Joanna MW
@jbalaena.bsky.social
Independent specialist in SpLD (M.Ed, AMBDA); previously English teacher & Glos LA Lead English
Teacher. Dyslexia and dyscalculia specialist teacher. Wife, vicar’s wife, mama of 4, SEN parent carer. Neurodivergent. greatexpectationseducation.uk
Teacher. Dyslexia and dyscalculia specialist teacher. Wife, vicar’s wife, mama of 4, SEN parent carer. Neurodivergent. greatexpectationseducation.uk
By November the weather calls for jacket potatoes. The word has travelled as far as the crop itself — from Taíno ‘batata’ and Quechua ‘papa’ to Spanish ‘patata’. Across Europe, people called it an ‘earth apple’ or compared it to a truffle.
November 14, 2025 at 7:35 PM
By November the weather calls for jacket potatoes. The word has travelled as far as the crop itself — from Taíno ‘batata’ and Quechua ‘papa’ to Spanish ‘patata’. Across Europe, people called it an ‘earth apple’ or compared it to a truffle.
‘Parsnip’ began as the Latin ‘pastinaca’—a word for both parsnip and carrot, and for the fork used to dig them up. Across Europe, the name still traces those Roman roots.
greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-word...
greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-word...
November 12, 2025 at 7:30 PM
‘Parsnip’ began as the Latin ‘pastinaca’—a word for both parsnip and carrot, and for the fork used to dig them up. Across Europe, the name still traces those Roman roots.
greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-word...
greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-word...
‘Poppy’ keeps its Latin root ‘papaver’ through centuries of language change. From Old English ‘popiġ’ to today’s word of remembrance. greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-word...
November 11, 2025 at 7:35 PM
‘Poppy’ keeps its Latin root ‘papaver’ through centuries of language change. From Old English ‘popiġ’ to today’s word of remembrance. greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-word...
“Every man who knows how to read… multiplies the ways in which he exists.”
– Aldous Huxley
Spotted on the north coast of Germany: a flash of pink, a beetle, and a reminder that books don’t just inform — they expand.
#AldousHuxley #BookQuote #ReadersOfX #GreatExpectationsEducation #LiteraryQuotes
– Aldous Huxley
Spotted on the north coast of Germany: a flash of pink, a beetle, and a reminder that books don’t just inform — they expand.
#AldousHuxley #BookQuote #ReadersOfX #GreatExpectationsEducation #LiteraryQuotes
November 11, 2025 at 4:29 PM
“Every man who knows how to read… multiplies the ways in which he exists.”
– Aldous Huxley
Spotted on the north coast of Germany: a flash of pink, a beetle, and a reminder that books don’t just inform — they expand.
#AldousHuxley #BookQuote #ReadersOfX #GreatExpectationsEducation #LiteraryQuotes
– Aldous Huxley
Spotted on the north coast of Germany: a flash of pink, a beetle, and a reminder that books don’t just inform — they expand.
#AldousHuxley #BookQuote #ReadersOfX #GreatExpectationsEducation #LiteraryQuotes
Pear began as Latin pirum and may go back to an ancient root meaning ‘to crush’. A soft fruit with a long linguistic history. greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-words-words-words/pear
November 7, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Pear began as Latin pirum and may go back to an ancient root meaning ‘to crush’. A soft fruit with a long linguistic history. greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-words-words-words/pear
‘Bonfire’ once meant a fire of bones. Folk speech re-heard it through French ‘bon’ — a ‘good fire’. From ritual smoke to village blaze. Read the full story: greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-words-words-words/bonfire
November 5, 2025 at 7:35 PM
‘Bonfire’ once meant a fire of bones. Folk speech re-heard it through French ‘bon’ — a ‘good fire’. From ritual smoke to village blaze. Read the full story: greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-words-words-words/bonfire
“To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life.”
– W. Somerset Maugham
A quiet headland in Brittany… and the kind of refuge you can carry anywhere: a book.
#SomersetMaugham #BookQuote #ReadersOfX #LiteraryRefuge #GreatExpectationsEducati
– W. Somerset Maugham
A quiet headland in Brittany… and the kind of refuge you can carry anywhere: a book.
#SomersetMaugham #BookQuote #ReadersOfX #LiteraryRefuge #GreatExpectationsEducati
November 4, 2025 at 4:29 PM
“To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life.”
– W. Somerset Maugham
A quiet headland in Brittany… and the kind of refuge you can carry anywhere: a book.
#SomersetMaugham #BookQuote #ReadersOfX #LiteraryRefuge #GreatExpectationsEducati
– W. Somerset Maugham
A quiet headland in Brittany… and the kind of refuge you can carry anywhere: a book.
#SomersetMaugham #BookQuote #ReadersOfX #LiteraryRefuge #GreatExpectationsEducati
Reposted by Joanna MW
October still means ‘eight’. A name from Rome, reshaped by Anglo-Saxon moons and Norse winters. From ‘Winterfylleth’ to ‘Gormánuðr’, October carries stories of calendars and seasons. bit.ly/GEEwords
#October #Etymology #WordOrigins #LanguageHistory
#October #Etymology #WordOrigins #LanguageHistory
October 6, 2025 at 6:35 PM
October still means ‘eight’. A name from Rome, reshaped by Anglo-Saxon moons and Norse winters. From ‘Winterfylleth’ to ‘Gormánuðr’, October carries stories of calendars and seasons. bit.ly/GEEwords
#October #Etymology #WordOrigins #LanguageHistory
#October #Etymology #WordOrigins #LanguageHistory
Reposted by Joanna MW
Old English ‘mist’ has barely changed in a thousand years. It shares a root with ‘mistletoe’—once ‘misteltān’, the ‘dung twig’. From meigh- ‘to sprinkle’.
bit.ly/GEEwords
greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-word...
bit.ly/GEEwords
greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-word...
October 8, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Old English ‘mist’ has barely changed in a thousand years. It shares a root with ‘mistletoe’—once ‘misteltān’, the ‘dung twig’. From meigh- ‘to sprinkle’.
bit.ly/GEEwords
greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-word...
bit.ly/GEEwords
greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-word...
Reposted by Joanna MW
The rose hip has two roots. ‘Rose’ came from Latin and Greek, ‘hip’ is Old English. A borrowed flower + a native fruit, tied together in autumn hedgerows. More at bit.ly/GEEwords
October 10, 2025 at 6:35 PM
The rose hip has two roots. ‘Rose’ came from Latin and Greek, ‘hip’ is Old English. A borrowed flower + a native fruit, tied together in autumn hedgerows. More at bit.ly/GEEwords
Reposted by Joanna MW
I thought lantern was Germanic — but it comes from Greek lampter ‘torch’ via Latin and French. As October nights draw in, it recalls scenes before electricity, lanterns carried into the dark. Read more: bit.ly/GEEwords
October 13, 2025 at 6:35 PM
I thought lantern was Germanic — but it comes from Greek lampter ‘torch’ via Latin and French. As October nights draw in, it recalls scenes before electricity, lanterns carried into the dark. Read more: bit.ly/GEEwords
Reposted by Joanna MW
“There are perhaps no days of our childhood we lived so fully as those we spent with a favourite book.”
– Marcel Proust
The best kind of nostalgia is bound in pages. 📚
#MarcelProust #BookQuote #ReadersOfX #LiteraryQuotes #ChildhoodReads #GreatExpectationsEducation
– Marcel Proust
The best kind of nostalgia is bound in pages. 📚
#MarcelProust #BookQuote #ReadersOfX #LiteraryQuotes #ChildhoodReads #GreatExpectationsEducation
October 14, 2025 at 3:29 PM
“There are perhaps no days of our childhood we lived so fully as those we spent with a favourite book.”
– Marcel Proust
The best kind of nostalgia is bound in pages. 📚
#MarcelProust #BookQuote #ReadersOfX #LiteraryQuotes #ChildhoodReads #GreatExpectationsEducation
– Marcel Proust
The best kind of nostalgia is bound in pages. 📚
#MarcelProust #BookQuote #ReadersOfX #LiteraryQuotes #ChildhoodReads #GreatExpectationsEducation
Reposted by Joanna MW
Old name, bitter fruit. This word card traces the roots of sloe — from Indo-European colour words to hedgerow gin and frost-bitten harvests.
🔗 bit.ly/GEEwords
🔗 bit.ly/GEEwords
October 15, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Old name, bitter fruit. This word card traces the roots of sloe — from Indo-European colour words to hedgerow gin and frost-bitten harvests.
🔗 bit.ly/GEEwords
🔗 bit.ly/GEEwords
Reposted by Joanna MW
The hearth once meant both fireplace and family. From Old English ‘heorð’ to Latin ‘focus’ and Greek ‘Hestia’. More at greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-words-words-words/hearth #etymology #hearth
October 17, 2025 at 6:35 PM
The hearth once meant both fireplace and family. From Old English ‘heorð’ to Latin ‘focus’ and Greek ‘Hestia’. More at greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-words-words-words/hearth #etymology #hearth
Reposted by Joanna MW
At Vile, on Denmark’s Limfjord, the word for dusk is 'tusmørke', ‘between dark’. English has kept its own word for over a thousand years. Read more: greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-words-words-words/dusk
October 20, 2025 at 6:35 PM
At Vile, on Denmark’s Limfjord, the word for dusk is 'tusmørke', ‘between dark’. English has kept its own word for over a thousand years. Read more: greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-words-words-words/dusk
Reposted by Joanna MW
“Book collecting is an obsession… not a hobby. Those who do it must do it.”
– Jeanette Winterson
This is my neatly shelved version. Sometimes the ‘to read’ pile reaches the ceiling and looks like it might topple in the night. Still worth it.
#BookCollector #ReadersOfX #BookQuote #JeanetteWinterson
– Jeanette Winterson
This is my neatly shelved version. Sometimes the ‘to read’ pile reaches the ceiling and looks like it might topple in the night. Still worth it.
#BookCollector #ReadersOfX #BookQuote #JeanetteWinterson
October 21, 2025 at 3:29 PM
“Book collecting is an obsession… not a hobby. Those who do it must do it.”
– Jeanette Winterson
This is my neatly shelved version. Sometimes the ‘to read’ pile reaches the ceiling and looks like it might topple in the night. Still worth it.
#BookCollector #ReadersOfX #BookQuote #JeanetteWinterson
– Jeanette Winterson
This is my neatly shelved version. Sometimes the ‘to read’ pile reaches the ceiling and looks like it might topple in the night. Still worth it.
#BookCollector #ReadersOfX #BookQuote #JeanetteWinterson
Reposted by Joanna MW
‘Ember’ comes from Old English ‘ǣmyrge’ and Old Norse ‘eimyrja’—a live coal. Its cousins across Europe still glow: ‘braise’, ‘brasa’, ‘glød’. The word has carried warmth for over a thousand years. greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-word...
October 22, 2025 at 6:35 PM
‘Ember’ comes from Old English ‘ǣmyrge’ and Old Norse ‘eimyrja’—a live coal. Its cousins across Europe still glow: ‘braise’, ‘brasa’, ‘glød’. The word has carried warmth for over a thousand years. greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-word...
Reposted by Joanna MW
Across Europe, the smallest rain has many names — drizzle, bruine, llovizna, Niesel. All speak of drops that hover before they fall.
greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-word...
greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-word...
October 24, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Across Europe, the smallest rain has many names — drizzle, bruine, llovizna, Niesel. All speak of drops that hover before they fall.
greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-word...
greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-word...
Reposted by Joanna MW
‘Frost’ is one of English’s oldest words — unchanged for a thousand winters. From Old English ‘forst’ to the same chill sound we use today. greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-word...
October 27, 2025 at 7:35 PM
‘Frost’ is one of English’s oldest words — unchanged for a thousand winters. From Old English ‘forst’ to the same chill sound we use today. greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-word...
Reposted by Joanna MW
‘The world was hers for the reading.’
– Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
A bright bloom, spotted in a corner of Brittany — and a reminder of everything that opens up with a book.
#BettySmith #LiteraryQuotes #ReadersOfX #BooksAndBlooms #GreatExpectationsEducation
– Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
A bright bloom, spotted in a corner of Brittany — and a reminder of everything that opens up with a book.
#BettySmith #LiteraryQuotes #ReadersOfX #BooksAndBlooms #GreatExpectationsEducation
October 28, 2025 at 4:29 PM
‘The world was hers for the reading.’
– Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
A bright bloom, spotted in a corner of Brittany — and a reminder of everything that opens up with a book.
#BettySmith #LiteraryQuotes #ReadersOfX #BooksAndBlooms #GreatExpectationsEducation
– Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
A bright bloom, spotted in a corner of Brittany — and a reminder of everything that opens up with a book.
#BettySmith #LiteraryQuotes #ReadersOfX #BooksAndBlooms #GreatExpectationsEducation
Reposted by Joanna MW
‘Twilight’ joins ‘two’ and ‘light’ to name the half-light between day and night. From Old English twi-lyht, it shares roots with ‘twin’ and ‘lucid’. Read more: greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-word...
October 29, 2025 at 7:35 PM
‘Twilight’ joins ‘two’ and ‘light’ to name the half-light between day and night. From Old English twi-lyht, it shares roots with ‘twin’ and ‘lucid’. Read more: greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-word...
Reposted by Joanna MW
‘Halloween’ began as ‘All Hallows’ Even’, the night before All Saints’ Day. The word holds centuries of English and European memory: saints, souls, and the turning of the year.
greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-word...
greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-word...
October 31, 2025 at 7:35 PM
‘Halloween’ began as ‘All Hallows’ Even’, the night before All Saints’ Day. The word holds centuries of English and European memory: saints, souls, and the turning of the year.
greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-word...
greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-word...
Reposted by Joanna MW
The word ‘November’ once meant ‘ninth month’. The Romans counted from March, while the Anglo-Saxons called it ‘Blōtmōnaþ’ — the sacrifice month. Read the full word history: greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-words-words-words/november
November 1, 2025 at 7:30 PM
The word ‘November’ once meant ‘ninth month’. The Romans counted from March, while the Anglo-Saxons called it ‘Blōtmōnaþ’ — the sacrifice month. Read the full word history: greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-words-words-words/november
The word ‘November’ once meant ‘ninth month’. The Romans counted from March, while the Anglo-Saxons called it ‘Blōtmōnaþ’ — the sacrifice month. Read the full word history: greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-words-words-words/november
November 1, 2025 at 7:30 PM
The word ‘November’ once meant ‘ninth month’. The Romans counted from March, while the Anglo-Saxons called it ‘Blōtmōnaþ’ — the sacrifice month. Read the full word history: greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-words-words-words/november
‘Halloween’ began as ‘All Hallows’ Even’, the night before All Saints’ Day. The word holds centuries of English and European memory: saints, souls, and the turning of the year.
greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-word...
greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-word...
October 31, 2025 at 7:35 PM
‘Halloween’ began as ‘All Hallows’ Even’, the night before All Saints’ Day. The word holds centuries of English and European memory: saints, souls, and the turning of the year.
greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-word...
greatexpectationseducation.uk/musings-word...