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Mr Mahoney

@mahoneyiam

Curric. Leader of English | Literature graduate @Oxford_Brookes | MA Early-Modern Lit @SussexUni | CTeach @CharteredColl | NPQLT & NPQLL @Ambition_Inst

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Latest posts by Mr Mahoney @mahoneyiam

Baking equipment laid out on a wooden table in an historic kitchen space. Polished copper jugs, plans and dishes are arranged on a dresser behind.

Baking equipment laid out on a wooden table in an historic kitchen space. Polished copper jugs, plans and dishes are arranged on a dresser behind.

It's Stir Up Sunday!

A tradition that dates back hundreds of years, many households stir a sweet plum pudding on the Sunday before Advent. Silver charms often added including coins, a ring to foretell a marriage, a horseshoe for luck and a thimble for a life of blessedness.

Do you still do this?

23.11.2025 08:21 ๐Ÿ‘ 67 ๐Ÿ” 12 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 4 ๐Ÿ“Œ 2
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โ€˜Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests.
I'll dig with it.'

Listen to Jarvis Cocker read โ€˜Diggingโ€™
youtube.com/watch?v=KRgyIWYMy8g

11.10.2025 16:01 ๐Ÿ‘ 13 ๐Ÿ” 3 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
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From the Archive. Seamus Heaney writes to Faber editor Charles Monteith in May 1965 with a โ€˜selection of poems for your consideration.โ€™ This selection of poems would become the groundbreaking collection, Death of a Naturalist.

11.10.2025 10:01 ๐Ÿ‘ 27 ๐Ÿ” 7 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

"We will need writers, artists and actors who can help us to imagine what these futures can look like by helping us to understand our present."

#hope #education #amen

22.04.2025 17:20 ๐Ÿ‘ 3 ๐Ÿ” 1 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Simnel cake and the final blossom at Bateman's #blossomwatch #nationaltrust

13.04.2025 15:08 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
A bee flies through blue sky towards pink blossom. Text reads #BlossomWatch

A bee flies through blue sky towards pink blossom. Text reads #BlossomWatch

It's here, it's here, it's finally here - #BlossomWatch season is back! Camera, phone, painting, we don't mind how you do it, but share the blossom-y goodness near you with #BlossomWatch so everyone can enjoy it ๐ŸŒธ

20.03.2025 07:11 ๐Ÿ‘ 187 ๐Ÿ” 31 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 6 ๐Ÿ“Œ 3
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โ€˜History says, Donโ€™t hope
On this side of the grave.
But then, once in a lifetime
The longed-for tidal wave
Of justice can rise up,
And hope and history rhyme.โ€™

Seamus Heaney was born on this day in 1939.

13.04.2025 11:01 ๐Ÿ‘ 51 ๐Ÿ” 16 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2 ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
Escape into Nature
ย 
There are times when it all gets too much
and I have to switch off my phone and the radio
and my brain, and escape outside.
ย 
I say good afternoon to next doorโ€™s dog.
Have you seen the latest about the government, he barks,
you couldnโ€™t make it up. I offer a weak smile
and make my excuses before walking on past the pub,
whose sign creaks in protest
against the steep rise in the cost of living.
ย 
From the tall branches of a tree, a seminar
is in progress: a squirrel sets out his ideas
about how to alleviate the refugee crisis,
while a chaffinch flaps his wings angrily.
It all gets too much for one leaf, 
who hurls itself down, remembering Trump.
ย 
I feel the eyes of a murderous-looking crow upon me,
annoyed no doubt about global warming,
so make my way down to the river where โ€“ 
for a few precious, stolen moments โ€“
I close my eyes and listen to the water
as it laps gently against the bank,
ย 
until I hear the slap of wet feet approaching.
Thought Iโ€™d find you here, the duck quacks,
Now what the hell we gonna do about Putin?


Brian Bilston

Escape into Nature ย  There are times when it all gets too much and I have to switch off my phone and the radio and my brain, and escape outside. ย  I say good afternoon to next doorโ€™s dog. Have you seen the latest about the government, he barks, you couldnโ€™t make it up. I offer a weak smile and make my excuses before walking on past the pub, whose sign creaks in protest against the steep rise in the cost of living. ย  From the tall branches of a tree, a seminar is in progress: a squirrel sets out his ideas about how to alleviate the refugee crisis, while a chaffinch flaps his wings angrily. It all gets too much for one leaf, who hurls itself down, remembering Trump. ย  I feel the eyes of a murderous-looking crow upon me, annoyed no doubt about global warming, so make my way down to the river where โ€“ for a few precious, stolen moments โ€“ I close my eyes and listen to the water as it laps gently against the bank, ย  until I hear the slap of wet feet approaching. Thought Iโ€™d find you here, the duck quacks, Now what the hell we gonna do about Putin? Brian Bilston

Hereโ€™s a poem about going for a walk to clear my head of all the news.

07.04.2025 08:18 ๐Ÿ‘ 239 ๐Ÿ” 62 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 9 ๐Ÿ“Œ 4
Preview
What is teaching? Can we agree a useful definition or is it already blindingly obvious?

*NEW* What is teaching? open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...

05.04.2025 11:40 ๐Ÿ‘ 9 ๐Ÿ” 3 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Preview
What is school for? The struggle for control of the national curriculum is a fight for the soul of English education.

The struggle for control of the national curriculum is a fight for the soul of English education.

๐Ÿ–‹๏ธ Pippa Bailey in this week's cover story: What is school for?

02.04.2025 09:43 ๐Ÿ‘ 7 ๐Ÿ” 4 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 4 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Recently taught this, one of Hopkinsโ€™ so-called โ€œTerribleโ€ or โ€œDesolationโ€ sonnets.
An astonishing, shattering poem; the self splitting & re-splitting; self-invigilating, self-flagellating.
A syntax of contortion & depression; words eliding, consumingโ€”until, oh, that wild (โ€œbetweenpieโ€!) endingโ€ฆ

29.03.2025 16:57 ๐Ÿ‘ 160 ๐Ÿ” 29 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 6 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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English literature GCSE: 5 strategies for the final push As exam time hurtles nearer, Zoe Enser offers her favourite quick and effective approaches to help students feel ready

๐Ÿ“– In one of our most-read articles this week, @greeborunner.bsky.social offers some short, sharp, 10-minute activities to help your students with the final push towards their GCSE exams

30.03.2025 16:05 ๐Ÿ‘ 4 ๐Ÿ” 4 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
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NEW โ€˜Power and Conflict - The Interpretationsโ€™ revision booklet. I always get students to consider 3 interpretations of each poem & ask them to consider which they agree with the most. Great springboard for debate/new ideas. Iโ€™ve collated these into a booklet here ๐Ÿ‘‡๐Ÿป

www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/h5hi3...

30.03.2025 14:23 ๐Ÿ‘ 13 ๐Ÿ” 2 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
(Why And How) We Made A Documentary Unpacking Great Teaching
(Why And How) We Made A Documentary Unpacking Great Teaching YouTube video by Peps Mccrea

๐Ÿšจ๐Ÿšจ NEW TODAY

For the last 18 months, I've been working on a top secret documentary to capture & deconstruct some of best teaching in UK.

Why We Made It & How To Access It (For Free):

โ†“

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SQ0...

22.01.2025 18:50 ๐Ÿ‘ 90 ๐Ÿ” 39 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 7 ๐Ÿ“Œ 16