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Melissa B

@drboyd.bsky.social

Soon to be ex-Head of English. Voracious reader. Searching for an inclusive and representative curriculum. Melanoma:3b. Cat Rescue. TeachFirst'15.

703 Followers  |  1,074 Following  |  55 Posts  |  Joined: 10.08.2024  |  2.218

Latest posts by drboyd.bsky.social on Bluesky

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🐝 Stay up to date with Litdrive 🐝

Want inspiration, resources & CPD straight to your inbox?

πŸ“¬ Sign up to our bulletin today: buff.ly/3qSOKfk

#Litdrive

06.07.2025 07:00 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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πŸ“– Litdrive CPD πŸ“–

β€œMy poverty, but not my will consents”: Haili Hughes explores the significance of the Apothecary in Romeo & Juliet in this insightful CPD.

▢️ Watch now: litdrive.org.uk/remotecpd/my...

#LitdriveCPD

05.07.2025 07:01 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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#BecauseofYouThisisMe by @jazampawfarr.bsky.social‬ β€ͺ is coming this July! ✨

Learn more about this title & pre-order your copy now at: buff.ly/WsxOj0S

Can’t wait? πŸ‘€ Read this exclusive look inside on our website now: buff.ly/T7v2OzR

@itlworldwide.bsky.social‬ #Edusky #Booksky

11.06.2025 11:22 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Georgia O'Connor, U.K. boxer, dies at 25 after saying doctors 'gaslit' her on cancer concerns for months O'Connor announced her cancer diagnosis in January, saying, "Not one doctor took me seriously."

I’m so sick of these stories.

I’m exhausted, enraged & frustrated.

Misogyny in medicine kills. The patriarchy kills. The health gap kills.

We all have these stories. Some of us are lucky enough to survive, but many aren’t.

Tell your stories. Keep screaming until this never happens again:

26.05.2025 02:49 β€” πŸ‘ 510    πŸ” 173    πŸ’¬ 14    πŸ“Œ 21
Dropbox

Modified AQA past papers to fit what's been published for 2026. I am not linked to AQA - not official, just my interpretation.

Only June - Nov to follow - will go in same folder!

Hope it saves some time - all and any feedback welcome!

www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/y9wf4...

14.05.2025 16:46 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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US artist Alison Saar's "Rise" is a linoleum print created in 2020 as a response to the Black Lives Matter movement #WomensArt

04.05.2025 16:48 β€” πŸ‘ 228    πŸ” 23    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 2

Each of ours has a Chromebook. We can use them as little or as much as we want in class. I barely use in lessons but it's absolutely fabulous for home and independent learning! I can upload a pic of my modelling book, annotations, extra reading, more practice etc.

29.04.2025 06:05 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Cancer changes you forever. Even if you’re lucky enough, like me, to have the type of cancer that can be cured. Your body is not the same. Life is not the same. It can feel very isolating when friends and family don’t understand this.

#graphicmedicine #cansky

16.04.2025 14:59 β€” πŸ‘ 2932    πŸ” 267    πŸ’¬ 224    πŸ“Œ 29
Selfie of me holding the Roma flag

Selfie of me holding the Roma flag

I was honoured to deliver a speech today at the International Roma Day celebrations in Glasgow, to listen to everyone’s amazing speeches & match with the community. A million thanks to Romano Lav for the amazing work! Opre Roma

12.04.2025 13:43 β€” πŸ‘ 45    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

speaking in non-dominant patterns and using non-standard grammar has nothing empirically to do with β€˜bad behaviour’ but it has lots to do with it ideologically

12.04.2025 11:29 β€” πŸ‘ 14    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
a picture of ian and the text 'Designing futures of linguistic justice'

a picture of ian and the text 'Designing futures of linguistic justice'

am giving a talk at Goldsmith's on the 21 May on collaborating with teachers to design futures of linguistic justice in schools, it'll be fun and it's free πŸ’œ

www.gold.ac.uk/calendar/?id...

10.04.2025 06:06 β€” πŸ‘ 23    πŸ” 11    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 2
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I hope you have someone who can be there alongside you through these difficult times. I hope that if help is available, you are strong enough to ask for it and accept it.

4/7

10.04.2025 13:29 β€” πŸ‘ 14    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0
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Word rich or word poor? Deficit discourses, raciolinguistic ideologies and the resurgence of the β€˜word gap’ in England’s education policy Educational linguists across England and the USA have long critiqued deficit-based language ideologies in schools, yet since the early 2010s, these have enjoyed a marked resurgence in England’s edu...

this is the story of how the so-called word gap came to be embedded in England's education policy, and how it (re)normalised discourses of linguistic deficiency which framed the acquisition of 'more words' and 'better words' as a social justice tool www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

09.04.2025 06:51 β€” πŸ‘ 12    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 2
Bridget with The Beatles on Abbey Road.

Bridget with The Beatles on Abbey Road.

Bridget hanging out in Grant Wood's American Gothic.

Bridget hanging out in Grant Wood's American Gothic.

Bridget in Bruegel's Hunters In The Snow (with a freshly caught mouse).

Bridget in Bruegel's Hunters In The Snow (with a freshly caught mouse).

The Cat With The Pearl Earring.

The Cat With The Pearl Earring.

A little while ago, my parents' cat Bridget went missing. As the weeks dragged on, they became extremely worried. My dad devised a way to distract himself: he began to paint Bridget's adventures, imagining her travelling through time and popping up in some of art and music's most iconic scenes.

06.04.2025 10:23 β€” πŸ‘ 21652    πŸ” 4054    πŸ’¬ 918    πŸ“Œ 696

My teacher bestie is leaving. Not just our school, but education. She is one of the best, inspirational, creative teachers I know. A sad day for all the children she could have taught. Hopefully everything she is hoping for will materialise. This could have been prevented.
Look after your staff!

04.04.2025 22:22 β€” πŸ‘ 14    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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✍️ #NaPoWriMo is here with the challenge to write a poem a day! Throughout April, The Poetry Society will be featuring poetry writing prompts created by poets that we've worked with recently through competitions, publications and projects.

Today's prompt is from @joedunthorne.bsky.social, (...)

01.04.2025 07:00 β€” πŸ‘ 45    πŸ” 26    πŸ’¬ 5    πŸ“Œ 1
Title

Title

Writer’s intent 1

Writer’s intent 1

Writer’s intent 1

Writer’s intent 1

Writer’s intent 1

Writer’s intent 1

Had quite a few people ask for my @LitdriveUK PowerPoint. #LitdriveCPD25

Here it is: dropbox.com/scl/fi/j10pbmn…

Probably will make very little sense without my commentary so will blog about it at a later date. Got 60 English Lit Paper 2s to mark by Friday.

31.03.2025 20:45 β€” πŸ‘ 7    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

I didn’t post anything yesterday as I was rushed off my feet but in the best way! The Litdrive conference was incredible and I’m SO thankful to everyone who made it happen. Now for a day of doing nothing at all πŸ˜΄πŸ™πŸ» #LitdriveCPD25 @litdrive.bsky.social

30.03.2025 14:02 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Image of a section of material with a cross design in  thin lines and colours of red and grey against a dark background

Image of a section of material with a cross design in thin lines and colours of red and grey against a dark background

A new Scottish tartan memorializing the (mainly) female victims of the Witchcraft Act has been officiallyΒ registered, created by Claire Mitchell and Zoe Venditozzi, founders of theΒ Witches of ScotlandΒ campaign #WomensArt
via Smithsonian Magazine

29.03.2025 09:22 β€” πŸ‘ 2060    πŸ” 451    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 39
There is an impulse in moments like this to appeal to self-interest. To say: These horrors you are allowing to happen, they will come to your doorstep one day; to repeat the famous phrase about who they came for first and who they'll come for next. But this appeal cannot, in matter of fact, work. If the people well served by a system that condones such butchery ever truly believed the same butchery could one day be inflicted on them, they'd tear the system down tomorrow. And anyway, by the time such a thing happens, the rest of us will already be dead.
No, there is no terrible thing coming for you in some distant future, but know that a terrible thing is happening to you now. You are being asked to kill off a part of you that would otherwise scream in opposition to injustice. You are being asked to dismantle the machinery of a functioning conscience.
Who cares if diplomatic expediency prefers you shrug away the sight of dismembered children? Who cares if great distance from the bloodstained middle allows obliviousness. Forget pity, forget even the dead if you must, but at least fight against the theft of your soul.

There is an impulse in moments like this to appeal to self-interest. To say: These horrors you are allowing to happen, they will come to your doorstep one day; to repeat the famous phrase about who they came for first and who they'll come for next. But this appeal cannot, in matter of fact, work. If the people well served by a system that condones such butchery ever truly believed the same butchery could one day be inflicted on them, they'd tear the system down tomorrow. And anyway, by the time such a thing happens, the rest of us will already be dead. No, there is no terrible thing coming for you in some distant future, but know that a terrible thing is happening to you now. You are being asked to kill off a part of you that would otherwise scream in opposition to injustice. You are being asked to dismantle the machinery of a functioning conscience. Who cares if diplomatic expediency prefers you shrug away the sight of dismembered children? Who cares if great distance from the bloodstained middle allows obliviousness. Forget pity, forget even the dead if you must, but at least fight against the theft of your soul.

One of many moments in Omar El Akkad’s new book, β€œOne Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This,” that will stop you in your tracks.

29.03.2025 20:31 β€” πŸ‘ 11675    πŸ” 4449    πŸ’¬ 136    πŸ“Œ 170

All set for tomorrow. Looking forward to #LitdriveCPD25

28.03.2025 21:13 β€” πŸ‘ 8    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Further Thoughts on Etymology A previous post was about how etymology can help with the common misconception of getting the concept of Area and Perimeter the wrong way around. I wanted to have the excuse to discuss further some…

'Further thoughts on Etymology'

Including chains of understanding

Polygon-Polymer-Polytheism-Monotheism-Monomer

mrtaylormaths2.wordpress.com/2025/03/27/f...
Feedback appreciated πŸ‘πŸΌ

27.03.2025 13:40 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 8    πŸ“Œ 0
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Books

22.03.2025 05:44 β€” πŸ‘ 48956    πŸ” 11687    πŸ’¬ 533    πŸ“Œ 401

Do I have to tap the DAMN sign again?

16.03.2025 13:44 β€” πŸ‘ 15    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Ooh! Absolutely!!

14.03.2025 20:00 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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English teachers and Y11 parents!

I have two copies of my Power and Conflict #OxfordRevise to give away.

Follow and repost for a chance to win one πŸ“š

#TeamEnglish #EduSky

13.03.2025 20:04 β€” πŸ‘ 10    πŸ” 8    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 1

Love it and completely agree!

10.03.2025 06:29 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

β€˜Arts & Humanities researchers …find themselves increasingly having to produce outputs in their own time…Such circumstances make it feel odd to decouple Arts & Humanities researchers from their outputs…egregious when that decoupling means those outputs cannot move with the researchers who made them’

09.03.2025 10:55 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Woop πŸ”₯πŸ”₯

09.03.2025 10:31 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

β€˜there is now a worry that REF2029 will enable a different injustice: that institutions can hold onto the outputs of staff they have sacked, while making it harder for them to gain new academic employment because they are no longer linked to the work they created.’

This must be changed.

09.03.2025 10:25 β€” πŸ‘ 88    πŸ” 48    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 4

@drboyd is following 19 prominent accounts