Once again, for #blackhistorymonth I'll be highlighting some of the all time greats from the world of sport and performance in a month-long thread. Trailblazers, record breakers, game-changers. One every day. Settle in.... Let's start with...

Last week at Labour Conference there was lots of chat about wanting to give children more choice over what they learn. But it always prompts me to think of this question. It’s a good challenge.

1. This Endless Rain. Cerys Matthews. 2. Blame It On The Weatherman. B*Witched. 3. Come In From The Rain. Diana Ross. 4. We’re All Alone. Rita Coolidge. 5. Rainy Days & Mondays. The Carpenters. #FridayFive (And finally an all-female list!)

#FridayFive has children requesting "robot songs." Sorry. 1. The Robots. Kraftwerk. 2. Yoshemi Battles the Pink Robots. The Flaming Lips. 3. Mr Roboto. Styx. 4. Intergalactic. The Beastie Boys. 5. Around the World. Daft Punk.

#FridayFive is into autumn. 1. Who Knows Where The Time Goes? Fairport Convention. 2. Omaha. Counting Crows. 3. November Rain. Guns n Roses. 4. Wake Up Boo. The Boo Radleys. 5. The Boys of Summer. Don Henley.

#FridayFive Best characters in songs. 1. Mr Wendell. Arrested Development. 2. All I Wanna Do. Sheryl Crowe. 3. Common People. Pulp. 4. Obla-di-obla-da. The Beatles. 5. Lola. The Kinks.

#FridayFive is making a new start. 1. Wide Open Spaces. The Chicks. 2. Eden. Amanda Platt and the Honeycutters. 3. Omaha. Counting Crows. 4. The Dog Days Are Over. Florence and the Machine. 5. Start Me Up. The Rolling Stones.

Terrific piece about bus garage cricket in C20 London. observer.co.uk/news/sport/a...

#FridayFive is hot. 1. Kashmir. Led Zeppelin. 2. Call Me Maybe. Carly Rae Jepsen. 3. Burning. The War on Drugs. 4. Summer Son. Texas. 5. Heat Wave. Martha and the Vandellas.

#FridayFive 1. Be Agressive. Faith No More 2. Better than Revenge. Taylor Swift 3. Warriors of Genghis Khan. Bad News 4. Caroline. Kirsty McColl 5. Not Ready to Make Nice. Dixie Chicks

1. Walk by Pantera 2. Argument by Jah Batta 3. Cuss Cuss by Lloyd Robinson and Sly and Robbie 4. Love and Hate by Dennis Brown 5. Losing Friends by Death From Above 1979 #FridayFive

#FridayFive is arguing with its friends. 1. Go Your Own Way. Fleetwood Mac. 2. Can't Stand Me Now. The Libertines. 3. Two Tribes. Frankie Goes to Hollywood. 4. Saturday Night.. Elton John. 5. Mama Said Knock You Out. LL Cool J.

This past semester was the most stressful of my academic career. I had 180 students and about half cheated at some point in the semester They submit weekly reflections where the questions are opinion-based, graded only on effort, don't care about grammar SO MANY students submitted ChatGPT essays

#FridayFive is singing songs round the camp fire. Vibes fine. Loose rules this week. 1. Pocahontas. Neil Young. 2. Blue Shadows on the Trail. The Three Amigos. 3. Redemption Song. Bob Marley. 4. Wide Open Spaces. The Dixie Chicks. 5. Whiskey in the Jar. Traditional but Thin Lizzy best version.

Labour going hard on immigration = 1. Damaging the economy 2. Pushing pissed off left-leaning voters to the Greens, Plaid, the SNP and the LibDems 3. Offering nowhere near enough for Reform-leaning voters All in all, politically and economically illiterate.

Schools MUST receive a FULLY funded and FAIR pay award for staff this year. There is no fat to trim- you cannot skin a skeleton.

This is high art

Pedants of the world unite! This week's #Fridayfive has SPaG problems: 1. Cemetry Gates - The Smiths 2. Don't You Want Me - Human League 3. Lay Lady Lay - Bob Dylan 4. Bodys - Car Seat Headrest 5. September Gurls - Big Star Please RT for wide audience, as covering for @bennewmark.bsky.social

📢 RE teacher wanted 📍 King Edward VII Academy, King’s Lynn 🗓️ Sept 2025 | 3 days/week | Maternity cover ✅ Teach GCSE/A Level ✅ RE-specific CPD ✅ Disciplinary curriculum & centralised resources ✅ Trust-wide RE community DM me to chat. Please share #TeamRE www.inspirationtrust.org/1603/vacancy...

Columbia Journalism Review tested eight generative AI search tools and found their answers were wrong 60% of the time, and the paid ones actually fared worse than the free ones. Meanwhile, millions of people trust the way they present total bullshit with confident language.

Chapter sub-headings getting daft now, or just a regular Thursday night out? #theworld #simonsebagmontefiore

I first thought it was Dominic Cumming’s sticking his head through one of those face in the hole boards

Worth reading

I'm going to have to watch it, I guess. Eugh.

#FridayFive a highlight after every long week. Thanks @bennewmark.bsky.social

#FridayFive Songs that would be better as the English national anthem than GSTQ. 1. Always Look on the Bright Side of Life. Monty Python. 2. One Day Like This (the chorus). Elbow. 3. Bittersweet Symphany. The Verve. 4. Little Help from My Friends. The Beatles. 5. Set Me Free. NTrance.

#FridayFive Rain. 1. Kiss the Rain. Bille Myers. 2. Why Does It Always Rain On Me? Travis. 3. Rainy Days and Mondays. The Carpenters. 4. Purple Rain. Prince. 5. Umbrella. Rihanna.

NEW: SchoolsWeek have published an article covering the DFE response to 'THAT' Birbalsingh meeting, Govt's minutes claim ed sec had to ask head to 'allow me to finish my sentences' schoolsweek.co.uk/lower-your-t...

“We need to be less fixated on the evidence, where the human world is concerned, and more determined to take up a precautionary stance. The stakes are high… And being ‘evidence-based’, is, ironically, being just such a foolish and unethical gambler…” philosophersmag.com/how-to-end-o...

Is the most important thing missing from most curriculums Irish history? Specifically the last 150 years, and the details of the Troubles, and effectiveness of the peace deal.

Songs to begin something new to. #FridayFive 1. Omaha. Counting Crows. 2. Heads Roll Off. Frightened Rabbit. 3. Shake It Off. Taylor Swift. 4. Dance Yourself Clean. LCD Soundsystem. 5. I Can See Clearly Now. Johnny Nash. Generous reposts today. It's been a while.

Remembered to deactivate my X account at last

Had an absolute doozy yesterday when ChatGPT invented a whole-ass quote. Never use generative AI for history, journalism, science, government policy or, in fact, anything that relies on facts.

Just watched Rosemary's Baby in the cinema, preceded by a one hour talk (in Danish) on the occult in DK. Only one of these things was gripping.

Been watching #Kleo on Netflix, and realise I know nothing about the GDR. Any books anyone can recommend? Or TV?

Good news! This half term's only 5 weeks. Bad news : they don't do snow days in Denmark 🇩🇰

We're only not no.1, because people keep falsely claiming that Julemanden doesn't live in Greenland!🇩🇰🇬🇱

I don't see many long threads on here, but I'll try one - it's about Holbein's Ambassadors, his 1533 masterpiece in the National Gallery. It's often presented as a great mystery, but I think once we understand the circumstances in which it was made, its meaning becomes clearer. 1/

Great data journalism: people report “best times” is when they were 10-15 yo www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

A good update on Japan's #population issues. fortune.com/2024/12/07/t...

Chat GPT may yet have its uses, but, speaking as a historian interested in how young people learn about the past, it utterly terrifies me. It is a bespoke garbage howitzer

The case against grades is sound & research-based, particularly the stress & anxiety caused by reporting to always-on grading portals. If schools still decide they have to use these tools, educators & leaders should make an intentional effort to diminish the negative impacts of grading & reporting!

Today I watched 'Schooling the World' carolblack.org/schooling-th... Didn't really like the way it was made. Wondered if there was some hypocrisy. Not much in the way of solutions. But got me thinking about the ignored colonial and consumerist structures inherent in the way and things we teach...

I would like to speak up today for the trans community. You see, I know a bit of what it’s like to be politically scapegoated. When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, suddenly anyone in America who had any amount of Japanese ancestry became suspect. Politicians preyed upon ignorance and fear. /1

Worth comparing to Denmark's 10th class and Efterskole. Different history and philosophy, but some similar content and outcomes.

Why not bring your #ALevelRS students to one of our events this year? Great for retention, recruitment and raising your profile! #RETeachers

#TeamRe One for 2ndary teachers: Over here in my international school, teachers tend to teach only 1 or 2 year groups. So they have 1or 2 'preps' each cycle. I typically taught 5 or more in the Uk, and an awful lot of kids. (00s). What's the biggest number of students you've had on your roster?