22-28 August 2015
Saturday
Winter isn’t coming
On Southern Hemisphere Hoodie-Hoo Day, students down under can go outside at lunchtime and shout “Hoodie-Hoo!” to chase away winter and welcome in spring. Lucky them. So much to look forward to.
Sunday
Different directions
Hearts were broken around the world as it was revealed that One Direction are to take an extended break from next year. For advice on how to handle pupils devastated by the news, go to: bit.ly1Dtipsforteachers
Monday
Out of space
My Very Easy Method Just Speeds Up Naming Planets...until this day in 2006, when the International Astronomical Union ruined physics teachers’ beloved mnemonic by reclassifying Pluto as a dwarf planet.
Tuesday
Team teaching
Even teachers don’t know it all. Lucky, then, that the annual conference of the Association for Teacher Education in Europe took place at the University of Glasgow, offering educators a chance to share ideas.
Wednesday
Striking a chord
It’s more than a feeling when someone uses an imaginary guitar to perform a bohemian rhapsody. Those who feel that God gave rock and roll to you walked this way to Finland, for the Air Guitar World Championships.
Thursday
Remember, remember
If you struggle to recall the names of your new classes, then the UK Memory Championships were probably not for you. The winners will represent the UK at the world championships in December.
Friday
Dream date
Civil rights leader Martin Luther King gave his “I have a dream” speech on this day in 1963, which came to be widely regarded as an epochal moment in the US movement towards racial equality.
29 August - 4 September 2015
Saturday
Going for a song
Prepare for a new batch of wannabes to make old hits their own; it’s the return of The X Factor. Check the music department when term starts to see if any of your colleagues have made a break for stardom.
Sunday
Monstrous talent
It’s 218 years since author, editor and English teachers’ favourite Mary Shelley was born. Although she is best known for Frankenstein, Shelley also wrote six other novels and two books of travel writing.
Monday
One foot in the gravy
Want to practise for lunch duty before going back to school? Head to Lancashire for the World Gravy Wrestling Championships. Competitors will be given points (not detention) for special moves.
Tuesday
Lights, camera, education
Many teachers will attend the annual Beyond Borders Film Festival at Edinburgh’s Filmhouse cinema. This year’s theme is modern conflict, exploring issues such as civil war and piloting military drones.
Wednesday
Old flames
A notable date for history teachers and a salutary lesson for food tech departments: the Great Fire of London began on this day in 1666, at baker Thomas Farriner’s shop on Pudding Lane.
Thursday
Reinventing the wheel
The creators of Cycle to Work Day, in which everyone is encouraged to commute by bike, could have chosen a better date - don’t they know how much paperwork there is at the start of the school year?
Friday
Let there be lights
What’s this, what’s this? There’s bright things everywhere! Blackpool will be hoping there’s not a nightmare before Christmas when Hollywood director Tim Burton switches on the Illuminations.
