jerome

I worked hard this year to try and draw together some useful resources for Politics & Society teachers to use next year. I hope it’ll be of use!

@Gorgood66 @RogersHistory W.B.Yeats has a poem about exactly that feeling you’re describing. Squirrel and all… allpoetry.com/An-Appointment

It's a sad indictment when teachers reach the point where they are like "I'd rather be ANYTHING than be a teacher right now". I've been there, spent months driving into work watching refuse collectors go about their work and fantasasing about being one. Nothing wrong with being one, but it wasn't a job I'd ever have wanted to do until I was stuck in that toxic workload pressure pot.

@conorsmurf @DFTS_teachers Exactly how I felt about Politics and Society. One person can’t shoulder all the load!

@JeromeDevitt @DFTS_teachers To be honest I just wanted @DFTS_teachers to be set up, knew that teachers of the new subject needed a voice. So once I'd accomplished that, with a lot of help from the initial committee, I said I'd leave them at it.

Thanks to @DFTS_teachers for their lovely parting gift. It was some year putting together a new association, and being its first Chairperson was an honour. (Writing a constitution and getting through red tape was "interesting") Best of luck to the new, expanded committee!

@conorsmurf 👏👏👏

My article in today's Irish Times looks at the unintended consequences of the book scheme for the physical books available for students and families. No more doodling, no more handing down books, fewer books in homes.

@conorsmurf This is utter nonsense. I’ve a degree in drama and theatre studies, but NOBODY on that course would have studied all of those practical options

Here are the qualifications needed to teach Drama, Film and Theatre.

@JohnOBrennan2 Historians might find it easy to believe, unfortunately…

Hard to believe that the president of a country actively carrying out a genocide is about to be welcomed into Downing Street.

@ProfGBarrett Reminds me of the classic Aussie movie, The Castle!

The immense power of market forces in regulating the use to which property is put is something that often goes unnnoticed but is vital and only very rarely resisted (and then, normally temporarily).

@conorsmurf Sounds like an “early win”to me…

Well, well, well. Allow me to be smug for a moment.

@conorsmurf @mikeymeally You should be teaching Politics and Society!

@mikeymeally But that would have been sensible! And, remember, politics is more important than education.

A really important, meaningful, and, unfortunately, quite sobering reflection on the conundrum of JC English. My immediate response is to wonder why JC English hasn't been re-redeveloped before moving onto LC English Redevelopment...

@RepSwalwell @MuellerSheWrote Praeteritio…

This meme is everywhere. Let’s be kinder to each other. Making fun of an almost-80-year-old falling on the stairs has no place in our politics.

@sccenglish Depressingly accurate.

Letter from Alan O’Connor in the ‘Irish Times’ on the Junior Cycle English Higher Level paper.

1/5 This is an example of the problem I have, the reduction of English to a formula. Here's a structure. Shakespeare always uses this structure, according to the SEC. The implication is that this is how English works, that all stories HAVE TO FOLLOW A STRUCTURE!

@conorsmurf @Swimmingsolo1 For sure...

@JeromeDevitt @Swimmingsolo1 Simply down to time. Some things have to go. But, I guess this means they don't want us to study anything in depth, just hand out a summary and go over notes on various aspects of the texts and then get the students to learn them off.

So, how many English teachers are going to admit that short stories took a back seat due to the overwhelming content of the JC? I know many teachers that simply don't have the time to fit them in. And now we get a 15 mark question on the exam Time to surface cover everything!

@conorsmurf @Swimmingsolo1 It is kinda strange, though, that so few do short stories in JC, given that it is always one (often two) of the 100-mark, LC Paper 1 composition options... (Not a criticism, just an observation)

@Swimmingsolo1 Absolutely aimed at teachers. "Should we really put that question in? I mean, not many, if any, teachers study short stories, let alone in depth." "That's why we should put it in! Fuck 'em." "But this is supposed to be about the students." "Fuck them too!"

@MrGallagher46 @conorsmurf 15 out of 180 marks (8.3%), therefore a bigger drop than the 5% of the widened grade band.

@conorsmurf I’m putting my tinfoil hat on for a second here - would it have been enough marks lost to stop kids getting the new 85% distinction?

@sccenglish @ainehyland €300k presumably

@ainehyland Good point Áine: have edited to add that important element.

I love the vaping analogy! You forgot to mention how much the vaping sheds would cost!!

@humphreyjones @astiunion Many congrats. Welcome to the club!

@declanwalsh @PulitzerPrizes Amazing. Congrats to you both...

An immense honor to be awarded the @PulitzerPrizes for our work on Sudan. pulitzer.org/node/declan-wa…

@SteveMallam @StephenKing Underrated post!

@StephenKing Pfff - why have they put your name on Richard Bachman’s brilliant story? I still think about that 35(?) years after I first read it when I’m marathon training…