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Jonathan Mountstevens

@mrmountstevens.bsky.social

2.4K followers 570 following 1.8K posts

Deputy Head, History Teacher and Chartered Teacher Programme Lead. Mostly here to discuss curriculum, assessment, school leadership and history. Views my own. Blog: https://occamshairdryer.wordpress.com

occamshairdryer.wordpress.com

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 6h

Aside from the obvious ethical concerns, it’s so poorly done that it took me some time to work out what point it was making. But I’ll bear it in mind next time I want to put a pretty sticker on my arm.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 9h

Times are tough. And trying to get a specialist throws coach on the supply market is almost impossible. You often have to make do with a catches coach.

Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 10h

Have you had to cut provision so you only have a Heavy Throws Coach across the Trust these days?

Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 1d

Maths teacher still in his work clothes because he went to the pub after school and couldn’t be bothered to go home and get changed before the night out.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 1d

Sometimes duty is nice. Today a highlight was the Year 9 student sitting in the dining hall reading The Thursday Murder Club at a table with her friends, half of whom were also reading books. She expressed a cautious scepticism as to whether she was the target audience.

Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 1d

Good question. It’s quite an old one. It’s called Inside the Terror.

Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 1d

I go in gradually. Remind of background of non-violent party purges, use a video clip on impact of Nadya’s suicide on Stalin and then Kirov’s murder, then use extract from Simon Sebag Montefiore on Trial of the Sixteen. They do some work on elite victims then we broaden out to wider purges/terror.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 2d

Stalin’s purges with Yr 12 today. Every year they know in advance that it’s going to get dark but they are still struck because they didn’t realise quite how dark it was going to get.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 2d

Absolutely. So far I think we’re starting to see how voters then get disillusioned by the reality of them in power and are prepared to vote for somebody else (e.g. Biden in 2020) but it doesn’t reset the norm and change expectations, so people still swing back towards populists (e.g. Trump in 2024).

Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 2d

Also how much do most Reform-curious voters in the UK more widely pay attention to Welsh politics?

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 2d

Question is how forgiving their voters will be of cock-ups and that’s a big unknown. Some of it will be priced-in and will fulfil expectation that they are insurgents, but what will limit be? Voters not very forgiving of big stuff like Truss budget but Tories are supposed to be competent.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 2d

They’ll lash out and blame stuff like civil service, the establishment etc. Make cock-ups part of their narrative. Borrow from the Trump playbook.

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Reposted by Jonathan Mountstevens

Daisy Christodoulou @daisychristo.bsky.social · 4d

Latest on our Substack - I attempt to prove mathematically that education can never be fun, with reference to The Flowerpot Men, Jock Stein & the Galapagos tortoise.

substack.nomoremarking.com/p/why-educat...

Why education can never be fun

Proven with maths

substack.nomoremarking.com

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 5d

Castle Rising?

Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 7d

I had grounds for saying ‘You ain’t Stalin and I ain’t Trotsky’ to a valued colleague the other day and the more time passes the more pleased I’m getting with it as a line.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 13d

Yeah come to think of it part of my problem might have been caused by my official videographer too.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 13d

Can I have an inquiry as well over the photocopier getting jammed, somebody else being in the toilet when I was in a rush and then the projector remote control needing a new battery, all in the build up to one lesson the other day? Must be sabotage.
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Trump demands inquiry over UN 'triple sabotage'

The US president called the incidents that included an escalator and teleprompter mishap "a real disgrace".

www.bbc.com

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 15d

Especially for the adult who’s taking it.

Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 15d

An absolute icon. RIP.

Yorkshire CCC @yorkshireccc.bsky.social · 15d

It is with profound sadness that The Yorkshire County Cricket Club announces the passing of Harold Dennis “Dickie” Bird MBE OBE, one of cricket’s most beloved figures, who died peacefully at home at the age of 92.

Read more: yorkshireccc.com/news/harold-...

Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 15d

That makes me quite happy.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 15d

I loved being all insufferably smug about it and pretending I knew so much better but looking back I was just being a pompous jerk.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 15d

Reminds me of all the pretentious arguments in Sixth Form about whether the examples she gives are actually ironic as we all tried to look clever.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 15d

There’s something in that although when it’s an audiobook about Stalin that comes on in the car it’s less like poetry to the sunrise. Definitely good though.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 15d

I spend so much time in the summer feeling grumpy about it being unpleasantly warm in bed at night that I forget how unpleasant it is to have to get out of bed, shave, get dressed etc when the house is cold.

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Jonathan Mountstevens @mrmountstevens.bsky.social · 16d

Politicians should also have learned their lesson from Brexit that it won’t win the argument with voters.