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Mum jailed for not picking up the phone, and other weird ones from the Family Court of Australia

In my research into Australia’s domestic violence epidemic, I’ve found an endless list of cases in Australia where parenting orders have been used as a blunt instrument to punish mums who were trying to keep their children safe from domestic violence and other crimes. Apologies that the language about the parents in this post is mostly gendered (“mum”, “dad”, etc.). I could have said “parent A /…

[tj-withers-author]

Is Bluey anti-feminist? Misogynistic subtext in Bluey's The Sign

Better late than never - some thoughts on #feminism and my favourite show of all time, #bluey

[tj-withers-author]

Why Australian women choose the bear (a poem by TJ Withers)

Perhaps the most important post I've written all year - 54 women in 7 months. Say "no more" to violence against women. #domesticviolence #dfv #dvawareness

This original poem by TJ Withers is a response to the national OurWatch ad campaign and the global social media trend. See the hyperlinks within the poem to get all the context. Men killed fifty-four women and four kiddies in seven months – who’ll be next? It’s impossible to bear Tiktok asked if we walked alone in the woods, would we rather see a wild bear, or a man? Them men chose the…

[tj-withers-author]

Why so many acronyms? Acronyms in education and teaching I've learned so far

Why are there so many acronyms in every industry??? I thought finance was bad, with an acronym for every product and project under the sun. Here's the #acronyms I've had to learn in the #education industry so far... #teaching #learning

Why are there so many acronyms in every industry? I thought finance was bad, with an acronym for every product, project, client, and project management technique under the sun. This year I’ve been studying the Master of Teaching in Queensland, and I’ve discovered that the education industry is no different. Leaders ❤ acronyms. Below is the list of acronyms I’ve compiled in just a few months,…

[tj-withers-author]

When the guides for inclusive education are not readable for people with a learning disability

I am one of the many adult learners with a learning disability. So tell me why all the academic texts about inclusivity and accessibility are impossible to read... Here's how I would rewrite one of the official guides. #disability #inclusivity #diversity

I was diagnosed with combined type ADHD about a year and a half ago, so technically, I am one of the many adult learners with a learning disability. But even before I knew that, making learning about reading and writing accessible was one of my main passions in life. So while I’ve been doing my Master of Teaching, I have been dyyyyyyying on the inside while trying to read all these academic…

[tj-withers-author]

Giveaway for parents and teachers

Check out this free giveaway of 5 planners for parents or teachers, to help you get your year sorted with your little learner. #teaching #parenting #learning #communication

Hi parents and teachers! I’ve got 5 free planners from Twinkl to give away, to help you get your year sorted with your kids or students: https://www.twinkl.com.au/the-twinkl-planner/ If you’re interested, comment your email address and I’ll tell Twinkl to send you a planner. 😎 This post is not sponsored, I just ordered my planner and they gave me a link to send 5 free planners to others. I’ve…

[tj-withers-author]

The Dr Dolittle incident as a meme (Dimension 20's Unsleeping City)

In Dimension 20's Unsleeping City season 1, Zac Oyama and Ally Beardsley famously got derailed during a scene by a minor reference to the Eddie Murphy movie remix of Dr Dolittle, and it triggers them thinking about an entirely different Eddie Murphy movie remix, and the two of them absolutely crack up and it's hilarious. This incident has since been discussed by the cast in Dimension 20's Adventuring Party, in an episode of the A Crown of Candy season of Adventuring Party.

I have simply put these screenshots together in one place because I couldn't find them as images or put together as a meme anywhere on the internet, and that tickled my brain painfully until I made this post. Full credit to cutting these clips together for us to the Dimemesion 20 Critposting account on YouTube. Simply amazing - thank you for your service. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iECKMUxQgqo for the full video.

In order, here's how the hilarity went down:

And now I'm crying with laughter, too.

Thank you, Dimension 20, for creating a fandom I love and enjoy so much.

Thank you, Ally and Zac. I love your wild and beautiful brains.

And thank you again, Dimemesion 20 Critposting, for helping me to relive this moment in its full glory.

[tj-withers-author]

Free Lesson Plan: Unpacking the patriarchy in context (Year 10 English)

Wish you were the cool English teacher? This lesson plan analyses lyrics made famous by Tiktok. I'm just a student teacher, so please feel free to provide kind, specific feedback! #teaching #english #highschool #education #labour

This is a lesson plan I wrote in 2024, to align with the F-10 Australian Curriculum for an English class. I wrote the plan for one of my university assessments, so I’ve put the research receipts down the bottom of the page if you want to look closer into the background information. I’m just a student teacher studying my Master of Education, so please feel free to provide kind, specific feedback.…

[tj-withers-author]

Bumble's bumble: Worst Advertising Campaign of 2024 Award

The second I saw this ad campaign by Bumble, I uninstalled the app and submitted a 1-star rating everywhere I could, and so did thousands of others. Here's why. #womensrights #humanrights #bumble #prnightmare #apps #abuse #femicide #genderequality

The second I saw this ad campaign by Bumble, I immediately uninstalled the app (I never use it anyway) and submitted a 1-star rating everywhere I could, and so did thousands of others. Here’s why. Note: This article refers to “women and other genders” and to “non-men” in an attempt to represent the reality of as many people as possible. Anytime I’ve written “women”, “trans women”, “trans men”,…

[tj-withers-author]

Help! It's too noisy to learn

When an airport moves, the children who've been living with that extra background noise at home can improve in long-term memory, short-term memory, and reading performance! Learn why in my latest post about #memory #learning #reading and #teaching

We’ve known for a long time that some learners need a certain type of noise or quiet in order to learn. For example, auditory learners will learn best by listening or by having noise in the background while they’re trying to learn something. And learners with sensory-avoidant sensitivity often need quiet to learn – like an ADHD or autistic student needing to wear noise-cancelling headphones in…

[tj-withers-author]

When is it practice vs practise? (and why the education system gets it confused)

I noticed this week that I was getting annoyed that one of my teaching textbooks consistently uses “practice” every time, when they actually should be using the verb “practise” in some sentences. How do you know when to use practice or practise? To practise is a verb that means you’re doing the same action or process over and over, usually over time, to get better at that action or process. For…

[tj-withers-author]

Teaching tip of the week: "Together, we can"

I’m currently studying my Master of Teaching (Secondary), so I thought I’d start sharing some of the gems I am discovering in the education and training sector! I’m also working at the same time, in the not-for-profit sector, where training adult volunteers and facilitating group events is a big part of my role. So I’m getting to exercise the things I already know about training and teaching…

[tj-withers-author]

Should they be smirking or smiling? (Grammar tips for authors)

Happy holidays, everyone! I’ve made it through nearly the whole year without ranting about this, which I’m kind of proud of. I cannot tell you how many books – both traditionally published and indie/self-published books – I’ve seen using the word “smirk” where it doesn’t belong. Smirking and smiling are different things – see e.g. the Oxford Dictionary or Collins Dictionary definitions. So…

[tj-withers-author]

Are we ready for 2024? How to write dates (Australian style guide)

It’s almost time to say happy new year and good riddance to 2023, so here’s how to write about dates and years in 2024. This is based on the Australian government’s style manual and the most common usage that I’ve seen over the past few years as an editor of digital content. The longest day of the year is fast approaching… or on the other side of the world, their shortest day of the world! So I…

[tj-withers-author]

NaNoWriMo: 5 best songs and soundtracks for writing fantasy novels

Are you writing a fantasy novel for #nanowrimo ? Here's my top picks for background music for writing fantasy! #writing #nanowrimo #books #music

Y’all know I simply cannot let November pass by without attempting the #nanowrimo hullaballo. (NaNoWriMo = National Novel Writing Month. It’s a lot of fun trying to write a full novel in one month!) And whether you’re a plotter or a pantser, you know playing music that matches the themes you’re writing can really get you in the mood … for prose. 😉 So if you, like me, are writing a fantasy novel…

[tj-withers-author]

New release: Laws for Claws (Paranormal Romance)

You can now read my new book, Laws for Claws, on Amazon Kindle – it’s even free if you have Kindle Unlimited! 😉 And the paperback will be available on Amazon as soon as I get the author proof back and check that it’s all printing ✨perfectly✨. 📖📚 Laws for Claws is an urban fantasy novel, not part of the Fire Dancers series. This story a werewolf, paranormal romance – delightfully smutty, and…

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Songs for playing DND

Here’s my favourite new finds for songs to play in the background of your next DND session! 😎✨ Yes, I play DND, and I love it! Best background songs for playing DND 1. Step into the Stinky Dragon by Micah Risinger – look, I’m cheating with this one because it’s from the DND actual play podcast Tales from the Stinky Dragon, but I’m not sorry — it’s just amazing! Great for literally anything.…