Busted Pencils

Class, it’s been a chaotic two weeks since January 20th. That strange confluence of a day commemorated the legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the second inauguration of Donald Trump to the presidency. It’s important in these chaotic moments to take some time to check in with each other. Because as Educators Amplified’s Teacher Joanna and Teacher Hallie often remind us, us educated educators need to be the regulated ones in the room. So take a few minutes. Breathe with us. Remember that to be an advocate for democracy in these moments is a form of resistance. And clear your head so you can be the calm, caring, compassionate voice in your world.

BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk is part of Civic Media. 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. Join the conversation by calling or texting us at 608-557-8577 to leave a message!

Class, you know the drill, get out your pencils and let’s start busting! New Pencil Buster, Coach Jeff Matczak of Kaukauna High School’s wrestling program, joins us. His style of coaching works to balance developing each athlete’s physicality AND mentality for success. He focuses on working to train regulatory skills like steady breathing and recognition of anxiety. Coach Matczak teaches his wrestlers so much more than how to take down an opponent. He teaches how to build up, from the inside out. And Coach Matczak teaches necessary life skills that his athletes will use as they become active citizens in this world. As he tells his wrestlers, “it doesn’t end here.”

BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk is part of Civic Media. 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. Join the conversation by calling or texting us at 608-557-8577 to leave a message!

For some of us, like Dr. Johnny, math comes easy. For many of us, like Dr. Tim, math brings intense anxiety and feelings of “I just can’t!” Well, our newest Pencil Buster Dr. Aditya Nagrath knows a thing or two about mathematics anxiety. Aditya’s business is helping students and teachers navigate through that anxiety into a place of empowerment. And he’s literally written the book on it. Additionally, Aditya developed Elephant Learning, an online portal for math tutoring where students can learn years of math in just weeks. Whether you’re a math whiz like Johnny or a math mouse like Tim (and Jess), Elephant Learning can help you deepen your knowledge and appreciation for math!

BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk is part of Civic Media. 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. Join the conversation by calling or texting us at 608-557-8577 to leave a message!

Last Monday, the 45th and now 47th President of the United States took the oath of office and began a second term that looks more like a reign than an administration. Since the immediate aftermath of the election in November, we’ve tried to name the moment. In the limbo between election and inauguration, we’ve named this moment contradiction– hopelessness and perseverance. We named it despair and determination. And we grappled for what to name what comes next. Now here we are in what comes next, and it’s time to get to work. On Inauguration Day last week, coinciding with a day to remember the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. we witnessed an extremely powerful example of how to resist the weight and darkness of Trump’s second Presidential term. The Right Reverend Mariann Budde delivered the sermon for the Inaugural interfaith service. In it, she calls for unity, not uniformity or passivity, but a unified dedication to our people and country. And she directed a plea to the newly inaugurated President to have mercy on all those who are paralyzed by fear in this moment. Her words fell on deaf ears in the front row, but rose as strength in ours.

BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk is part of Civic Media. 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. Join the conversation by calling or texting us at 608-557-8577 to leave a message!

Class, please welcome our newest Pencil Busters, Myra Roldan and Leah Manoni! These sisters understand the challenge of labeling AI as good or bad, ethical or unethical. They know the enormous potential for AI to revolutionize our workforce and education systems for good. Just as well, they know the equally significant threats AI poses to privacy and genuine learning. How? Because they run UnDesto AI, a boutique AI company working with companies and schools to determine their AI readiness and build a cohesive strategy to prioritize privacy AND efficiency. Myra, Founder and CEO of UnDesto, literally wrote the book on the dangers of using AI without training leading to massive data breaches- The Curious Case of ChatterBot GPT, available February 1st, 2025. Leah, Head of Operations at UnDesto brings a focus on digital ethics to the table. Together, they work with business executives, educators, and anyone looking to expand their AI knowledge and expertise! And incredibly, today they help Dr. Tim and Dr. Johnny bridge their long divide over AI.

BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk is part of Civic Media. 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. Join the conversation by calling or texting us at 608-557-8577 to leave a message!

Civic Media sports editor, Jimmie Kaska- our very own Coach K- joins us to discuss the upcoming winter sports finale. With regionals just around the bend of the weekend for basketball, hockey, and wrestling, it’s an exciting time for a sports broadcaster! On that note, we take a few minutes to commemorate Bob Uecker, Milwaukee hero and baseball broadcasting legend. As a fellow broadcaster, Jimmie learned so much from Bob- primarily to just be yourself. We’ll miss Mr. Baseball when the Brewers’ season opens, and we’ll carry his legacy of humor and good cheer onwards.

BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk is part of Civic Media. 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. Join the conversation by calling or texting us at 608-557-8577 to leave a message!

Class, WE think you’re going to love our newest Pencil Buster! Welcome Heidi Siwak, an education consultant and Teacher Coach with I-Think. Heidi joins our new ranks of Canadian Pencil Busters working to make education more rewarding- check out our talk with Jason Buccheri last Saturday for more! I-Think is an education charity that works to empower children to tackle complex, messy problem solving with real world applications. Because the world– believe it or not– is a complex, messy place. And children CAN wrestle and grapple with the big topics. How can they get started? Well, with I-Think’s challenge kits, bundles of tools and exercises for students and their educators to work through real world problem solving by developing healthy tension. Heidi shares her work creating the AI Challenge Kit, launching this spring, to examine how AI can enhance and enrich learning for each student. Want to get in on the challenge kit action? Contact I-Think and get to busting those pencils!

BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk is part of Civic Media. 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. Join the conversation by calling or texting us at 608-557-8577 to leave a message!

Today, January 20th, marks two very different occasions. This day, January 20th, is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. A day when many people stop their usual work to dedicate themselves to community service and reflect on on all that we as humans share with one another. Today is also the day when Donald Trump will be inaugurated to a second term as President of these United States. And that feels like a bitter combination to us. How can we hold both of these memorials on the same day and move towards civic engagement?

BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk is part of Civic Media. 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. Join the conversation by calling or texting us at 608-557-8577 to leave a message!

Is AI good or bad? Well now that’s just far too simplistic a question. Jason Buccheri, one of Canada’s top education strategists and the host of the podcast, Education Matters. He’s also our newest Pencil Buster, so let’s be sure to give him a hearty, enthusiastic, American welcome! In his work, Jason strives to help educators connect and re-connect with what makes teaching rewarding. Specifically, he helps educators utilize tools that cut through the noise and slog of aspect of the job so that educators can focus on what matters most: forming strong relationships with their students. Some of those tools utilize AI. At the same time, AI has proven a dangerous, anti-education tool in some hands. So Jason urges us: study the effects before making a decision. Study the media ecology of how it all interacts, and then decide if AI tools are right for you and your classroom.

BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk is part of Civic Media. 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. Join the conversation by calling or texting us at 608-557-8577 to leave a message!

Happy Friday, Class! Today, we have a very special new Pencil Buster. Kane Paxton, one of Dr. Johnny’s former hockey players on his Washington State University team, and now one of his assistant coaches, joins us. In playing hockey, Kane learned how to balance a full life. From schoolwork to athletics to a personal life, it was hockey that helped him develop the camaraderie and accountability to excel consistently across his pursuits.

BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk is part of Civic Media. 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. Join the conversation by calling or texting us at 608-557-8577 to leave a message!