David Powell

This caught my eye as I was on my way to ⁦@E_T_Foundation⁩ Chairs Leadership Programme earlier today. Good course, btw.

🌟 New BERA Special Interest Group: Education in Prison An inclusive group dedicated to furthering knowledge & understanding about education in prison contexts across the 4 nations of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and internationally. Find out more:bera.ac.uk/community/educ…

@KMScattergood Thank you, Kerry. You can’t always have everything you want… Take care, David

@DavidPowellHud Happy birthday to your dad! 96 is incredible. Shame you didn't have a better result.

Dad was 96 yesterday. Here are his ‘daffs’, as Dad calls them, which an admirer got him, and some of his cards. My twin brother, aka as London Boy, came up to celebrate. A ‘best’ day. Only blot was disappointing result for Wales in the rugby… 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Thank you to all 118 of the FE-based teacher educators who completed this survey. Here’s a link to a webpage with details of our research and report. gatsby.org.uk/education/upda…

Bulldozers moved over the ash. In their claws, the weight of souls. In their claws, a child traces her first word, her auntie claps with delight. In their claws, a young doctor graduates at Al Azhar, dreams of the years ahead. In their claws, three mothers eat pistachio ice creams, midst jokes, laughter, gossip, as the sun sinks into the sea. In their claws, an old man reads a book under the well-tended orange trees, turning each page with care, making notes in the margins. In their claws, are fragments of bones so loved that the universe in all its immeasurable immensity will never recover their loss. (Image by Hadil Alsafadi)

".........we estimate that 352,000 students are aware of family food bank usage, 332,000 are unable to afford to eat in school, and 260,000 go to bed hungry due to a lack of food." Keep up at the back.

"Politics based entirely on the persecution of fabricated boucs émissaires, of imagined scapegoats, of those most vulnerable in society, always ends one way," said Old Fox, sipping his cocoa, "in violence and cruelty and the degradations of war." "It feels desperate," said the Doctor, pausing to light his pipe, "desperate. As though everyone has forgotten where that false patriotism of flag-waving led us all before. What can one do, Old Fox?" "Flood the country with rationalism, normality, kindness, paint over the slogans, tear down the hateful flags, but move calmly and with thought, with immense care and logic, not passion. Passion leads to fighting, book-burning, riots, deaths, chaos. Exactly what they want."

@kbyrne7 A belated happy birthday, Kevin. The 3 Acres is a great place to celebrate a birthday! Best wishes, David

Birthday treat of my darling wife ❤️❤️ @GailByrne13

The Mouse was waiting in a long line for rice. She was crying. She thought it might run out before she reached the front. No-one left even a grain behind from their portions. The sun was relentless and her feet hurt. Dizzying, fevered thoughts flowered and faded like Damask roses from the north. She imagined being far away, under a slow fan in a cafe, ordering pastries and Sahlab, scattered with nuts. She imagined reading a newspaper, ink staining her paws. She imagined the headlines of slow starvation, of death, of genocide. She imagined folding the paper and eating her pastries, sipping her Sahlab, and she wept.

Just boarded the night boat to Belfast on my way to ⁦@ATEE_Brussels⁩ Annual Conference at ⁦@MarinoInstitute⁩ , which starts on Wednesday…

It was a little cooler that afternoon and very overcast, the clouds mackeralling over the pale stubbled fields. In the hedgerows, the sloes and the hawthorn berries gleamed and clouds of little goldfinches, skittery and light as thistledown, called to Wolf as he loped his way along the lanes to the village square. He was going to Fernby and Evans, the Bakers, just before they closed to buy a bundle of spares. Spares were the left over breads and cakes from the day, sold for pennies, sometimes given away. Mrs Evans, who had a soft spot for Wolf, always kept him some midweek on a Wednesday and slipped in a few special dainties, chocolate florentines and Maids of Honour and apple tarts, which could very well have been sold the next morning and weren't spare at all.

Wolf hated the swifts leaving and refused to say goodbye. He stayed in his room until all was silent, and they had gone, flown so far the faint lights of the Finistère coast, of Ouessant and Île-Molène were below them, like old, old stars scattered in the great Atlantic swell.

It's also a national disgrace that many of these young people go to their local FE college and become brickies, chippies, sparkies, designers, engineers, platers, welders, hairdressers, carers etc and these achievements don't get the recognition they deserve.

I have used Calmac many times when visiting Mull & Iona. I think the world of their staff. Polite, kind, cheerful & hardworking are four ways of describing those I have met.

*NEW* We think the teacher crisis is about recruitment. It’s not. We train thousands every year then watch a third leave within 5 years. Almost half of trained teachers are not teaching. The real crisis is retention. And we’re losing many who could have become great. Link in reply ⬇

A ‘Valley Boy’, Dad likes nothing more than some Welsh honey on his toast in the morning. This jar was bought on my recent trip to Aberdaron. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Shocking images of starving families in #Gaza call us to act. Unarmed civilians are being targeted by the #IDF while seeking aid, making it urgent. Join us in solidarity with #Palestine to support @AmosTrust’s crucial work to help end the genocide: ticketmaster.co.uk/event/3E0062F8…

@ipryce Great spot, Ian. Mum & Dad took my brother & I to Aberdaron in late 60s. It began a deep love & affection for the Llŷn that has lasted to this day. Enjoy your holiday. BW David

Dad tucking into his new book on Puffins, which ⁦I got for him from ⁦@bookcasehebden⁩ It’s delighting him!