I'm loving the recent trend of books on the reign of James I. Charles & Cromwell tend to get all the attention but I love teaching about James. All 3 of these are full of stories and details that help bring the reign to life for me and my students. Highly recommended. #historyteacher #history

Such an important report. Please take the time to engage.

Following my talk at @ttrhistory.bsky.social on Saturday, I wanted to share our dept approach to making good history booklets. Hopefully it will be useful. Feel free to message me if you would like to know any more. #ttrhums Firstly, why booklets?

This book needs its own post. When it started, it was a bit meh. Not a great bit of writing, just a band guy chatting on. But as it progressed, I started listening to the songs he wrote about, watching the videos...it made sense. Now it is done, I'm listening... One More Time - man. 🥰😫

This looks so exciting for our little part of Cheshire BBC News - New Crewe history centre ‘to be stuffed with stories’ - BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Teaching Y9 today about Henry V offering the crown jewels as a guarantee to his soldiers before Agincourt. A lad looked horrified and asked me if they were his actual crown jewels while gesturing at his crotch. Apparently that phrase has more than one meaning to 14 year old boys 😂😂😂 #historyteacher

If any teachers out there have a set or even just a couple of these textbooks at the back of a cupboard and would be willing to sell, please let me know. We need a few more for September and have no budget so can't really afford new. Thanks! #historyteacher

Queueing outside the Sir John Soane Museum because my son is so loving @mglnrd.bsky.social new book which begins here, he wants me to go in and facetime him. I'm a little worried he is expecting time travel....he told me to be on the look out for keys 😉

This looks like a brilliant opportunity for any AQA GCSE History teachers! #historyteacher

Highly recommend this series (1st episode linked here) on the history of Ireland. It starts with pre-Tudor attempts at colonisation and goes through the Troubles to modern day. Fascinating for us English of Irish heritage who should know more! #history open.spotify.com/episode/2vWM...

Found myself channelling Dr Evil when teaching Y11 about Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative today. "So, lads, the idea was to get space lasers...." (obviously with air quotes!) #historyteacher

Spent far too long with Y13 today researching if replicas of Mao's mangoes were still available to buy online after discussing this fascinating story from the Cultural Revolution. #HistoryTeacher (They are but mostly plastic ones!) www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazin...

For 2025, I've decided to focus on rediscovering fiction. I've loved reading so much excellent historical non-fiction over the past few years but it left little time for thrillers, mysteries and romances. So 2025 = tipping the balance to fiction (including historical fiction, an underrated genre!).

Teaching Y12, I got far too excited when comparing the Junto of the 1640s to @thetraitors.bsky.social But seriously, think about it. A secret group manipulating events, puppet mastering and controlling....even committing treason by encouraging the Scots to invade. Actual traitors. #HistoryTeacher

Was analysing this cartoon with Y11 today and asked them to come up with a caption. Some great ones like "unlikely friends", some funny ones like "Stalin swooning" but my fav has to be "Hitler's rizz" 😂 Lucky I kind of know Gen Z banter despite my old age, so understood!! #historyteacher

Two of my worst nightmares are clowns and popping balloons. 🤡🎈 Hey, @thetraitors.bsky.social , throw in some spiders and I'm never sleeping again 😳😳

Couldn't answer this one today @teachertapp.bsky.social We have at least one building from every one of those eras 🤷‍♀️😂 Earliest 1850, newest 2022!

Finally started marking my Y11 mocks. (Under a blanket with biscuits, obviously, I'm not a total weirdo). Within pages, I'm rudely back in the land of school with one sentence: "The Munich Putsch was a march through Berlin..." Yep. Sigh. #historyteacher

Worth watching for teachers of Crime & Punishment. Focuses on the stories of life in Whitechapel around the Ripper crimes. Plus Lucy Worsley interviewing Hallie Rubenhold and Julia Laite while drinking gin in the Ten Bells pub might be my actual dream event 😍 #historyteacher

I've really enjoyed recording my reads online over the past few years. 2022 - 55 books 2023 - 56 books 2024 - 74 books This year I'm trialling a paper reading journal as I don't use X anymore & am not sure on this site yet. Will post any particularly good ones here in case there is interest though!

I think I'm a 2, but under a blanket.

The Royal Variety Show has reminded me that I still know the words to all the original Starlight Express songs 😍🎶 My son is unimpressed at the amazing performance I just gave though 🤷‍♀️😂

One of my favourite lessons with Y13 this week! Got them to read the intro chapter to Dikotter's book on Dictators and individually identify what makes a dictator. They added their views to a word cloud - so visually powerful. Two different classes, two similar results! #historyteacher

Students: "it is a primary source written at the time, so it is reliable" 😳😳😳 #historyteacher

The best thing about DNA Journey being back on TV is that I get to covet the wonderful Brad Argent's job once again. Who among us wouldn't want to work researching family trees and sharing the historical context 😍

When marking A-Level essays assessing James I's religious issues and THREE students have managed to miss out the Gunpowder Plot..... (It's not like we spent 3 lessons discussing it 🤷‍♀️😂). #Historyteacher

Started my favourite unit with Y9 yesterday on 20th century dictators. My aim was to encourage them to engage with scholarship. They read an abridged version of Dikotter's intro to his 'Dictators' book and annotated it to find words and features of dictators. 1/2 #historyteacher

Enjoying some down time before heading to see The Rest is Politics tour at Manchester Apollo later tonight. Brought appropriate reading material!

Cannot put this down (currently reading it on a train!). It is so good, so funny, so spot on, so Jess Phillips! Sassy, sweary and taking no prisoners! Strong recommend. Also, this copy is from the local library - shout out for how awesome libraries are! ❤️📚

The excitement when a Y12 student asked me if I could recommend any books for our current course!! 📚 The poor lad probably didn't expect me to unload my bookshelf and talk him through each one 😂 #historyteacher

Hey #historyteacher people on BlueSky....Carmel is here 🥳

I love that Comedy Central is replaying classic films from my childhood. Watched Willow last week and realised I knew it almost word for word. This week, it is Return to Oz. I'd forgotten how scary I found this film as a child!

Handing out Y11 books and discovered two with the same boy's name on the cover. On investigation, we discovered that his mate, who sits next to him, clearly copies him so much that he even copied his name 🙈🙈🤷‍♀️ Year. 11. This lad is 15. There are no words 😂

Does Michaela Strachan ever age? I'm sure she looks the same now as when I watched her in the Wide Awake Club when I was a kid!

Just watched Wycliffe for the first time since I was a kid, and I stand by my childhood view that the theme tune is the greatest of all time. That cello is 👌

All in all, a good first week back. Although I'd forgotten how much you need to retrain your voice and legs 😂 Sore throat and achy muscles (plus a blister on my toe!). Signs of a lazy summer and a busy few days! 😉😆 Happy weekend all.

Ah, the back to school anxiety, right on time. Couldn't sleep til early hours worrying about how we are going to fit in our Y11 curriculum, then dreamt that I arrived at my first lesson late and unprepared. Sigh. I was quite looking forward to the new term, but clearly, my subconscious is not 🙄😮‍💨😒

Watching Blankety Blank and shouting at my husband that Brian Conley looks just like Dick Van Dyke....and then Tom Allen said the same! My lookalikes are rarely seconded. 😂

Last night, my 10 year old uttered the words: "What was the Battle of Hastings?" I feel I have let down history teacher parents everywhere. I'm sorry. Also, guess what his bedtime story was last night. Gory bits and all 😁😁

Reading 'The Blazing World' by Jonathan Healey and feel this paragraph, while about the 17th century, feels very relevant to the modern world. Fake news and media rumour mills are nothing new 😂😂 #historyteacher

I ❤️ libraries.

🧵SCENARIO: Big day coming up - RESULTS! You feel you should go in, you've been appointed subject lead for the new year. You arrive on Thursday and feel... well... like a spare part. Imposter syndrome kicks in - "as the new HOD of X/Y/Z should I be, y'know, doing something?" 😩... [1/2]

So apparently everyone in England decided to be on the roads today 😒😮‍💨Travelling from Norfolk to Cheshire took us 6 hours. It was hot and grumpy! Nice to be home after a lovely couple of family-filled weeks. Now to tackle the washing pile...😬

Giving this a try, alongside Threads, to see which I get on better with, after winding down my use of twitter. Hoping to continue to connect with the history teaching community. 👋