Memories of Mrs. Tilscher's Primary School Classroom

In Mrs Tilscher’s Class
Annotations
 
In Mrs Tilscher’s Class
by Carol Ann Duffy
Title
Title locates the poem within a
school environment. In the poem,
the unnamed speaker
remembers her experiences in
the classroom of a teacher called
Mrs Tilsher.
4 stanzas
8 lines in stanzas 1 + 2
7 lines in stanzas 3 + 4
 
The classroom is a
primary classroom
and, from the content
of the poem, the
poem seems to take
place in the last year
of primary school.
There are 4 stanzas of
regular length (so you can
call them ‘verses’.) Each
verse has 8 lines in each.
This layout suits the
structured nature of the
primary school day.
A pattern seems to be
established (regular and
predictable, like a
timetable in primary
school). However, this is
disrupted, like the school
children’s lives. Four
pairs (eight lines) feels
rounded off; seven lines
feel unfinished, creating
an unsettling feeling.
Stanza 1
You
 could travel up the Blue Nile
with your finger, tracing the route
while MrsTilscher 
chanted
 the scenery
Tana
. 
Ethiopia
. 
Khartoum
. 
Aswan
.
That for an hour
, then a 
skittle of milk
and the chalky Pyramids rubbed into dust.
A window opened with a long pole.
The laugh of a bell
 swung by a running child.
Use of the second
person pronoun (‘you’)
creates a chatty tone
and draws the reader
into the poem.
This long first sentence mirrors the
‘journey’ the children take and the
length of the sentence suggests that
the children trace the route slowly
and carefully.
This appeals to the sense of hearing and is also
personification. The sound of the bell is being
compared to someone laughing. People laugh
when they’re happy so this helps to create a
happy, carefree atmosphere.
Short (one word)
sentences mimic the
way the teacher said
the words and
waited for the pupils
to repeat them.
Common in primary
classrooms.
The word choice of
‘chanted’ tells the reader
that she is singing.
Primary teachers often
use a sing-song voice.
Informal tone.
Tells you pupils’
day were
arranged into
‘chunks’ of time.
This simile
compares the milk
bottles to white
bowling pins.
Bowling is a fun
game that children
enjoy, so this make
the classroom
environment sound
happy and fun.
Stanza 2
This was better than home
. 
Enthralling books
.
The classroom glowed like a sweetshop
.
Sugar paper
. 
Coloured shapes
. 
Brady and Hindley
faded, like a faint uneasy smudge of a mistake
.
Mrs Tilscher loved you
. Some mornings, you found
she’d left a 
good gold star
 by your name.
The scent of a pencil, slowly, carefully, shaved.
A xylophone’s nonsense
 heard from another form.
Informal tone.
Tells you how
much the pupils
enjoyed being in
Mrs Tilscher’s
class.
Short sentence emphasise how
enthralled the children were. The
word choice of ‘enthralling’
describes how interested the
children were in the books (and
learning in her classroom). They
obviously enjoy being there.
This is personification. The
word ‘nonsense’ suggests
a fun atmosphere, but
also that the song is being
played by a small child
who cannot play very well.
(Sense of hearing.)
The short, simple
sentences helps
the reader to
imagine the simple
coloured shapes.
 
This simile compares
the classroom to
sweetshop. Children
love being in
sweetshops and there
is a wide variety of
tempting thing on
offer in them, so this
makes the classroom
sound like an exciting
place.
The use of commas slows
down the sentence, mirroring
the slow sharpening of a
pencil. This implies the pupil
is young and having to
concentrate to do this simple
task.
Word choice – these
are words only a
primary school
teacher would use.
Stanza 3
Over the 
Easter term
, 
the inky tadpoles changed
from commas into exclamation marks
. Three frogs
hopped in the playground, freed by a 
dunce
,
followed by a line of kids, jumping and 
croaking
away from the lunch queue. A 
rough
 boy
told you 
how you were born
. 
You kicked him
, but stared
at your parents, 
appalled
, when you got back home .
Setting / word
choice – gives
details about
time passing;
‘term’ fits with
the school
setting.
This metaphor represents the children getting bigger /
growing older. The frog metaphor is revisited in the next
line. The use of the image of commas and explanation
marks tells you about size but also complements the
classroom setting (where commas and other punctuation
marks would have been learned).
Parenthesis / word choice.
Emphasises the strong
feelings of disgust felt by the
speaker at the realisation that
his / her parents must have
had sex. Complex sentence –
complex thoughts.
 
Evokes a
certain stage
of life –
where you
gain
knowledge
about the
facts of life.
Word choice – this
word was specific
to a school setting /
is not in common
use anymore.
Sound – echoes
the sound of the
boys’ voices
breaking.
Long sentence
represents the
long lunch queue.
Word choice – tells
us about the
speaker (she is
from a sheltered
background).
Unable to deal with
these emotions, the
speaker reacts
physically to this
difficult information,
showing emotional
immaturity.
Stanza 4
That feverish July
, the 
air tasted of electricity
.
A tangible alarm 
made you always 
untidy, hot,
fractious
 under the 
heavy sexy sky
. You asked her
how you were born and Mrs Tilscher smiled,
then turned away
. 
Reports were handed out
.
You
 ran through the gates, impatient to be grown,
As the sky split open into a thunderstorm
.
Personification /
word choice.
Feverish has
connotations of:
sick, ill, hot,
exciting.
Metaphor. Electricity has
connotations of danger; small
children are often warned about the
dangers of electricity. However, it
also suggests excitement (“the
atmosphere was electric”).
Parenthesis –
emphasises the
stage in life where
children are eager
to grow up. Builds
on word choice of
‘ran’.
July – time is
passing again. July
= end of the school
year.
 
List – suggests that
the speaker feels
uncomfortable.
Mrs T is turning
away literally and
metaphorically –
the pupils are
growing up and
she cannot
answer all their
questions
anymore.
Personification – the
sky cannot be sexy.
Represents the
speaker’s emerging
sexuality.
Word choice –
alarm suggest a
warning siren
going off / that
the speaker is in
a panic.
Short sentence /
setting. End of the
school year.
Using the pronoun
‘you’ – informal
tone. Also
universalises the
poem’s theme of
growing up.
This metaphor represents
the dramatic feelings of
growing up. Thunder is
powerful, scary, exciting.
The word ‘split’ also
suggests something
breaking that can never be
fixed (loss of innocence?).
What’s it all about?
It documents the speaker’s metaphorical
journey in their final year of primary
school.
It begins with the safe, familiar
environment of the primary classroom.
As the year goes on, the atmosphere
changes, becoming more unsettling.
Themes
Childhood
Growing up
Innocence
Self-realisation
Nostalgia
Possible questions
An important experience from the past
A poem in which an aspect of life has
been revealed
A poem which is thought provoking
A poem which is relevant to young people
A poem which deals with an emotion such
as happiness, sadness, joy, nostalgia…
A poem which deals with an unpleasant
event
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The poem "Mrs. Tilscher's Class" by Carol Ann Duffy captures the nostalgic reminiscence of a primary school classroom through vivid imagery and descriptive language. The speaker recalls the structure, joy, and innocence of their last year in primary school under the guidance of Mrs. Tilscher. The use of second-person pronouns, short sentences, and comparisons to everyday experiences creates a vibrant and engaging portrayal of a classroom where learning is intertwined with happiness and exploration.


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  1. ANd9GcTmb103IrVQDOQU12YA5rUt9A3Kpl4qna5RyM05c-yS0qhHAXgg6_Wb9K8ANd9GcTmb103IrVQDOQU12YA5rUt9A3Kpl4qna5RyM05c-yS0qhHAXgg6_Wb9K8 In Mrs Tilscher s Class ANd9GcQs4vSk3kHfLkV7Uu-IifSXyAQ8WqV4rHRpHy-pYLOgKJHLJRWqdvbdBlCl Annotations

  2. Title The classroom is a primary classroom and, from the content of the poem, the poem seems to take place in the last year of primary school. Title locates the poem within a school environment. In the poem, the unnamed speaker remembers her experiences in the classroom of a teacher called Mrs Tilsher. A pattern seems to be established (regular and predictable, like a timetable in primary school). However, this is disrupted, like the school children s lives. Four pairs (eight lines) feels rounded off; seven lines feel unfinished, creating an unsettling feeling. In Mrs Tilscher s Class There are 4 stanzas of regular length (so you can call them verses .) Each verse has 8 lines in each. This layout suits the structured nature of the primary school day. by Carol Ann Duffy 4 stanzas 8 lines in stanzas 1 + 2 7 lines in stanzas 3 + 4

  3. Use of the second person pronoun ( you ) creates a chatty tone and draws the reader into the poem. This long first sentence mirrors the journey the children take and the length of the sentence suggests that the children trace the route slowly and carefully. Stanza 1 Short (one word) sentences mimic the way the teacher said the words and waited for the pupils to repeat them. Common in primary classrooms. The word choice of chanted tells the reader that she is singing. Primary teachers often use a sing-song voice. You could travel up the Blue Nile with your finger, tracing the route while MrsTilscher chanted the scenery Tana. Ethiopia. Khartoum. Aswan. That for an hour, then a skittle of milk and the chalky Pyramids rubbed into dust. A window opened with a long pole. The laugh of a bell swung by a running child. This simile compares the milk bottles to white bowling pins. Bowling is a fun game that children enjoy, so this make the classroom environment sound happy and fun. Informal tone. Tells you pupils day were arranged into chunks of time. This appeals to the sense of hearing and is also personification. The sound of the bell is being compared to someone laughing. People laugh when they re happy so this helps to create a happy, carefree atmosphere.

  4. Short sentence emphasise how enthralled the children were. The word choice of enthralling describes how interested the children were in the books (and learning in her classroom). They obviously enjoy being there. This simile compares the classroom to sweetshop. Children love being in sweetshops and there is a wide variety of tempting thing on offer in them, so this makes the classroom sound like an exciting place. Informal tone. Tells you how much the pupils enjoyed being in Mrs Tilscher s class. Stanza 2 The short, simple sentences helps the reader to imagine the simple coloured shapes. This was better than home. Enthralling books. The classroom glowed like a sweetshop. Sugar paper. Coloured shapes. Brady and Hindley faded, like a faint uneasy smudge of a mistake. Mrs Tilscher loved you. Some mornings, you found she d left a good gold star by your name. The scent of a pencil, slowly, carefully, shaved. A xylophone s nonsense heard from another form. Word choice these are words only a primary school teacher would use. The use of commas slows down the sentence, mirroring the slow sharpening of a pencil. This implies the pupil is young and having to concentrate to do this simple task. This is personification. The word nonsense suggests a fun atmosphere, but also that the song is being played by a small child who cannot play very well. (Sense of hearing.)

  5. This metaphor represents the children getting bigger / growing older. The frog metaphor is revisited in the next line. The use of the image of commas and explanation marks tells you about size but also complements the classroom setting (where commas and other punctuation marks would have been learned). Setting / word choice gives details about time passing; term fits with the school setting. Stanza 3 Word choice this word was specific to a school setting / is not in common use anymore. Over the Easter term, the inky tadpoles changed from commas into exclamation marks. Three frogs hopped in the playground, freed by a dunce, followed by a line of kids, jumping and croaking away from the lunch queue. A rough boy told you how you were born. You kicked him, but stared at your parents, appalled, when you got back home . Sound echoes the sound of the boys voices breaking. Evokes a certain stage of life where you gain knowledge about the facts of life. Long sentence represents the long lunch queue. Unable to deal with these emotions, the speaker reacts physically to this difficult information, showing emotional immaturity. Parenthesis / word choice. Emphasises the strong feelings of disgust felt by the speaker at the realisation that his / her parents must have had sex. Complex sentence complex thoughts. Word choice tells us about the speaker (she is from a sheltered background).

  6. Metaphor. Electricity has connotations of danger; small children are often warned about the dangers of electricity. However, it also suggests excitement ( the atmosphere was electric ). List suggests that the speaker feels uncomfortable. Personification / word choice. Feverish has connotations of: sick, ill, hot, exciting. Stanza 4 July time is passing again. July = end of the school year. That feverish July, the air tasted of electricity. A tangible alarm made you always untidy, hot, fractious under the heavy sexy sky. You asked her how you were born and Mrs Tilscher smiled, then turned away. Reports were handed out. You ran through the gates, impatient to be grown, As the sky split open into a thunderstorm. Personification the sky cannot be sexy. Represents the speaker s emerging sexuality. Word choice alarm suggest a warning siren going off / that the speaker is in a panic. Short sentence / setting. End of the school year. Mrs T is turning away literally and metaphorically the pupils are growing up and she cannot answer all their questions anymore. This metaphor represents the dramatic feelings of growing up. Thunder is powerful, scary, exciting. The word split also suggests something breaking that can never be fixed (loss of innocence?). Using the pronoun you informal tone. Also universalises the poem s theme of growing up. Parenthesis emphasises the stage in life where children are eager to grow up. Builds on word choice of ran .

  7. Whats it all about? It documents the speaker s metaphorical journey in their final year of primary school. It begins with the safe, familiar environment of the primary classroom. As the year goes on, the atmosphere changes, becoming more unsettling.

  8. Themes Childhood Growing up Innocence Self-realisation Nostalgia

  9. Possible questions An important experience from the past A poem in which an aspect of life has been revealed A poem which is thought provoking A poem which is relevant to young people A poem which deals with an emotion such as happiness, sadness, joy, nostalgia A poem which deals with an unpleasant event

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