Dr. Tim Slekar
Just Say No
John and Gordy kick off the show with their campaign to win Madison Magazine's Best of Madison award for Radio Team. Vote now at madisonmagazine.com/bom! We dive into the National Day Calendar, and check the history books with Sam before welcoming on Dr. Tim Slekar, one half of the BustED Pencils podcast duo. They take a look at all the government firings going on, checking in on the Department of Ed, and the defunding of research institutions, which have been swept under the rug recently amid higher-profile news. They also chat about how kids can actually opt-out of standardized testing, widely seen as a waste of educational resources, and a point of stress for many kids. Just before we say goodbye to Tim, we touch on the Science of Reading once again, the debunked curriculum now being blamed for kid's illiteracy. Wrapping up the first hour, we get a preview of the rant to come in the next hour, with words from Malcom Nance, about how the fight is here and now.
The John and Gordy Show is a part of the Civic Media radio network and airs Monday through Friday from 6-8 am on WMDX in Madison. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast line up. Follow the show on Facebook and X to keep up with John & Gordy!
The Unscience of Reading
With the absolute dumping of snow we received yesterday, John and Gordy kick off commiserating about shoveling, a Wisconsin tradition. We dive into the National Day Calendar (its Cheddar Day!) and check in with Sam for Today in History. Later, instead of Idiocracy we welcome on Dr. Tim Slekar as we do every Thursday. With the dissolution of the Department of Education looming, we tap his wisdom on what we'll do next. We also dive into the Science of Reading - a debunked, non-curriculum, that has been adopted in the name of antiwokeness, and is actually making reading scores drop like flies.
The John and Gordy Show is a part of the Civic Media radio network and airs Monday through Friday from 6-8 am on WMDX in Madison. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast line up. Follow the show on Facebook and X to keep up with John & Gordy!
Weekly Best of John and Gordy Show for Feb 8
It was a wild week for John and Gordy (and all of us!) as they spread the word about the wild going-ons in Washington. Aside from that, this week they talked with Caitlin McAleavey from the Clean Lakes Alliance about the Frozen Assets Fest on Saturday, as well as with Dr. Tim Slekar of BustED Pencils about the plan to dismantle the Department of Education, surprising pushback to school choice programs, and more in the realm of education.
The John and Gordy Show is a part of the Civic Media radio network and airs Monday through Friday from 6-8 am on WMDX in Madison. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast line up. Follow the show on Facebook and X to keep up with John & Gordy!
Learn a Thing or Two
Despite some hopeful words from Al Gore about hope for our destiny, John and Gordy mope about the state of the country. To distract themselves, we cover the National Day Calendar, and joke about the latest headline: new CIA hires having their names exposed in an unsecured email. Later, we get a real education of what's going on as we talk with Dr. Tim Slekar, one half of the BustED Pencils team. They chat about the implications of dismantling the Department of Education, the demonization of teachers, and the policy of ICE raiding schools, the antithesis to a good learning environment. Wrapping up the hour, the conversation shifts to school choice, and a surprising but heartening pushback on the privatization of education by Republicans in some states.
The John and Gordy Show is a part of the Civic Media radio network and airs Monday through Friday from 6-8 am on WMDX in Madison. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast line up. Follow the show on Facebook and X to keep up with John & Gordy!
The Ballooning of School Vouchers in Wisconsin
Wisconsin introduced school vouchers in 1989, but the program has morphed into something unrecognizable, now costing taxpayers $500 million a year. In this episode, Matt Rothschild speaks with Earl Ingram, host of “The Earl Ingram Show”: Heather DuBois Bourenane, the executive director of the Wisconsin Public Education Network; and Tim Slekar and Johnny Lupanacci of “Busted Pencils."
To learn more about this show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast line up. Follow the network on Facebook, BlueSky, YouTube, X, and Instagram to keep up with Civic Media!
Why Become Intelligent Anymore?
With the firehose of news, John had to be put into a straightjacket and forcefed the National Day Calendar to calm down. Before we could do so, the guys chatted about the State of the State address last night, as well as some more executive orders passed by Trump. The guys check in with Sam for Today in History, and later, we welcome on Dr. Tim Slekar of BustED Pencils as we do every Thursday. This time around, we ask him all about AI in the classroom - the implications of its existence, and ethical uses of it.
The John and Gordy Show is a part of the Civic Media radio network and airs Monday through Friday from 6-8 am on WMDX in Madison. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast line up. Follow the show on Facebook and X to keep up with John & Gordy!
Civic Media Spotlight for January 18th & 19th (Hour 1)
Kicking off the weekend, we recall Jane, Greg and Cal inviting Steven Arenzon, the owner of Wisconsin Knitcaps to the show to talk about the legacy of the company, the mission of what they do and why he just doesn't want to print anything with cussing! It is the relaunch of our Beyond The Cheese segment and he brought us custom made hats to celebrate!
Then, on the Chad Holmes Show is joined by Nick Ramos of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign after eight Wausau citizens filed an ethics complaint against Mayor Doug Diny for his actions with a voting drop box in September.
After that, on UpNorthNews Radio Pat is joined by Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford, currently serving as a Dane County judge, who is running against Scott Walker’s former attorney general Brad Schimel for a pivotal role on the state’s high court in the April 1 election. Crawford tells the show about her experience and takes issue with Schimel’s recent comment in support of the January 6 insurrectionists who launched a violent attack on the US Capitol.
Wrapping up the hour, Tim Slekar talks about multiple intelligences on the John & Gordy Show, and John and Kathryn give examples of how when they were kids, teachers allowed them to express learning in different ways, rather than a standardized test - and how that needs to be emphasized more now.
To learn more about these shows and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast line up. Follow the network on Facebook, BlueSky, YouTube, X, and Instagram to keep up with Civic Media!
Weekly Best of John and Gordy Show for Jan 18
John and Gordy hit a home run at the end of this week - as they remembered Bob Uecker, who passed on Thursday. In addition to that, they talked with James Kelley, who was reporting from Eau Claire on the closure of Leinenkugel's brewery Friday. Though every day we check in with our Civic Media meteorologist, Brittney Merlot, we also got her take this week on the news that Allen Media was cutting their entire weather staff, across all stations. Wrapping up this week's best of, we also hear from John and Gordy's conversation with Dr. Tim Slekar, about the theory of multiple intelligences - just how smart can two radio hosts be?
The John and Gordy Show is a part of the Civic Media radio network and airs Monday through Friday from 6-8 am on WMDX in Madison. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast line up. Follow the show on Facebook and X to keep up with John & Gordy!
Smart, But In What Way?
John and Gordy celebrate the long awaited warming foretold by our meteorologist Brittney Merlot. After talking the weather, they reflect on Biden's farewell speech - but more on that to come. We check the National Day Calendar, and talk Today in History with Sam. Later we welcome on Dr. Tim Slekar of BustED Pencils to talk brats, and of course education as well too. They dive into the topic of multiple intelligences - the idea that kids (and adults!) that are good at certain things are just as intelligent, in a different way, as someone who can ace a math test.
The John and Gordy Show is a part of the Civic Media radio network and airs Monday through Friday from 6-8 am on WMDX in Madison. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast line up. Follow the show on Facebook and X to keep up with John & Gordy!
On to 2025
John and Gordy try to remember New Year's Eve, after getting absolutely smashed on Tuesday night. They talk about dancing, but only to the right kind of music, then look forward to the new year we're in with the National Day Calendar. We can't keep doing that however, and look back at Today in History with Sam. Later, we welcome on Dr. Tim Slekar of BustED Pencils to look backwards and forwards (but not at the same time) on what's up with education in 2024 and 2025. We also get his take on H-1B visas, allowing companies like Tesla to import skilled workers, killing the market for home-grown engineers, and opening the door for defunding education. Closing out hour one, the guys discuss the tragedy in New Orleans yesterday, and also Senator John Kennedy's response to it, bizarrely calling investigators Grinches, and setting up the incident for the growth of conspiracy theories.
The John and Gordy Show is a part of the Civic Media radio network and airs Monday through Friday from 6-8 am on WMDX in Madison. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast line up. Follow the show on Facebook and X to keep up with John & Gordy!
