Dr. Tim Slekar
Back to School: Building Community
Teacher Joanna joins Dr. Tim to pick up the conversation about the back-to-school season. Turns out, back to school involves more than tacking up new posters and cleaning desks. In those first days back in the classroom before students join them, teachers lay the groundwork for the entire year. Joanna shares her tips for building […]
Weekly Best of Busted Pencils for Aug 10
Another week, another pack of pencils busted! Catch up on some of the best segments from this week. We talk with Nancy Carlsson-Paige about Tim Walz’s designation of Trump/Vance as “weird” and how sometimes you have to respond to a bully with their own language. Then catch our discussion with Educators Amplified on the excitement […]
Thank goodness it’s Friday, that’s nothing trivial!
Goodness this week passed in a blink, and yet we covered SO MUCH! Thank goodness it’s Busted Pencils Friday, when we get to break it down. This week, we soaked in the radical joy that returned to politics with the Harris-Walz ticket. We talked professional ethics- this week’s anchoring lesson from On Tyranny– from classroom […]
The Right to be a Uuuman*, A Social Studies Lesson
Today, we’re talking human needs and human excellence. First off, checking in on the Olympics- an important opportunity for multi-cultural exchanges. And an excellent chance to promote diversity, sportsmanship, and camaraderie. AND the Olympics provide ample teaching moments for two educated social studies educators. Then, a social studies lesson in honor of the newest Vice […]
Harris-Walz: Make America Joyful Again
Joy- pure radiant jubilant joy- returns to American politics with the announcement of Tim Walz as Kamala Harris’ VP pick. Who could have guessed three weeks ago that we would be so excited for the 2024 Presidential election? Who would have guessed that public education would rise to such prominence in this race? Well, Dr. […]
Civic Media Spotlight for August 3rd & 4th (Hour 2)
Up first this hour, Air Force Veteran Roy Rogers joins Jim and John to talk a bit about his experience in the military, which includes the story of stepping on a land mine in combat and losing part of his hand. But also shares an extremely interesting and funny story about his “famous” name. It […]
Weekly Best of Busted Pencils for Aug 3
Wow, what a week! Did you miss our interview with Dr. Joe Gothard, or our coverage of the WPEN Summer Summit? Fear not! Catch up on all these educated educators talking education, and we’ll see you next week! Busted Pencils is part of the Civic Media radio network and airs Monday through Friday from 6-7 […]
TG- and I can’t emphasize this enough- IBPF
It’s Friday, and we’re all back together (virtually) again! Johnny rejoins Tim and Jess to wrap up a busy week of educated educators talking hella education. Wrapping up the week, we check in on our lesson, of 20, from the 20th Century on not obeying in advance. Next week, we’ll focus on lesson #5: remember […]
Teaching In Times of Crisis
When historical events unfold, teachers must teach. Today, Dr. Tim and Dr. Johnny talk about how to address big historical moments- events that often feel like or ARE crises- in the classroom. They emphasize the need to build regular moments of genuine connection into daily routines. When these exist, teachers have a strong base of […]
Zipping Up the WPEN Summer Summit
Bert Zipperer, returning Pencil Buster, active union enthusiast, and retired school counselor, joins Dr. Tim and Producer Jess to discuss the WPEN Summit. Wisconsin’s educated educators have been a’talkin education all day. We attended learning sessions, gathered stories, and met with the most fully leaded teachers this side of the Michigan. And now it’s time […]