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Madeleine F-B

@mxfb.bsky.social

Secondary Vice Principal T&L in London; teacher of English; TF 2011; MTPT trustee; mum of 2; GSOH πŸŽπŸŽ“ #UKTeaching

1,728 Followers  |  2,490 Following  |  889 Posts  |  Joined: 13.08.2024  |  2.1259

Latest posts by mxfb.bsky.social on Bluesky

…Themes which include right from the start: death, puberty, female sexuality, complex mother-daughter relationships, mental illness. So it should be a good challenge (and far more interesting than OMAM…)
πŸŽπŸŽ“πŸ“š
#BookSky
#UKEd
#JamaicaKincaid

26.10.2025 22:18 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Text from Jackie Kay’s introduction to the 2022 edition

Text from Jackie Kay’s introduction to the 2022 edition

I appreciate the comments by Jackie Kay and Henry Louis Gates here in the introduction - on not writing about race or racism explicitly, as Kincaid does not write β€˜for the white gaze.’
I look forward to visiting some y8 lessons and seeing how they are getting on with some quite challenging themes πŸŽπŸŽ“

26.10.2025 22:15 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

The English team chose it to replace to Of Mice and Men (finally!) and partly in an effort to update and decolonise the curriculum in English, which until then had several texts from writers of diverse backgrounds, but only short stories/extracts/poems/articles. Now here’s a whole novel…
πŸŽπŸŽ“
#UKEd

26.10.2025 22:13 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Cover of Jamaica Kincaid’s Annie John

Cover of Jamaica Kincaid’s Annie John

Back cover of Annie John

Back cover of Annie John

My half term read has been β€˜Annie John’ by Jamaica Kincaid (1985), since we have added it to our year 8 curriculum. A candid story not quite like anything I’ve read before…
πŸŽπŸŽ“

#UKEd

26.10.2025 22:10 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
12 children’s books

12 children’s books

7 teen books.

7 teen books.

Today’s charity shop book haul: pic 1 for my kids age 6 & 8, pic 2 for the internal room at school. All for under a tenner πŸ‘πŸ“šπŸŽπŸŽ“

23.10.2025 18:45 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
BBC article: New V level courses to be brought in for students after GCSEs

BBC article: New V level courses to be brought in for students after GCSEs

Oh good, another new set of post 16 courses.
We really needed some of them…
πŸŽπŸŽ“
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

20.10.2025 15:25 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Wearing purple/ pink/ blue coloured head wrap, Somali baati and pink high vis jacket

Wearing purple/ pink/ blue coloured head wrap, Somali baati and pink high vis jacket

Smiling with a colleague wearing a Pharaoh costume

Smiling with a colleague wearing a Pharaoh costume

For Black History Month & culture day today I wore my Somali Baati, my Jewish β€˜tichel’… and my high vis.
I also met an Egyptian Pharaoh.
🍎 πŸŽ“
#BHM2025
#BestJobinTheWorld
#2WeekHalfTerm

17.10.2025 16:54 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I’m excited for β€˜spa and relaxing’

16.10.2025 22:58 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I know, I love it. If watching a film doesn’t work out…

16.10.2025 22:57 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Save the environment is a bold back up afternoon activity. Aim high.
Love this though

16.10.2025 19:07 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Very much a fan of a week bookended by 2 x "snuggle up parties"

16.10.2025 18:01 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
A calendar of activities written by an 8 year old, including:
Drawing
Jimnastics
Snuggle up party
Toy tea party
Chatting in room 
Among other activities.

The Friday afternoon back up activity is β€œsave the environment”

A calendar of activities written by an 8 year old, including: Drawing Jimnastics Snuggle up party Toy tea party Chatting in room Among other activities. The Friday afternoon back up activity is β€œsave the environment”

If anyone is looking for ideas of half term activities - look no further…
πŸŽπŸŽ“ #8YearsOld

16.10.2025 17:50 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 0

Not boring & I learned a lot!

12.10.2025 18:11 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Whiteboard with transactional writing eg.

Whiteboard with transactional writing eg.

Wall of teacher shout outs and thank you cards at Harris Academy Falconwood

Wall of teacher shout outs and thank you cards at Harris Academy Falconwood

Guiding principles of inclusive teaching

Guiding principles of inclusive teaching

Pages of notes

Pages of notes

I’ve been teaching English for 15 years now, but subject CPD never feels boring or irrelevant. I think we all came away with things we’d like to do better.
All #Harris Academies closed for the day to make this possible, so it’s no small thing! πŸŽπŸŽ“

11.10.2025 19:59 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Notes and a whiteboard from English cpd

Notes and a whiteboard from English cpd

A whiteboard with a Margaret Atwood quote β€œa word after a word after a word is power”

A whiteboard with a Margaret Atwood quote β€œa word after a word after a word is power”

Notes from English CPD

Notes from English CPD

Notes from English CPD

Notes from English CPD

Friday was another great English CPD day from the Harris Federation, planned & executed by the brilliant English consultants with some guest speakers/presenters including @trythisteaching.bsky.social, Holly Macguire, @mrsmacteach33.bsky.social &
@neilbowen3.bsky.social who I didn’t get to speak toπŸŽπŸŽ“

11.10.2025 19:56 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Your complete 21-page guide to success as an early career teacher - SecEd Teaching is tough, yet incredibly rewarding. If you are to survive and thrive as an early career teacher and set yourself up for a long and happy career then you must build healthy habits from day…

SecEd’s annual 21-page guide for early career #teachers is out now, with advice & tips covering wellbeing, workload, #teaching, behaviour, #safeguarding, #CPD & more. With thanks to our friends @neunion.bsky.social for supporting this annual resource. Get your free pdf buff.ly/2FeSYa3 #edusky

10.10.2025 09:31 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Guiding principles of inclusive teaching

Guiding principles of inclusive teaching

Guiding principles of inclusive teaching (via recent @steplab.bsky.social report)
1. Clarity & explicit structure for all.
2. Make lessons accessible by default.
3. Effective teacher assessment - what are the actual barriers for the student(s) in front of you?
4. Adapt Minimally & appropriately
πŸŽπŸŽ“

10.10.2025 08:45 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Slide containing aims and β€˜so that’

Slide containing aims and β€˜so that’

I always appreciate it when CPD delivers model delivery based on good pedagogy.

Amjad says his audience should do these 3 things in lessons with strategies:

Try
Refine
Ditch

-and promises he will suggest what teachers can do β€˜instead of’ xyz.

πŸŽπŸŽ“

10.10.2025 08:37 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

At a federation conference INSET day; hearing keynote from @trythisteaching.bsky.social via Zoom - wish you were here in person!
πŸŽπŸŽ“

10.10.2025 08:32 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

What are your concerns?

05.10.2025 19:50 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

(We’ve also gone totally phone / device free in the school day, which might explain the new need/enthusiasm for reading the time the old fashioned way)

05.10.2025 18:29 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Turns out one of the girls actually wears an analog watch. She never knew how to read it until now and now she proudly tells me she can!

05.10.2025 18:25 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

I’m going on record to call that a radical, pro-democracy action. Any educative act that supplants device-driven attention/reliance with an individual’s skills is democratizing and anti-technocratic. Boss moves, babe. Boss moves.

05.10.2025 17:00 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Hi Bluesky, reach out to your Jewish colleagues today please. πŸ™πŸΌ
#UKEd #UKTeaching

02.10.2025 20:53 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I started re watching Orphan Black on Netflix- that show is so darn good! Any other fans out there?
πŸ‘οΈ πŸ‘οΈ

30.09.2025 23:17 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

This is a shocking bit of civil rights history I had never heard of before.
Closing the pools…

30.09.2025 21:05 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Spreadsheet Formula Practice

In #MathsToday we introduced spreadsheets. Students who have never written a spreadsheet formula are always shocked to discover how powerful basic spreadsheets are...

"Are you kidding me that's like actually low key sick"

williams-bhs.github.io/spreadsheets/

29.09.2025 15:50 β€” πŸ‘ 22    πŸ” 6    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 1

πŸ“Œ to read list

29.09.2025 20:15 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I taught two year 11s how to read an analog clock today! ⏰ πŸŽπŸŽ“

29.09.2025 19:01 β€” πŸ‘ 9    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

bsky.app/profile/mxfb...

29.09.2025 18:13 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

@mxfb is following 20 prominent accounts