Full well they laughed, with counterfeited glee, 
At all his jokes, for many a joke had he; 
Full well the busy whisper, circling round, 
Conveyed the dismal tidings when he frowned;

 a. Why did they laugh with counterfeited glee? 
b. What does it mean “for many a joke had he” 
c. What happened when the teacher was sad?

The main focus of the poem is ………………
i. the teacher
ii. the lessons being taught
iii. the behaviour of the students
iv. the villagers

The poem has
i. a regular rhythm and a definite structure
ii. a loose structure and an irregular rhythm
iii. noticeable rhythm or structure
iv. a definite structure but an irregular rhythm

Where would the schoolmaster conduct his lessons? Describe the surroundings in which his school lay.

The teacher is described as a man skilled to rule. What does the word rule suggest about the teacher’s role and about the students he teaches?

The schoolmaster is described in stanza two as severe and stern. Yet, in stanza four, he is described as kind. How does the poet justify this apparent contradiction in the character of the schoolmaster? (Check the fourth stanza) Is there any other evidence that he is not always severe and stern?

The schoolmaster was able to conceal his emotions and feelings from his students. Is this statement true or false? Quote relevant lines from the poem to justify your choice and explain your point of view clearly.

....they laugh’d with counterfeited glee, At all his Jokes ..... 

a. What does the poem mean by counterfeited glee? 
b. Why was their glee ‘counterfeited’? 
c. What does this tell you about (i) the students and (ii) the schoolmaster?

While words of learned length and thund’ring sound 
Amazed the gazing rustics rang’d around; 
And still they gaz’d and still the wonder grew, 
That one small head could carry all he knew. 

a. To the villagers, the village schoolmaster was a man of many talents. To which one of his talents is reference being made in the first line of the extract? What was special about the words he used?
b. What other skills or abilities of the schoolmaster are described in the poem from which the extract has been taken? 
c. Select the word (or words) from the brackets which could be used to complete the sentence given below: The attitude of the villagers towards the schoolteacher was one of ____________ . (fear; love; awe; amazement; respect; indifference; anger; scorn; cynicism) Would you share the villagers’ impression of the schoolmaster?

Complete the sentence given below by choosing an appropriate conclusion from the list given in brackets. Explain your choice, referring to details in the poem to justify your point of view. The poet describes the village schoolmaster ____________. (in a humorous and somewhat ironic way; gently and affectionately; in a harshly critical manner; in an angry tone; as if he wants to mock or make fun of him)

With blossom’d furze unprofitably gay. Why is the furze (a kind of wildflower) described as being unprofitably gay?

Well had the boding tremblers.... 

i. Who were tremblers? Why did they tremble? 
ii. Explain the word boding here.

Locate words in the poem which mean the same as the following. i. laid out in an irregular way; not straight ii. path iii. cheerful iv. a student who stays away from school without a proper reason v. misfortunes or calamities vi. insincere, not genuine vii. news of information viii. foretell or predict ix. defeated x. villagers

The portrait of the teacher in the poem you have just read is that of a simple educator who lived and taught in a small village in 18th century England. Do you think he served a useful purpose in the community in which he lived?

What are the skills a modern teacher must possess in order to be effective in a 21st-century educational environment? Make a list of these attributes and compare them with lists compiled by your classmates.

Think about the many teachers who have taught you over the years. Make a list of the qualities displayed by an excellent teacher who has taught you.

Write a short story in which the central character resembles the teacher you have described in question one. The title of the story could be: UNFORGETTABLE.