1. The Good Teachers
Carol Ann Duffy

2. Objectives
To explore Carol Ann Duffy’s thoughts about what makes a good teacher.
To be able to comment on the language and structure of the poem.

3. Starter In your opinion, what makes a good teacher?
Do you have favourite teacher in this school or your previous school? What made them special?

4. Ambiguous Poem
On the surface, the poem is about the good and bad teachers at Carol Ann Duffy’s school. However, below the surface we get the impression the poem is looking at how we grow up and change over the years.

5. The Good Teachers
Read through the poem twice and comment on what happens.

6. School Pictures

7. Panoramic Photos
In the old days they would take a panoramic photo with an old fashioned camera. If you were quick enough, you could run from one to the other and be in the photo twice. This is what she means with the first line.

8. Stanza 1
The virtuous women were the nuns the poet was taught by. What does sizing you up mean?
Why does the poet use the metaphor ‘making a ghost of her’ when referring to Miss Ross?
‘South Sea Bubble’ and ‘Defenestration of Prague’ are different subjects. Why has she put them together (think sound)

9. Stanza 2
‘So much’ is repeated twice when referring to Miss Pirie. Why?
What do you think the poet means when she refers to the teacher’s intelligent green eye and her cruel blue one?

10. The River’s Tale
This is a famous poem by Rudyard Kipling and it is about the development of the Thames (for docks and shipping). This could connect to her school life as a developing person.
Why does she want to learn the poem ‘by heart’?

11. Stanza 3 Which teachers does the poet not like?
The word ‘swish’ (onomatopoeia) can be associated with a whip or a cane. What is the significance of this word?
Why does the poet put ‘clean and qualified’ after ‘snobbish and proud’? What is she saying about some teachers? (these are negative images…)

12. Stanza 4
The poem uses the second person pronoun ‘you’ in this stanza. What is the effect?
What happens to the poet as she grows older?
What does the metaphor, ‘you have a wall to climb’ mean?

13. Final lines…
What happens to the speaker as she grows up? Life starts off and ends up…?

14. Structure
The poem is about the growth of a child into an adult, but it is written in present tense and not past tense. Why?

15. Task
Discuss the following question: How does the poem explore the passage of time from school to being an adult. What are the poet’s feelings on this?