THIS WEEK - 18-24 JANUARY 2014
Saturday
A bear of very little brain
Children of all ages played Poohsticks and ate “hunny” in honour of Winnie-the-Pooh Day, celebrated on the birthday of author AA Milne. The anthropomorphic bear first appeared in print in 1926.
Sunday
Bigwigs in town
The annual Education World Forum, the global summit for education ministers, kicked off in London. With more than 100 countries represented, it’s the world’s largest gathering of education and skills ministers.
Monday
Making (feathered) friends
It was time for students to get twitchy as the RSPB’s Big Schools Birdwatch got under way. The event aims to bring children closer to the wildlife that can be found in their playgrounds and back gardens.
Tuesday
‘Traditional’ values
Russian schools must teach students to preserve the country’s traditions, including its stance against homosexuality, the country’s education minister, Dmitry Livanov, told TES.
Wednesday
Mac attack
Apple unveiled the first Mac computer this week in 1984. Originally launched to save us from conformity, the Apple brand is now ubiquitous - as revealed by a quick peek inside any coffee shop.
Thursday
A private matter
The Cambridge Union debated the motion “This house would send its children to private school”. Speakers included Barnaby Lenon, chairman of the UK’s Independent Schools Council, and journalist Fiona Millar.
Friday
Be prepared
Don your woggles and give a hearty “dyb dyb dyb, dob dob dob” to mark the anniversary of the first ever meeting, in 1908, of a troop of Scouts, the movement founded by Robert Baden-Powell.
NEXT WEEK - 25-31 JANUARY 2014
Saturday
Supper and song
Haggis, tatties and neeps, and whisky will be on the menu for Burns Night, celebrating Scottish poet Robert Burns. Teachers know better than most that “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ menGang aft agley”.
Sunday
Inspiration for a nation
Open a tinnie and stick a shrimp on the barbie - or indoor equivalent if you’re in slightly cooler climes. It’s Australia Day, which commemorates the 1788 arrival of British ships into Sydney Cove.
Monday
Booking for Eric
In 1995, and despite demonstrating considerable athleticism, footballer Eric Cantona was fined #163;20,000 and given a nine-month playing ban for kung-fu kicking a Crystal Palace fan in the chest.
Tuesday
Antisocial media
It’s Data Privacy Day - an opportunity to teach your class the importance of thinking before they send any dubious Snapchat messages. It’s also worth refraining from dissing your department head on Facebook.
Wednesday
Riddle me this
What’s one day long, held on 29 January and beloved by crossword enthusiasts? The answer is, of course, Puzzle Day - a festival of jigsaws, crosswords, Rubik’s cubes and the like.
Thursday
Oh! Think twice
It’s another day in paradise for drummer, singer-songwriter and supposed tax exile Phil Collins, who celebrates his birthday today. An ideal opportunity to thank the man who gave us Sussudio and Easy Lover.
Friday
Animal instinct
Get your students horsing around for Chinese New Year. People born in the Year of the Horse are said to be bright, energetic, bad tempered and easily distracted - sounds like your average teenager to us.
