WHERE DO ALL THE TEACHERS GO?
About the Poem
“Where Do All the Teachers Go?” is a thoughtful and playful poem about the way a child sees teachers.
The child wonders what teachers do after school, where they live, what they wear, whether they have families, and whether they were once children themselves.
The poem presents teachers as ordinary human beings outside the classroom and ends with the child's decision to follow a teacher home and discover the answer.
सरल हिन्दी में
यह कविता एक बच्चे की जिज्ञासा को व्यक्त करती है। बच्चा सोचता है कि स्कूल की छुट्टी के बाद शिक्षक कहाँ जाते हैं, वे कहाँ रहते हैं और घर पर क्या करते हैं।
बच्चा यह भी सोचता है कि क्या शिक्षक भी सामान्य लोगों की तरह कपड़े पहनते हैं, टीवी देखते हैं, अपने परिवार के साथ रहते हैं और क्या वे कभी स्वयं बच्चे थे।
कविता के अंत में बच्चा एक शिक्षक के घर तक उनका पीछा करके इन प्रश्नों के उत्तर जानना चाहता है।
When it’s four o’ clock?
Do they live in houses
And do they wash their socks?
And do they watch TV?
And do they pick their noses
The same as you and me?
Have they mums and dads?
And were they ever children
And were they ever bad?
Did they ever make mistakes?
Were they punished in the corner
If they pinched the chocolate flakes?
Did they ever leave their greens?
Did they scribble on the desk tops
Did they wear old dirty jeans?
I’ll find out what they do
Then I’ll put it in a poem
That they can read to you.
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| pinched | /pɪntʃt/ | चुराना / दबाकर पकड़ना |
| flake | /fleɪk/ | पपड़ी |
| hymn | /hɪm/ | धार्मिक गीत |
| scribble | /ˈskrɪbl/ | जल्दी-जल्दी कुछ लिखना |
- where teachers live?
- what they do at home?
- the people with whom they live?
- their activities when they were children in school?
- He imagines that teachers live in houses.
- He imagines that they wash their socks, wear pyjamas, watch TV and do ordinary things at home.
- He imagines that they live with other people and have mums and dads.
- He imagines that they once made mistakes, were punished, lost hymn books, left their greens, scribbled on desks and wore old dirty jeans.
- वह कल्पना करता है कि शिक्षक घरों में रहते हैं।
- वह सोचता है कि वे घर पर मोज़े धोते, पायजामा पहनते, टीवी देखते और सामान्य काम करते हैं।
- वह सोचता है कि वे दूसरे लोगों के साथ रहते हैं और उनके भी माँ-पिता होते हैं।
- वह कल्पना करता है कि बचपन में शिक्षक भी गलतियाँ करते, सजा पाते, hymn books खोते, हरी सब्जियाँ छोड़ते, डेस्क पर लिखते और पुरानी गंदी jeans पहनते थे।
(i) punished in the corner
Think about the meaning in the context of a school.
(ii) leave their greens
Think about a child who does not want to eat vegetables.
🖼️ My Favourite Teacher
Paste or draw a picture of your favourite teacher here in your notebook.
✍️ Paragraph Writing
My favourite teacher is very kind and helpful. My teacher explains every lesson clearly and encourages us to ask questions. I enjoy learning in the classroom because my teacher makes lessons interesting. My teacher also teaches us to be honest, respectful and hardworking. I am thankful to have such a wonderful teacher.
मेरे प्रिय शिक्षक बहुत दयालु और सहायक हैं। वे हर पाठ को सरलता से समझाते हैं और हमें प्रश्न पूछने के लिए प्रोत्साहित करते हैं। मुझे कक्षा में पढ़ना अच्छा लगता है क्योंकि मेरे शिक्षक पाठों को रोचक बनाते हैं। वे हमें ईमानदार, सम्मानपूर्ण और मेहनती बनना भी सिखाते हैं। मैं ऐसे अच्छे शिक्षक के लिए आभारी हूँ।
— Henry Adams
Question Forms with “Do” and “Did”
The poem repeatedly uses questions beginning with Do and Did.
Present: Do they watch TV?
Past: Did they ever make mistakes?
Past: Did they ever lose their hymn books?
Pronouns in the Poem
Words such as they, their, you, me and them help the poet avoid repeating nouns.
Choose the closest meaning.
Teachers Beyond the Classroom
A teacher has many roles. At school a teacher may teach, guide, encourage, listen and help students. Outside school, however, the teacher is also an ordinary person with a home, family, interests, responsibilities and memories.
This is exactly the curiosity behind the poem: the child wants to discover the person behind the teacher.
People have many sides beyond the role we see.
Curiosity is good when questions are respectful.
Learning about another person's experiences builds empathy.
Adults were children once too.
Speak for One Minute
Topic: My Favourite Teacher
Use these guiding points:
- Who is your favourite teacher?
- What subject does the teacher teach?
- What quality do you like most?
- How does the teacher help students?
- What have you learned from the teacher?
My favourite teacher is very kind and helpful. My teacher explains lessons clearly and encourages us to ask questions. I like the way my teacher makes learning interesting. I have learned to work hard, be respectful and never be afraid to learn from mistakes.
मेरे प्रिय शिक्षक बहुत दयालु और सहायक हैं। वे पाठों को स्पष्ट रूप से समझाते हैं और हमें प्रश्न पूछने के लिए प्रोत्साहित करते हैं। मुझे उनका पढ़ाने का तरीका बहुत अच्छा लगता है। मैंने उनसे मेहनत करना, सम्मान करना और गलतियों से सीखने से कभी न डरना सीखा है।
Write About a Teacher
Write 8–10 sentences describing your favourite teacher.
My favourite teacher is my English teacher. She is kind, patient and cheerful. She explains difficult ideas in a simple way. She encourages every student to participate in class. She listens carefully when we have questions. She also teaches us good manners and discipline. I enjoy her classes because they are interesting and friendly. I respect my teacher and feel lucky to learn from her.
मेरी प्रिय शिक्षिका मेरी अंग्रेजी की शिक्षिका हैं। वे दयालु, धैर्यवान और प्रसन्नचित्त हैं। वे कठिन बातों को सरल तरीके से समझाती हैं। वे हर विद्यार्थी को कक्षा में भाग लेने के लिए प्रोत्साहित करती हैं। जब हमारे मन में प्रश्न होते हैं तो वे ध्यान से सुनती हैं। वे हमें अच्छे व्यवहार और अनुशासन की शिक्षा भी देती हैं। मुझे उनकी कक्षा बहुत अच्छी लगती है। मैं अपनी शिक्षिका का सम्मान करता/करती हूँ और उनसे सीखकर स्वयं को भाग्यशाली मानता/मानती हूँ।
Creative Writing — If I Followed My Teacher Home
Imagine you are the child in the poem. Write what you might discover.
If I followed my teacher home, I might discover that my teacher has a normal and happy family life. Perhaps my teacher would change into comfortable clothes, have dinner with the family and read a book. I might also learn about my teacher's childhood and favourite memories. I would realise that a teacher is also an ordinary person with a special life outside school.
यदि मैं अपने शिक्षक का घर तक पीछा करूँ, तो शायद मुझे पता चले कि मेरे शिक्षक का भी एक सामान्य और खुशहाल पारिवारिक जीवन है। शायद वे आरामदायक कपड़े पहनें, परिवार के साथ भोजन करें और कोई किताब पढ़ें। मुझे उनके बचपन और प्रिय यादों के बारे में भी पता चल सकता है। तब मुझे समझ आएगा कि शिक्षक भी स्कूल के बाहर अपने विशेष जीवन वाला एक सामान्य व्यक्ति है।
Choose the best answer. Instant feedback will appear.
- The poem is about a child's curiosity about teachers.
- The child wonders where teachers go after school.
- The child imagines that teachers live in houses and do ordinary things at home.
- The child wonders whether teachers have mums and dads.
- The child imagines that teachers were once children too.
- The poem humorously imagines teachers making mistakes and doing things children commonly do.
- The child finally plans to follow one teacher home.
- The child wants to put the discovery into a poem.
- The poem encourages us to see teachers as complete human beings, not only as people inside the classroom.
कविता एक बच्चे की जिज्ञासा पर आधारित है। बच्चा जानना चाहता है कि स्कूल के बाद शिक्षक कहाँ जाते हैं और घर पर क्या करते हैं। वह कल्पना करता है कि शिक्षक भी सामान्य लोगों की तरह रहते हैं, उनके परिवार होते हैं और वे भी कभी बच्चे थे। अंत में बच्चा एक शिक्षक का घर तक पीछा करके सच्चाई जानना चाहता है और उस अनुभव को कविता में लिखना चाहता है।