Friday, December 10, 2004
Scene One
SCENE 1: ALAN'S STUDY, NIGHT
F/X MODEM DIAL-UP TONE. TYPING ON KEYBOARD. DOOR CLOSES.
ALAN: Well, the kids are down. I tried to make the story as boring as possible, but they still wanted more! Still, Charlotte will have to do it tomorrow - "Mummy, go on, Daddy always reads it to the end!". Shall I send them with Lord of the Rings?
BARBARA: Oh Alan, don't be so mean. Give Charlotte my love when you see her. I spoke to her on the phone today about the project launch guest list.
ALAN: I suppose I'll be on it - the lecturers usually get invited to events hosted at the college, Was there any email? I'm expecting some assignments.
BARBARA: God, your students. Was the deadline today? It seems pushing it a bit to leave it till nearly midnight.
ALAN: Actually it was yesterday, but I try to give them a bit of leeway. If they've got as far as actually starting an essay, you know, having read the books and everything, it seems a shame to discourage them.
BARBARA: Yes, but I don't see how this is supposed to be training them for life. If my Social Work team were like that with their reports, I'd be giving them hell!
ALAN: I suppose you've got to look at their choices - your lot can either do a report, go to a casework meeting or whatever, not go clubbing, or shopping, or watching a video…
BARBARA: (LAUGHS) Well, not normally, anyway!
ALAN: But anyway, it's not just about training people for jobs. I doubt if A Level literature is ever going to appear on a person spec: "Must be familiar with Romantic poetry of the 19th century".
BARBARA: I suppose spin doctors might need experience of fiction?
ALAN: And journalists. But I didn't think when I started out that instead of helping my students to develop their critical skills analysing texts, I'd be helping them to fill in their housing benefit forms and trying to make sure they could get hold of a copy of the course books.
BARBARA: And you're above all that?
ALAN: No - in some ways it a damn sight more useful, actually affecting their lives. I just wish the effort bore more fruit, that's all.
BARBARA: There is one email, actually - but from Friends Reunited. I thought you'd given up on that?
ALAN: I had, really. Somehow none of my friends seemed to have turned into the sort of anorak who uses it - not like yours.
BARBARA: (LAUGHS) God, yes, all my ex-es! Are you saying they're all anoraks?
ALAN: Not all of them, no. It's funny, isn't it, how we used to like so many different sorts of people then. What was that one from your school? Brian?
BARBARA: You mean Barry. He was such a dreamboat - all the girls fell for him. He really fancied himself - he was going to be a model.
ALAN: And now he's running a bar in Brighton with his partner…
BARBARA: Dave, yes! (LAUGHS) You never can tell! So who is this from?
ALAN: Let's see.
GRAMS: GERRY RAFFERTY "WRITTEN IN YOUR HEART"
F/X MODEM DIAL-UP TONE. TYPING ON KEYBOARD. DOOR CLOSES.
ALAN: Well, the kids are down. I tried to make the story as boring as possible, but they still wanted more! Still, Charlotte will have to do it tomorrow - "Mummy, go on, Daddy always reads it to the end!". Shall I send them with Lord of the Rings?
BARBARA: Oh Alan, don't be so mean. Give Charlotte my love when you see her. I spoke to her on the phone today about the project launch guest list.
ALAN: I suppose I'll be on it - the lecturers usually get invited to events hosted at the college, Was there any email? I'm expecting some assignments.
BARBARA: God, your students. Was the deadline today? It seems pushing it a bit to leave it till nearly midnight.
ALAN: Actually it was yesterday, but I try to give them a bit of leeway. If they've got as far as actually starting an essay, you know, having read the books and everything, it seems a shame to discourage them.
BARBARA: Yes, but I don't see how this is supposed to be training them for life. If my Social Work team were like that with their reports, I'd be giving them hell!
ALAN: I suppose you've got to look at their choices - your lot can either do a report, go to a casework meeting or whatever, not go clubbing, or shopping, or watching a video…
BARBARA: (LAUGHS) Well, not normally, anyway!
ALAN: But anyway, it's not just about training people for jobs. I doubt if A Level literature is ever going to appear on a person spec: "Must be familiar with Romantic poetry of the 19th century".
BARBARA: I suppose spin doctors might need experience of fiction?
ALAN: And journalists. But I didn't think when I started out that instead of helping my students to develop their critical skills analysing texts, I'd be helping them to fill in their housing benefit forms and trying to make sure they could get hold of a copy of the course books.
BARBARA: And you're above all that?
ALAN: No - in some ways it a damn sight more useful, actually affecting their lives. I just wish the effort bore more fruit, that's all.
BARBARA: There is one email, actually - but from Friends Reunited. I thought you'd given up on that?
ALAN: I had, really. Somehow none of my friends seemed to have turned into the sort of anorak who uses it - not like yours.
BARBARA: (LAUGHS) God, yes, all my ex-es! Are you saying they're all anoraks?
ALAN: Not all of them, no. It's funny, isn't it, how we used to like so many different sorts of people then. What was that one from your school? Brian?
BARBARA: You mean Barry. He was such a dreamboat - all the girls fell for him. He really fancied himself - he was going to be a model.
ALAN: And now he's running a bar in Brighton with his partner…
BARBARA: Dave, yes! (LAUGHS) You never can tell! So who is this from?
ALAN: Let's see.
GRAMS: GERRY RAFFERTY "WRITTEN IN YOUR HEART"
# posted by Martin Locock @ 4:48 AM 
