Introduction

The moulding of man begins in the early years of his life. And where else but at school one can receive the beginning of aesthetic education, acquire a feeling for beauty, and ability to understand and to appreciate everything that was created by man. School is a workshop, where the thought of rising generation is formed and it should be kept in tight hand in order not to let the future go. Certainly, some things schoolchildren like, and some they don’t. And I’d like to speak more detailed about British pupils’ likes and dislikes.

Main Part

It’s common knowledge that the contribution of teachers to the moulding of children’s personalities worth high estimation and appreciation. But any school is a little world of its own, that’s why it is natural for pupils to like some teachers more that others. For instance, quite often children are happy when their teachers listen to them, let them express their own opinions and bring the songs, poems, and stories they like. Unfortunately, some teachers make their lessons boring, and some are considered to be very old-fashioned and quite strict. But anyway, pupils respect their teachers and do their best to reach mutual understanding. The subjects they learn together with the knowledge and experience their teachers share with them are essential background – soil – where they like flowers should grow and blossom. All in all, schoolchildren are grateful to their teachers for making them bright sparks. As regards other things that pupils dislike, many of them hate to be enforced to wear a school uniform. For some their uniform is not a very comfortable one, and some consider it to be not very attractive. Besides, there are British educational establishments, where teachers are very strict about their pupils’ hairstyle and about girls wearing make-up or earrings. Some schoolchildren also dislike to be made to call teachers “Sir” and to play particular sports. It is just that they want to be more independent and free, and thus they can feel more responsibility for everything they do. By the way, there is one more thing that most British pupils don’t like. They consider school meals to be absolutely awful and disgusting. Moreover, some children are borders, and they really miss home.

Conclusion

Well, of course, school life is not a bed of roses, it is hard, but the result is worth fighting for. You come into school like a baby in the wood, but you leave it as a person, who knows how many beans make fire.

Table manners in different countries (“Comparing Table Manners”)

Introduction

There is the saying: “Food comes first, them morals”. It means that it is very important to observe table manners, because that’s how you show the level of your breeding. And every country has its own eating manners. In our auditory class we’ve listened to two people talking about table manners in Britain and in Germany. So, I’d like to describe the differences and similarities between these two countries.

Main Part

There’s nothing formal that you say at the start of a meal in England, and in Germany they say “good appetite”. The British normally have lunch at round about one o’clock and dinner at about seven o’clock. And that’s roughly the same in Germany. These meals last about half-an-hour in Britain, but much longer in Germany. And in both countries people hold their fork in their left hand and knife in the right hand always. Well, as to using a napkin, some British people do, and some don’t. It they do use a napkin, they put it on their lap, and don’t generally put it round their neck, like French. In England people could eat melon and fish for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but pasta and steak – only for lunch and dinner, while Americans can apparently have steak for breakfast. After the meal the British put the knife and fork together in the middle of the plate, so the handles are pointing towards them and the points are facing away from them, but in Germany you can’t do that. There people put the knife and fork parallel and slightly sideways. Also, being not in the process of eating Englishmen put their hands on their lap, while Germen have their hands on the table, sort of just loosely, just lying on the table. One of the similarities between these two countries is how their inhabitants eat a cake. Informally they eat a cake with their hands, and in a slightly more formal situation or if the cake is particularly sticky or messy they use a small fork. In Britain people usually eat chicken bones, bread and butter, sandwiches, cheese, fruit with their fingers, and in Germany it would be even rude to eat chicken with a knife and fork. As regards tea and coffee, Englishmen drink coffee at anytime, a lot of people drink tea at teatime, and some have it for breakfast. In England they don’t smoke during a meal, even if it consists of several different courses and lasts for a few hours, but in Germany it is not a problem to smoke between courses. And I guess, as in many countries, when the British toast someone, they say “Cheers”. And they normally drink soup in the winter, but quite a lot of people have it in the summer. So, it is an all-year-round thing, just as salad, which is generally eaten in the summer, but they also have it in winter.

Conclusion

Well, we see some table manners of the British people and Germen are different and some are the same. And I believe everybody should try to keep to eating manners of his own country, because when you are sure that you behave right, you grow in your own eyes.