Richard

Daddy, English teacher, HoD, English Language examiner, ultra-runner and very poor lead guitarist

[Richard @richdown3rdsch]

@Miss_Snuffy There has been no substantial change to the English curriculum in content or nature of questions over the last five years. The worst that can be said is Eduqas tends to have slightly pathetic males as supporting characters in its English Language C1 reading papers.

[Richard @richdown3rdsch]

@shadylady222 I’m the same. There’s always more rabbit holes than useful stuff these days. I do appreciate the teaching material that is shared but far too often I briefly scroll, have a mild swear and roll my eyes before closing the app for a week or so.

[Richard @richdown3rdsch]

@fandompulse Language, and the ideas it transmits, is always political. The writer doesn’t emerge fully formed from a vacuum. They’re the product of their culture. This is actively or passively reinforced or challenged in their work.
Overtly, preachy texts, like this one, are dull, though!

[Richard @richdown3rdsch]

@latimeralder @BarryNSmith79 Is there a sense in which this post could be seen to celebrate, or at least highlight, a lack of fuel security and dependency on other states’ production of gas and oil?

[Richard @richdown3rdsch]

@C_Hendrick Yes, so much of your thread I totally agree with! Brilliant. Ideas first and last. Just a tweak: scaffolding the process of written expression does in itself generate ideas if done properly. Language (including structure) both expresses and forms the ideas it reaches for.

[Richard @richdown3rdsch]

@Justadulbloke @MichaelRosenYes I did switch off from fiction for a few years as a teenage lad but then Anthony Hyde The Red Fox got me in an English lesson and I asked my folks to buy the book. From there to George Smiley and the Circus. Then reading for pleasure included lots of non fiction and stories too.

[Richard @richdown3rdsch]

@BarryNSmith79 There are Rivers in the Sky is my current read alongside Landman on TV. Longer (1hr) on TV and then this message, than reading - 20 to 30 mins before bed. All the other teachers in my dept read too and two write lots. One is now published.

[Richard @richdown3rdsch]

@llewelyn20 @engteacherabro2 Agreed. Massively so.
The sheer complexity of a lesson, even when everything is where it should be, is mind blowing and exhausting. It’s part of what keeps me going though.

[Richard @richdown3rdsch]

@KissKissBBang @ArchRose90 Who is the crocodile in this situation? Who should Starmer not appease?

[Richard @richdown3rdsch]

@elonmusk In ‘England’ the last significant invasion was by the Normans. Within a few generations Edward Hammer of the Welsh forced indigenous tribes to the hilly edges. The bitterness of defeat and sense of colonial oppression still haunts us Welsh. Claim thats woke in Wrexham. Dare you!

[Tom Sherrington @teacherhead]

@tombennett71 That makes me feel empty bitter and ashamed

[Richard @richdown3rdsch]

@oldandrewuk True but 5 or 6 joyless lessons back to back, 5 days a week and then dull homework is not a recipe for any real engagement either. Equally, having fun and being playful is not intrinsically bad. Irony, humour, fun are the areas kids most often overlook in literature for example.

[Donal Hale @HaleDonal]

🚨BOOK GIVEAWAY🚨

To celebrate the release of Leading Secondary English from @BloomsburyEd on 12 February, I am giving away not one, but TWO FREE COPIES.

To be in for a chance of winning, simply 'like' and 'repost' below. 👇

Winners will be chosen on Monday 2nd February.

[Richard @richdown3rdsch]

@justinskycak And (rather than but) a range of methods allows the same thing to be acquired and stored in different ways by the same person maximising the chance of recall and use. Learning styles might be bunk but perhaps a varied diet of instructional methods is still valid?

[Richard @richdown3rdsch]

@Positivteacha @AQAEnglish I asked AQA directly whether any one text resulted in higher grades in August year and got no response.
I do think that the quality of the text is proportional to the quality of the range of possible responses. Macbeth gets higher marks from our kids than So4, every time.

[Richard @richdown3rdsch]

@Positivteacha AQA Examiner feedback mentions that the less frequently taught texts often result in candidates producing less regurgitation and more thoughtful discussion.

[Richard @richdown3rdsch]

@Positivteacha We currently teach The Sign of Four. We’re considering a switch to ACC. The feeling is that the language and plotting conspire to confuse many readers. With ACC, the plot is fairly well known. Language and meaning then become easier to delve into.

[Richard @richdown3rdsch]

@marcportermagee @AmmarMerhbi It’s cold there though, right?

[Richard @richdown3rdsch]

Animal Hero, First Class.

[The White House @WhiteHouse]

PEACE PRESIDENT. 🕊️

@FIFAWorldCup President Gianni Infantino awards President Donald J. Trump the inaugural 2025 FIFA Peace Prize, dedicated to an individual who achieved exceptional and extraordinary action to promote peace and unity around the world. 🇺🇸

[Richard @richdown3rdsch]

@dearaunty @NJ_Timothy I do get the fear of ‘mission creep’ and the state becoming too intrusive though.