So this is Christmas…what secondary resources have you done? None? Well, seeing as you’ve been such good teachers this year, don’t sweat it. Sit down, crank up the Christmas tunes, and let Beyond take the reins for Christmas 2019… Continue reading Seasonal Secondary Resources: Christmas 2019 with Beyond
At the risk of being lynched by colleagues, I’m going to suggest that my own subject – English – is more ‘rigorous’ than other subjects. By which I mean it’s far more planning and assessment heavy. Yes, I’m looking at you, PE and IT… please don’t pound on me PE teachers, I never did like contact sports! Beyond explores teacher equality in the classroom… Continue reading All Teachers Are Equal, but Some Teachers Are More Equal Than Others
Beyond pay tribute to Remembrance Day 2019 with our range of themed English and Maths lessons. Create your own war propaganda, analyse KS3 poetry, explore the context behind the Normandy Landings, and explore the symbolism behind the poppy with Beyond. Continue reading Remembrance Day 2019: 101 Years Later
Did you know that in between teaching, ranting, and blogging, we also create secondary teaching resources! If you’re looking to plug some gaps in your lesson plan, need some inspiration, or fancy having some evenings to yourself this week, dive in and take a look at some of our latest and greatest resources. Continue reading Beyond’s Latest & Greatest Secondary Resources
Mock GCSE Exams Already? It’s day two with the pupils and I’ve just administered my first of many mock GCSE exams of this school year. Before I’m shot down for endangering the mental health of Year Elevens, let me explain … Continue reading GCSE Exams: How Soon Should We Start Exam Prep?
Judging a professional on unforeseeable circumstances is obviously unfair – yet teacher standards are judged all the time! I wonder what it would be like if others were treated the same way? Like doctors, for example, or maybe dentists… Continue reading Teacher Standards: If Other Professionals Were Judged like Teachers…
With the latest exam coming to a close, here are some enticing alternatives to recycling any spare papers lying around… A bonfire Setting light to a pile of scripts goes against our eco-friendly principles but it has been an unseasonably … Continue reading 4 Uses for Leftover Exam Papers
Penny S-K discusses exams, the US college admissions scandal and the determination to succeed at almost any cost in tonight’s blog. I’m not usually one for celebrity gossip, but the scandal currently rocking Hollywood has had me hooked. Earlier this week, it was announced that actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin were among 40 people charged for plotting to cheat on college entrance exams. Partially because I am a big fan of Huffman’s, and partly because I am a teacher, this story has captivated me. The ins and outs of the case are for finer minds than mine, but what … Continue reading Feeling the Pressure
It’s a disturbing irony that the idea for this blog post originally came to me on the way to work and I’d contrived to forget it by home time! I had to rack my brain to dredge it back up. The same thing sometimes happens with words, which is not a good look for an English teacher. The most embarrassing memory lapse to date was forgetting the word ‘syllable’ in front of Y8. Fast approaching my fifth decade, I accept it as a sad fact of life that the memory slowly deteriorates. Then again, were my youthful powers of recollection … Continue reading Would You Pass a Memory Test?
There’s probably not a teacher out there who hasn’t had that conversation. The one where you’re being introduced to someone for the first time and they ask what you do. You tell them you’re a teacher, and they smile, nod and say something along the lines of, ‘How rewarding. Knowing that you’re shaping future generations. It must be great to share your knowledge with young people.’ And it is. Mostly. Of course, I’d be lying if I said there weren’t days when I’d rather poke out my eyes with a blunt stick than stand in front of a class, but … Continue reading Teaching: A Two-Way Street
