Busted Pencils

Class, this is a truly special session. Dr. Howard Gardner, renowned psychologist and educator who developed the Theory of Multiple Intelligences, now joins the ranks of Pencil Busters! In 1983, Dr. Gardner rattled the very foundation of education when he proposed that there were more ways to be “intelligent” than could be represented on the Stanford Binet IQ test. Rather, Howard asserted, every human being possesses natural strengths and affinities that we can term intelligence. Over 40 years later, Howard is still advancing the causes of excellent education and recognition of each person’s talents. He joins us to discuss how teachers can ‘spend less time in the weeds’ and more time ‘putting it all together’ when it comes to navigating educational materials and each student’s individual needs. For Dr. Gardner’s latest written works, go to his webpage. Also make sure to check out The Good Project for materials on promoting excellence, engagement, and ethics in education.

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 Monday, Class, let’s get to some pencil busting! Our pal Michael Petrili- read the sarcasm on this, please- President of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute wrote a piece last week seeking to compare education reform in ‘red’ and ‘blue’ states. To put it bluntly, we’re not impressed. Michael misses several key issues and dodders around pesky little issues such as accountability while bemoaning a supposed lack of accountability in public schools. The article leaves us wondering: Is either of the major political parties in the United States interested in education reform that truly benefits our next generations?

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!

All music is political, so sayeth Dr. Johnny. This week, we’re listening hard for the music being played about education. A new presidential administration will take office in just 9 days, and they’re playing some loud discordant tunes when it comes to the department of education. What ramification might ensue from these chords? Is there any harmony to be found with the second Trump presidency? How can we tune out the noise and focus on what matters- getting to work to improve education, not to reinforce schooling?

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!

Behind every educated educator stands- well- another educated educator or two! Tune in for a very special Class in Session as Dr. Tim and Dr. Johnny interview the cofounders and directors of Nrdy Byrd, Lisa Weyandt and Michelle Slekar. Nrdy Byrd is a start-up graphic design brand support company built by and for educated educators. And they’ve been supporting BustED Pencils since the beginning- not least because Michelle is married to Dr. Tim! This episode brings us back to the early days of BustED Pencils, when it was more busted than penciled. Hear the origin of some of the most iconic pieces of BustED Pencils media, including our actual icon!

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!

Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States, died last week at the age of 100. He lived a full life devoted to the American people and leaves behind a legacy of a man who led with compassion and firm defense of our democracy. As President, he established the federal Department of Education, officially created in 1979. Education, as Dr. Tim and Dr. Johnny often remind us, is a state right. Yet Carter called for and followed through to create the federal department, primarily to enforce civil rights throughout the country. The federal department of education also serves to provide robust support and structure for schools across the nation. The department hasn’t always lived up to its promise, and our docs certainly don’t shy away from criticism, when due. Yet the promise lives on.

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!

Who designed our modern schooling system and what were their intentions? Ira David Socol is an educational provocateur, author of Designed to Fail: A History of Education in the United States, and our newest Pencil Buster! As Dr. Johnny often says, schooling too often gets in the way of education. We need to find ways to disrupt the patterns of the past that failed us and find new ways forward for us all. Ira joins BustED Pencils to offer perspectives on how the history of schooling in this country can lead us to new paths. We need not reinvent education, we merely need to be willing to try new things and adapt when confronted with better ways.

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!

Let’s welcome our newest Pencil Buster, Brian Brandt! Brian is President of the Wisconsin Hockey Coaches Association (WHCA), head coach of Wausau West’s hockey program, and a tech ed high school teacher. My goodness, that’s one educated educator, and he knows how to talk education! Because coaching sports is about so much more than training athletes for their particular activity. It’s about educating them for life, putting athletes in challenging situations that help them grow as people. With his WHCA Pres hat on, Brian shares highlights from the most recent state hockey tournaments. With his tech ed teacher hat on, Brian and Tim discuss the educational benefits of those “non-core” curriculars like wood shop and metal arts. All these aspects mesh together for a well-rounded education!

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 New Year, Pencil Busters! We are so grateful to share this new year with you all. Today, we’re not quite making resolutions. We’re making predictions. What will 2025 bring us? And what will we bring to 2025? From vouchers to AI to teachers in politics, we make our best predictions for the new year. Maybe we’ll be correct, maybe we’ll be very wrong. We look forward to seeing what this year becomes!

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!

Pencil Busters, 2024 has been a wild ride! Join us for this very special Homeroom, as we take a look back at the standout moments of this past year. From the lows to the highs and the laughs to the cries, 2024 gave us a lot worth remembering.

From all of us at BustED Pencils: Dr. Tim, Dr. Johnny, and Producer Jess, thank YOU for a fantastic year! We wish you a very Happy New Year and we’ll see you in 2025 for a fresh year of Busting 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!

As AI grows, we’ve wrestled on this show with what it IS. Is it just one new technology- however revolutionary- like a calculator? Or is it a major human-culture-shifting phenomenon? Anshul Sonak, our newest Pencil Buster, joining us representing Intel’s Digital Readiness Program, argues that AI is the “new electricity.” It will revolutionize how we use tools, how we live our lives, and how we do our work. And we- meaning ALL of us- need to be able to navigate through the technology. Anshul promotes Intel’s Digital Readiness Program as a path to empower all of us to become tech literate through public-private partnerships. There’s a better world ahead of us, so how do we get there? How about together?

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!