Dean Boddington

@alastairc.com
We're reading Orion's Lost as our family bedtime story. (Feeling quite smug as it was my choice and they're loving it).
My voice actress wife is jealous of whoever got the chance to record the audiobook and she says her new life ambition is to play Ship in the film version...

@grahamandre.bsky.social I think your Insta has been hacked...

Looking for something to distract you from the fact that it's the last day of the break?
Got a spare 30 mins?
Take a listen to this podcast that my wife is in - sharing an insight into the world of voiceover acting.

open.spotify.com/episode/7MEn...

I haven't been able to keep up with the demands of #NoShelfControl lately.
Other commitments have meant that finding the time to create it has been a challenge.
I don't want to stop the newsletter, but I want to make it manageable.

half termly - 6 a year
or termly - 3 a year?

It's hard to find literary classics that don't have any derogatory language...

Our year ones love Peter Rabbit.

Has to be some Narnia in lks2

Choosing the best oldies in uks2 is tricky as there are so many brilliant ones

-Mix of genres, protagonist (male, female, animal).
-mix of cultures/settings
-Mix of antiquated language (even though I'd drop this happily, a secondary teacher once convinced me)
-mix of 'themes'
-balance of author age/race/gender

The first spine I created, I was very frustrated to have someone trying to force strategic choices.
Second one, I learned and had to lose some great books to make it balanced

A mix of old and new. The ability to mix it up and refresh if necessary.

It's easy to throw a brand new book in due to hype or your own enjoyment without thinking about the rounded reading diet of your children

Reading is for losers

Opposite here, only Aircon is in my office 😎. The heads office is hotter than the sun!

I lost mine by lunchtime.

I'm not required to wear a tie.

I wear a tie when I'm out of the classroom and no tie when I teach. It makes it easier for my little ones to know when I'm teaching and when I'm not

Im not saying get rid, I just think it needs a rethink

Uniforms

I've not had a screwball in about 30 years and now I desperately NEED one

This Month's #NoShelfControl

Carling and fosters hold that label.

It was such a catchy tune

I ate lunch with a boy in my class yesterday.
He was eating a Peperami and decided to sing a song about how much he loves them. Unfortunately he mispronounced as Peroni.

🎵I love Peroni! Peroni,peroni, Peroni!🎵

I might sing it in the pub tomorrow

1 month to go until I run the London Marathon on my 40th birthday
Sponsors welcome...

2025tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/dean-bodd...

I have no idea, I decided to keep a deadpan expression and face forwards.

My wife goes into hospitals and makes ill children smile.
So...
When I was stuck in traffic and bored today, I noticed her "Sweep" puppet on the passenger seat.

I decided to entertain myself by making him wave to the cars passing us.

Sometimes it's the small things in life ...

Very embarrassed to be sharing this 22 days late, but this month has been taken over by WBD, my wife's birthday, OFSTED and marathon training....
Book of the month is the fabulous Jenny McLachlan
#NoShelfControl

It's a little sickening being married to this talented beast!

I get that we're all time poor and convenience is king, but it's slightly upsetting.

I may have lost my way with this rant, but I'm WBD tired.

I think we should be aiming to dress up as a character that nobody has heard of so that we can interest new readers.
"Dave was dressed as a character from this book, I think it sounds good. "
Passing the love of reading!

The decision of who to dress up as should be an exciting booky chat. With friends or family sharing the books that they've loved reading recently.

If a shop bought costume hits that brief - you've lucked out.
Otherwise you need to think a little more carefully.

The others split into two camps.
1) find a generic costume and link it to a random book (pirate, knight, footballer)
2) the poor child that has to explain to everyone who they have come dressed as...

This second camp is the WBD winners camp!

The sheer amount of straight off the shelf costumes angers some - but that's not my issue.

Hoards of Spidermen, Dahl Characters and Princesses (all have origins in books) with a sprinkling of Minecraft, sonic & Marios (seriously???) descend upon the playground.

The controversy often comes from the 'to dress up or not to dress up' conundrum.

Some love it, some hate it.

I'm going to try to explain why I love it (dressing up) but why it's often such a wasted opportunity.

So... World Book Day...
For some reason, one of the most controversial days in the school calendar.

Keep it simple - keep it about books & stories and you're winning...