Dr. Tim Slekar
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 […]
How are the children?
Dr. Joe Gothard, incoming superintendent of the Madison Metropolitan School District now adds qualified Pencil Buster to his impressive resume! He summarizes his introductory framework very simply: people. purpose. pride. His primary commitment is to engaging in open dialogue with the community, so that the school district reflects the community it is meant to represent. […]
Unity, not Uniformity
The clock and the calendar say it’s not yet been a week but boy, it feels like it’s been at least a year since President Biden announced the end of his re-election campaign. In the months (er, days???) following, we’ve been exhilarated with the new sense of unity that has blossomed after a storm of […]
It is time to push each other forward, not down.
Sometimes, in the words of Dr. Johnny Lupinacci, we have to have a little bit of a backbone with our solidarity. What does that mean? It means it’s time to compare some options for the VP slot on Kamala Harris’ presidential ticket. Over the next few weeks, we’ll hear a lot of comparison and contrast […]
Summer Days, Drifting Away…
Teacher Hallie and Teacher Joanna of Educators Amplified join Dr. Tim and Dr. Johnny for a Wednesday when we’re ALL feeling amplified. President Biden has chosen nation over self and ended his re-election campaign, opting to pass the torch to the next generation, and sparking a groundswell of energy for the democratic process. Hallie and […]
Thank you President Biden. What’s next?
President Biden, thank you for being a patriot and modeling the power of humility in choosing to end your re-election campaign. Your choice to embrace change and listen to the voices of your constituents is democracy in action. So, now what? Are you feeling energized by Biden’s decision to step down, opening the field for […]
Community Schools: For the Common Good
The violence of this weekend is not democracy in action. In a democracy we use ballots, not bullets; voices, not violence to express differences. We’ll talk more this week about the nature of violent rhetoric. Our guests today are here to talk about the role of public schools in supporting their communities. Executive Director of […]
Democracy: In Action!
Thank goodness it’s Busted Pencils Friday! First off, some trivia. The submarine revolutionized how humans thought of and engaged with big waters. When did the United States first use a submarine for military purposes? The answer will leave you… shell-shocked. Every day on Busted Pencils, we highlight a moment of democracy in action. That term […]
Weekly Best of Busted Pencils for Jul 6
Happy Saturday! It’s time to catch up on this week’s best segments of BustED Pencils so you’re ready for Monday! This week, we dove into how some states are using their independence from the federal government with regards to education to rush headlong into Christian Nationalism- yeah, we’re looking at you Ohio, Louisiana, and Texas. […]
Are great teachers born that way? We don’t think so.
Let’s get real here: great teachers aren’t spawned fully formed. People- learners seeking to become leaders- become great teachers through hard work, continuous learning, and community investments. So what is the existing infrastructure for people who want to teach to become high-quality educators? And don’t worry, we’re also talking Democracy in Action, continuing to honor […]
