Oh, especially after coffee, I love that. Jacob love that. You know, it's Monday home
room busted pencils fully, let it education tuck, educated educators talking education. Me
Dr. Tim Slecker, chairman of the board Jacob, Johnny Lupin Nachy, you know, sometimes
priorities are not a home room. You know, I think he had a home room hall pass this morning,
Jacob. That makes sense to me. That makes sense because I did see him walking around the halls.
Yeah. Okay. Okay. Yeah. And he was carrying, you know, like a large chain with, with like
an automobile rim attached to it, you know, and that, you know, that's one of the ways we
prevent that hall pass from from going missing. There are so many ways that different teachers
at different schools try to protect that precious hall pass. You know, I think the statute
of limitations has passed or I can admit that I have one from my high school. Oh, you got my home.
Wow. Now you got it out. I got it. Well, actually, here's the funny thing. We, me and a friend
found it right outside as we left the school. And so that's the hard parts done, right? It's bed
and taken out of the school. Now I'm just a, I'm just an innocent civilian bystander coming across
this. And it could have come from anywhere. So I brought it home. Actually, Jacob, what really
happened? And let's, oh boy, you picked it up. You, you saw that with, with full intentions
to return it when you turned back to go into the school, the automatic locks for the end of the day,
the doors were locked. Yes. You thought, well, you know what, I'm going to, I'm going to take this
home and, you know, I'll bring it back. And, you know, the next thing, you know, you had
algebra homework, you had to write that English paper. And this was pre AI. So you actually had
to write it. Those were tough days, you know, and, and you just forgot. And hey, you showed up
the next day, like you're, you're about ready to walk in and explain what had happened. And you
noticed there was a newfangled hall pass being used. And, you know what, I think that then gave
you license to say, I'm just going to keep that hall pass. I had fully intended to give back,
but I don't have to now. Tim, I completely concur with your version of how this story went down.
And I'm going to hire you, Tim, to be my, my representation here in these situations.
And if, if you could maybe work in a rhyme, like if the pass ain't back or the pass ain't
brought, he must have forgot or something like that. I mean, find a rhyme. I think those are
really helpful. Jacob, the pass he got, he might have forgot. Boom, don't you forget that you got
to hang out on the dock. Do you want to continue that or? No, no. No, no. You know, but, come on,
home room. It is October. I'm scared. Oh, man. Yeah. Well, it is the scary month. Jacob.
And in fact, you kind of, you kind of jumped right in there because I was like, you know, what is
it about October for teachers and students that, you know, you start thinking about when, when
October hits. And, uh, yeah, Jacob, it is, uh, even though it's very early, first true full
week of October, heads have already begun thinking, planning, wondering what they're going to be
for Halloween. Oh, is this what you're coming at me with? I, yeah, you know, come on.
Because the whole, you know, other than I want to be an educated educator for Halloween.
Don't know what that cost you looks like. You've got, you've got the hairdo. Yeah, I'm getting
nailed. Yeah, you're, you're, you're ready to go. But, but yeah, you're thinking about, you know,
in school, those things that, you know, you think about other than the homework, you know,
we're involved around the seasonal holidays. Um, you know, the Christmas season definitely for,
for a good portion of students really occupies their mind as they're there. But I think one of the
other big ones happens in October, Halloween. And what are you going to be for Halloween?
The conversations I can hear the teachers right now. Hey, we're not talking about what we're
going to be for Halloween. I need you to pay attention right now to this dangling participle.
Oh, I'll be a dangling participle. I don't know if I could show that on screen. That might
be inappropriate, but I'll be dangling my party. I'm pretty sure. I was going to say I'm pretty
sure right now that we're dangling has been, you know, moved on. So it's just a participle.
It's frowned upon. Yeah, because the participle didn't really care for the characterization that
it was dangling. It's just an inherently, you know, negative sounding framing. And I understand the
participle's point of view on that one. Tim, if I could be serious here for a second. Okay.
I think the best thing about holidays, especially things like Christmas or Halloween,
is having kids around and seeing their buy into the holiday and their enjoyment of the holiday.
So as a cold, sad adult living in this radio station 24, 7365, I don't come into contact with any
children. I barely see my little siblings, but you guys as teachers, now you guys in college,
you got the young college kids, high school, middle, elementary, you get to see the kids get excited
for this stuff. You get to, hey, we're going to cut up some little pumpkins for the classroom.
I think that's got to be one of the funner parts of the year for a teacher. Hey, math lessons, Jacob,
you know, how many pumpkins? Can you cut out early elementary, you know, math, addition,
subtraction, using pumpkins, candy corn bags of candy corn, the stuff you could do, you can use
that, you know, to make bar graphs and things like, I mean, yeah, you're right there, but that goes
through. And then, but being, you know, what are you going to be for Halloween? And I was just
thinking about that for as you pointed out, I know a lot of people are going, yeah, yeah, elementary
kids, I mean, they love that. So all my elementary school teachers are out there going, you know,
because typically we also have the Halloween parade where everybody gets to come to school in
their, you know, their costumes and you have a parade and it's real fun. And, you know, so what
are you going to be for Halloween? And, you know, middle school kind of goes away a little bit,
you know, getting too old, high school, you know, maybe it's cute. But then you talk about it,
it's like there's a whole rebirth of Halloween, though when you get into college and higher education,
yes, because now you can really over the top with costumes, yeah, yeah, you know, especially for those
people who who did go to college and like my fraternities, Halloween parties, I probably looked
forward to those parties more than I looked forward to first grade the Halloween parade.
Yeah, I would think so. And you were in scone bones, right? So you guys had some really wild ones.
Well, yeah, you know, it was attendance in ligaments. That's the much more fun splinter group.
You guys are way cooler. Yeah, yeah, well, we actually had gotten haze down of scone bones.
So you said, you know what, we'll make our own group and it's going to be cooler in ligaments and
none of us are going to have any power. But I just think about that wondering, though, you know,
what is your favorite Halloween costume and teachers and everybody thinking about this, you know,
as we're coming in October home room, you know, what are the the the standout costumes and Jacob,
you as a student had them, you know, and then penciling college. And now, but do you have
like a favorite like this was my best Halloween costume ever. And if you do remember that,
do you remember when it was? Yeah, was it school? Was it college? Was it as an adult?
I don't I don't remember. So I'll tell Tim earlier, I totally dodged your question at like an
expert politician said, where are you going to be for Halloween? And I said, Tim, I think Halloween's
great. Everyone loves Halloween. So as far as my costumes go, I remember one. Now, I've worn
multiple in my life, but I only recall one of them. And it's that I was Captain Hook when I was
like eight. Okay. And I had a hook. Thankfully, the hand grew back, but I had a hooks and a hat. And
it matched all of my favorite things in life, which is dressing up history, because I've got a hat and
a beautiful blouse and frock. And I had a great time being Captain Hook. And that's the one that's
really stuck in my mind. I even had a terrible little mustache like Captain Hook. And that one
stands out to me. I haven't decided what I'm going to be this year. Maybe through this, you can
help me think of ideas. But Tim, let me ask you something. Do you prefer the really good costume
or the low effort, funny creative costume? Where do you land on the Halloween scale?
Whole. So I have a tendency. So I came from the, you don't buy your Halloween costume
side of the tracks. Okay. Okay. You know, so anything that was already packaged and ready to go
was just not the way we did costumes. We made my mother suffer. And you know, came up with mom.
I want to be like a superhero that has like bird wings. And I want to have really cool boots,
though. And I want like a face mask that's really tight like the comic book one so that it doesn't
look like it's, you know, material. And I want to be that for Halloween. And you didn't even
hand her a specific character. You're like, mom, I need you to invent a new superhero for me
with these characteristics. Yep. And she did it. That's a wonderful story, Tim. She did it. And,
you know, and so we, I never had that. And, you know, like I got to say, I might have been a little
bit looked down on those, you know, plastic masks with the bad rubber band that would break
around your head and the costume that had a, you know, a flammability potential to take you out.
And as soon as you walked past the jackal lantern, I didn't wear those. I may have even made fun
of people that got those now Tim. I look back to the other children. So that was me as a kid,
but now check it out. As a teacher, I got to see the excitement that kids had and you ask a good
question, what were some of the best costumes that my kids would come in with? And I got to tell
you one of my favorites in your, in your way of thinking I had to come in is in all of this
may sound culturally inappropriate, demeaning all those things I get it. This, that's not what
this show is today. Because, because boy, we can, we can really take apart Halloween. I can't
wait to hear what the end of this story is based on the intro.
He came in his George Washington. Okay, nothing bad there. No. But his mother
went out and got a, like a bag of not cotton balls, but like fluffy stuffing. And somehow
molded it into this white wig with a big ponytail that went about down the middle of his back.
That's beautiful. And then, and then got a three-pointed hat that she made out of cardboard.
And he came in and his name was Heath. I was like, Heath, what's going on, man? He's like,
Mr's like, my mom told me I was going to be George Washington and look what she's making me wear.
This is a fifth grader, about 20 minutes into the, into the day, because they came dressed
for the day in their Halloween costumes. Not, you know, go out and change and we'll have our
Halloween parade. Yeah, yeah. If this school kid showed up in the morning and left, and let me
tell you what they looked like in the morning and how they left was always a disaster. But I look
over at Heath, and he is miserable. And I said, dude, what's going on? He's like, Mr's like,
I am so hot. Okay. Because he had this, and I said, well, Heath, you could take a break and,
you know, kind of take it off until the parade. My mother told me not to take it off.
And so, I mean, these are the kind of things that I remember for Halloween. And then, you know,
and I wish he would have said to you, Tim, I, Mr. Slecker, I cannot tell a lie.
It's too damn hot in this wig. Well, but he did come in, Jacob, you know, the crowning that I was
going to say, although I thought the hair was the best part of his costume, he did come in with a
with a big old hatchet. Oh, okay. And very cool. Again, telling you the times we didn't confiscate it.
I let him carry that hatchet around all day. And the best thing about that, Tim, is that you really
don't need it for the George Washington costume, especially when you're playing adult George
Washington. You don't need the I was six with a hatchet thing. It's really, it doesn't even make
lore accurate sense. But God bless you. He was good. So anyway, and I know it's home room. We like
to be quick, but I'm just thinking as we're coming in October teachers that you're listening to
this kids that you're listening to this college students, anybody involved. Good luck. I can't wait
to see all of the costumes. And yes, even you, those teachers who actually also put in the
effort and come in their Halloween costumes, I can tell you the kids appreciate it. They love it.
And Jacob, do you remember any of your teachers coming in in a costume?
Oh, boy, no, I don't remember any of them in a costume. We did do the thing you're talking about,
though, going from class to class, trick or treating in the other classes. And that was always
weird for me because you don't really go in the other classes. You know, I'm in this class.
What do they do in there? It turns out the same thing we did, but it was kind of adventurous and
exciting. And I thought that was a lot of fun. Tim, I got to go trick or treating. So if you want
to meet up, we go canvas the neighborhood. I know the nice neighborhoods we can go get the big
snickers, not just the stubby ones. I think we'll have a great Halloween. Tim, I wish that Johnny
was here because I feel like he would have had some wacky stories, too, don't you think?
I think he would have had he actually been here. Who knows? Let's be. He's got that hall pass.
Yeah, he's got that hall pass, though. But if the listeners are thinking, man, I want to hear
some Johnny Halloween stories. I can't make any promises to him, but there's one thing I got to point
out here. Halloween comes on a Friday this year. So there might be a producer's choice.
Halloween thing coming later this month. I'm not going to say anymore. I'm just going to let
people know if they want to hear more Tim, Johnny, Halloween stuff. There's a possibility.
A little teaser. Nice. Well, Jacob with that, you know, I got to say, though, when my favorite
Halloween costume as a teacher, Mr. Spock. Nice. I had a Mr. Spock costume. And I tell you, Jacob,
I award as Mr. Slecker as the second grade teacher, Mr. Slecker as a fifth grade teacher.
And Dr. Slecker as a professor, that costume got some mileage, man.
That is at that point, you know, it may it may have crossed over from Halloween costume to
fantasy, fantasy type of wishing I could be Mr. Spock. At some point, you you live the lie long
enough that you started to believe you were Mr. Spock. Yeah, the problem was I could never get the
neck shoulder pinch to actually work. Well, I that might be for the best that you weren't able to
subdue any of the students, but Tim live long and prosper. Of course, live long and prosper. And
now it's time for your moment of sin.
The law is one thing. Power. That's another thing. When I began teaching, I taught a course
called law and justice in America. And that was the theme of the course. This is law and this is
justice. This is law and this is power. It's a very important thing to learn.
Thanks for listening to busted pencils, home room, appreciate all the times that you put in
putting, you know, all that good stuff. Hey, make sure, though, on Wednesday, you're still hanging
around for, oh, what, you know, Wednesday classes in session. Oh, Jay, I've got too much Halloween
in my mind right now to spoke that Friday. Yes, producer's choice Saturday, one full hour of
busted pencils across all those civic media stations. And yeah, don't you forget, though, to come
back again, that Monday for home room. But you know, here's the best thing. Check us out, go to
busted pencils.com, go to Apple podcasts, go to Spotify, all those things. Let us know what you
think about the show, what you'd like to hear more of what you'd like to hear less of and all those
things. But you know, the number one thing, keep busting pencils.