BustED Pencils
Host: Civic Media
BustED Pencils; Fully Leaded Education Talk is a powerful radio show/podcast dedicated to public education. BustED Pencils is known for its commitment to the hard facts with a humorous twist. Hosts Dr. Tim Slekar and Dr. Johnny Lupinacci cover the “real” issues in education. The show establishes an alternative space and discusses education reform from an entirely progressive perspective. Our approach is funny, edgy, passionate, witty and gritty and features an array of guests. BustED Pencils explores the political and commercial influences behind education policy. We deliver trending education news without the jargon, and most importantly, we promote a vision of public schools that all children deserve. BustED Pencils appeals to ”your neighbor”—parents, grandparents, guardians, teachers, policymakers, taxpayers and students alike.
Post-secondary education’s worst (and perhaps worst-kept) secret is that the vast majority of those who teach in our nation’s colleges and universities never learned how to do so. Sure, these professionals are experts in their fields. They know their specialties and the niche corners of their subject matter. And because of their subject mastery, places […]
Missing your favorite educated educators? Well, fear not, we’re back! Welcome one and all to the BustED Pencils podcasts! Whether you’ve been with the show since Tim began the podcast in 2014 or you’re joining us for the first time today: welcome! Now let’s get busting! Dr. Jonathan Gyurko is a lot of things. He’s […]
Catch up on this week’s best segments! First, an impromptu lesson on the electoral college spurred by a question from a caller. Then, what’s the deal with all these referenda? The Wisconsin Public Education Network is here to answer questions and help us think about better ways to fund our schools. And for another way […]
First off, thank goodness it’s Busted Pencils Friday. Secondly, thank goodness for seven incredible months of daily radio shows. Mostly, thank goodness for YOU, our amazing audience. Today, an era ends. To be clear, not the BustED Pencils era. Just this era of 5 episodes a week on broadcast radio. Something new is around the […]
BustED Pencils and the Wisconsin Public Education Network- it’s a partnership that betters us all! Our guests today are Jenni Hofschulte, Southeastern Organizer for WPEN, and Tom Wermuth- District Administrator for Adams Friendship School District. They join us today to talk about school funding. Public schools today still receive most of their funding from property […]
Teacher Hallie of Educators Amplified joins us to catch up on trending educational news and debate the merits of Grow Your Own Teacher programs. Hallie appreciates that GYO programs can absolutely help bridge necessary teacher shortages… but it does nothing to prevent the further exodus. We’ve got some trending news to tackle today. SCOTUS blocked […]
We’ve got a whole pack of educated educators joining us today to talk about Edgewood College’s Grow Your Own Teachers program and their partnership with the Madison Metropolitan School District. With us today: Nancy Molfenter- Associate Superintendent for Student Services, Amy Vercauteren Hefty- Assistant Director of Special education for MMSD, and Michael Meissen- Senior Director […]
Yes, the title is sarcastic. Though genuinely, somehow, this is breaking news for some, as the Thomas B. Fordham Institute found through their recent study. Dr. Tim and Dr. Johnny know from their experience that poverty absolutely, 100% affects educational outcomes. In fact, the number 1 predictor of a child’s academic achievement is the income […]
Catch up on our Friday episode from August 16th right before the DNC. We talk truth, have some great (gross) Tim’s Trivia, and get prepared for the Democratic National Convention. Busted Pencils is part of the Civic Media radio network and airs Monday through Friday from 6-7 pm across Wisconsin. Subscribe to the podcast to […]
TGIBPDNCeF: Thank goodness it’s Busted Pencils- Democratic National Convention edition- Friday! It’s Friday, so you know we’ve got Tim’s Trivia and we’re talking 20 Lessons from the 20th Century. Dr. Tim, Dr. Johnny, and Producer Jess are finally back together after a long week apart! In line with our theme established last Friday from On […]
