CBSE Class 6 English Honeysuckle Chapter 15: Where do all the Teachers Go? NCERT Solutions

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CBSE Class 6 English Honeysuckle poem 'Where do all the Teachers Go?' NCERT Solutions explore the imaginative questions a child has about teachers' lives beyond the classroom. The poem delves into the curiosity surrounding where teachers go after school, what they do at home, and whether they have experiences similar to other children. These solutions help students understand the poet's perspective, which humanizes teachers by showing them as individuals with lives outside their professional roles. Through clear explanations and answers to the poem's questions, students can better grasp the themes of empathy and the imaginative exploration of teachers' personal lives, enhancing their comprehension and exam preparation.

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Quick info

BoardCBSE
ClassClass 6
SubjectHoneysuckle
Session2026
LanguageEnglish
TypeNCERT Solutions
Chapter15. Where do all the Teachers Go (Poem)

Chapter summary

NCERT Solutions for Class 6 English Honeysuckle Chapter 15, 'Where do all the Teachers Go?', focuses on understanding the poem. The solutions address questions about the poet's curiosity regarding teachers' lives after school hours, their homes, and their childhood. They help students analyze the poem's central theme: imagining teachers as ordinary humans with personal lives, contrasting with their classroom persona. The exercises encourage critical thinking about the poet's perspective and the meaning of specific phrases within the poem.

Learning outcomes

  • Understand the poet's curiosity about teachers' lives outside school.
  • Analyze the comparison between teachers and ordinary people.
  • Interpret the meaning of phrases used in the poem.
  • Identify the poet's imaginative thoughts about teachers' homes and routines.
  • Explain the concept of humanizing teachers through poetry.

Topics covered

Paper topics

  • Poem Comprehension
  • Teachers' Lives
  • Imagination in Poetry
  • Comparing Teachers to Ordinary People
  • Understanding Poetic Phrases
  • Poet's Curiosity
  • Childhood Memories in Poetry
  • Class 6 English Honeysuckle

Important topics

  • Understanding the poem's central theme
  • Interpreting poetic phrases
  • Analyzing the poet's perspective
  • Teachers' lives outside school
  • Imagining teachers as human beings

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Questions and Solutions

Question 1

Answer these questions.
  1. Why does the poet want to know where the teachers go at four o'clock?
Solution: The poet expresses a strong curiosity about the whereabouts of teachers at precisely four o'clock. This specific time is significant because it marks the end of the school day, and the poet wonders what happens to the teachers once they are no longer in the school environment.

Question 2

  1. What are the things normal people do that the poet talks about?
Solution: The poet describes several common activities that ordinary people engage in. These include living in houses, washing their socks, wearing pyjamas at home, watching television, picking their noses, living with their parents, making spelling mistakes, behaving badly, making errors, receiving punishment, losing their belongings like books, scribbling on surfaces such as desk tops, and wearing old, perhaps dirty, jeans.

Question 3

  1. What does he imagine about

    (a) where teachers live?

    (b) what they do at home?

    (c) the people with whom they live?

    (d) their activities when they were children in school?

Solution:

(a) The poet imagines that teachers live in ordinary houses, just like other people do.

(b) He pictures them doing everyday domestic chores at home, such as washing their socks, wearing comfortable pyjamas, and engaging in simple habits like picking their noses, while also relaxing by watching television.

(c) The poet wonders about the families teachers live with. He questions if they live with other people and specifically if they have parents, just as he does.

(d) Reflecting on their past, the poet imagines that teachers, when they were children in school, were also prone to misbehaving. He pictures them making mistakes, not spelling words correctly, and facing consequences like being punished. He also imagines they might have engaged in specific childish actions like pinching chocolate flakes, losing their hymn books, scribbling on desk tops, or wearing old, dirty jeans.

Question 4

  1. Why does the poet wonder if teachers also do things that other people do?
Solution: The poet wonders if teachers engage in the same everyday activities as other people because, from his perspective in school, teachers appear to be extraordinary beings. They are perceived as strict, infallible figures who never make mistakes and are quick to punish students for any errors. This contrast between their classroom persona and the ordinary human behavior he observes in others sparks his curiosity.

Question 5

  1. How does the poet plan to find out? What will he do once he finds out?
Solution: The poet has a specific plan to satisfy his curiosity. He intends to follow one of his teachers home after school on a particular day. By observing their actions and routines outside the school premises, he hopes to discover what teachers do in their personal lives. Once he has gathered this information, his intention is to transform these observations into a poem, which he then imagines the teachers themselves might read to their own students.

Question 6

2. What do you think these phrases from the poem mean?

  1. punished in the corner
Solution: The phrase "punished in the corner" refers to a disciplinary measure where a student who has misbehaved is made to stand in a specific corner of the classroom as a form of punishment. This is a common method used in schools to make a student reflect on their actions.

Question 7

  1. leave their greens
Solution: The phrase "leave their greens" likely refers to the act of leaving the playground or the area where students might be playing or spending their break time. The term "greens" could metaphorically represent the outdoor play area. The action implies that students must depart from this area, possibly the playground, as soon as the bell rings, signaling the end of their break and the start of the next class.

Common mistakes

  • Confusing the poet's imaginative questions with factual statements.
  • Misinterpreting the meaning of poetic phrases.
  • Not fully grasping the contrast between teachers' school behavior and their presumed home life.

Revision tips

  • Read the poem aloud to grasp its rhythm and tone.
  • Discuss with classmates what you imagine teachers do after school.
  • Focus on understanding the poet's perspective and the questions asked.
  • Pay attention to the meaning of phrases like 'punished in the corner' and 'leave their greens'.

Practice MCQs

Q1. Why does the poet wonder about teachers' lives after school?

Q2. What does the poet imagine teachers do at home?

Q3. What does the phrase 'punished in the corner' likely refer to in the poem?

Q4. What is the poet's plan to find out about teachers' lives?

Q5. What does the poet intend to do with the information he gathers?

Frequently asked questions

What is the main theme of the poem 'Where do all the Teachers Go?'

The main theme is the poet's curiosity and imagination about teachers' lives outside of school, wondering if they are ordinary people with personal routines and childhoods like everyone else.

Why does the poet ask if teachers also make mistakes?

The poet asks this because, in school, teachers are often seen as perfect figures who don't make mistakes and even punish students for theirs. He wonders if this perfection extends to their private lives.

What does the poet mean by 'punished in the corner'?

This phrase refers to a common form of punishment where a child is made to stand in the corner of the classroom for misbehaving.

How do these NCERT solutions help Class 6 students?

These solutions provide clear, rewritten answers to the poem's questions, helping students understand the meaning, themes, and specific phrases, aiding in their comprehension and exam preparation.

What is the poet's plan to find out about teachers' lives?

The poet plans to follow a teacher home after school to observe their activities and then write a poem about it.

Important links

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