Semenova Aged 45

You, are very much annoyed at the news. You love your son who is the apple of your eye and you've been looking foreward to the birthday party. Under the circumstances you have to punish your son and cancel or at least postpone the party. You are aware that you must say some­thing but words fail you.

Helen Semenova Aged 20

You are a student of the English faculty, a future teacher and full of your own ideas on upbringing. You are very critical and think it only fair to punish your brother by cancelling the party. You think it will serve him right, as he has always been mother's pet.

L. G. Bobrova Aged 24

You are a young and inexperienced teacher. You have no patience with Nick who is a bright boy but a nuisance. You are a little bit embarrassed. You don't want to ruin his birthday party either. You also feel shy in the presence of the efficient teachers and mature women.

N.M. Petrova Aged 30

You are M.N.'s friend and a teacher who is very popular with the pu­pils, but you have no children of your own and do not want to interfere in the heated discussion. Now and then you ask Dorothy about the En­glish holidays, system of education, their way of life, entertainments, fashion.

Dorothy Parker Aged 25

You are an English teacher on an exchange visit to Moscow. You are very excited but reserved because it is your first social experience in Russia. You like the people and the dishes. You describe how you cele-

brate birthdays and other holidays in Great Britain. As for Nick's truan­cy you tell them what punishments teachers can use at school.

Possible follow-ups

1. Do you believe in the effect of punishing children?

2. Discuss different sanctions for misbehaviour used in Russian and British schools.

3. Argue the following talking point: "Parents are too permissive with their children nowadays".