Busted Pencils

Catch up on this week’s best segments!

First, an impromptu lesson on the electoral college spurred by a question from a caller.

Then, what’s the deal with all these referenda? The Wisconsin Public Education Network is here to answer questions and help us think about better ways to fund our schools.

And for another way to adequately staff our schools, we turn to Edgewood College and the Madison Metropolitan School District. Their partnership has built a Grow Your Own Teacher program that is filling teaching vacancies and getting educators educated!

Finally, how smart is it to have constant access to our smartphones? Teacher Hallie of Educators Amplified talks about her efforts with Teacher Joanna to help children regulate- requiring breaks from our precious devices.

Busted Pencils is part of the Civic Media radio network. 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, X and Instagram to keep up with Dr. Tim, Dr. Johnny and the show!

First off, thank goodness it’s Busted Pencils Friday. Secondly, thank goodness for seven incredible months of daily radio shows. Mostly, thank goodness for YOU, our amazing audience.

Today, an era ends. To be clear, not the BustED Pencils era. Just this era of 5 episodes a week on broadcast radio. Something new is around the corner for your favorite educated educators, and we can’t wait to talk education with you all again!

Busted Pencils is part of the Civic Media radio network. 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, X and Instagram to keep up with Dr. Tim, Dr. Johnny and the show!

BustED Pencils and the Wisconsin Public Education Network- it’s a partnership that betters us all! Our guests today are Jenni Hofschulte, Southeastern Organizer for WPEN, and Tom Wermuth- District Administrator for Adams Friendship School District. They join us today to talk about school funding. Public schools today still receive most of their funding from property taxes, leading to an inherently inequitable system. And, when our state Legislature doesn’t approve additional funding from the centralized statewide pool to meet schools’ ever-increasing needs, districts must get their funding by increasing those taxes. The method for this: school referenda. Jenni and Tom break down the referendum process and why it’s a poor solution to the problem schools face.

Busted Pencils is part of the Civic Media radio network and airs Monday through Friday from 6-7 pm across Wisconsin. 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, X and Instagram to keep up with Dr. Tim, Dr. Johnny and the show!

Teacher Hallie of Educators Amplified joins us to catch up on trending educational news and debate the merits of Grow Your Own Teacher programs. Hallie appreciates that GYO programs can absolutely help bridge necessary teacher shortages… but it does nothing to prevent the further exodus.

We’ve got some trending news to tackle today. SCOTUS blocked Biden’s loan repayment plan. An ever-increasing number of school districts are moving to ban or heavily regulate smartphones in class. Together, these topics bring us into a conversation about liberty, patriotism, and how public institutions can stay public and stay working in the best interests of growing humans.

Busted Pencils is part of the Civic Media radio network and airs Monday through Friday from 6-7 pm across Wisconsin. 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, X and Instagram to keep up with Dr. Tim, Dr. Johnny and the show!

We’ve got a whole pack of educated educators joining us today to talk about Edgewood College’s Grow Your Own Teachers program and their partnership with the Madison Metropolitan School District. With us today: Nancy Molfenter- Associate Superintendent for Student Services, Amy Vercauteren Hefty- Assistant Director of Special education for MMSD, and Michael Meissen- Senior Director of Innovations and Partnerships at Edgewood College.

It’s no secret that this country has a shortage of high-quality teachers. With poor working conditions, seriously sub-par compensation, and ever-increasing demands, teachers are fleeing the profession. Just as bad, prospective educators aren’t pursuing teaching careers due to oppressive obstacles. So what’s the answer? Well, just as with tomatoes and some other botanicals: grow your own. Many people who want to teach but aren’t licensed to do so are already working in school districts. Madison is pioneering a program that matches these individuals with the classes they need to earn their credentials, with a focus on special education.

Busted Pencils is part of the Civic Media radio network and airs Monday through Friday from 6-7 pm across Wisconsin. 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, X and Instagram to keep up with Dr. Tim, Dr. Johnny and the show!

Yes, the title is sarcastic. Though genuinely, somehow, this is breaking news for some, as the Thomas B. Fordham Institute found through their recent study. Dr. Tim and Dr. Johnny know from their experience that poverty absolutely, 100% affects educational outcomes. In fact, the number 1 predictor of a child’s academic achievement is the income of the household into which they were born. More “breaking news”: teaching more than the “facts” of history helps students develop critical thinking skills. That means teaching things like how historical standards are set and what makes it into the history books. In short, helping students re-think history. For more of that, check out our partners over at Rethinking Schools.

Plus, a short social studies lesson on the electoral college, spurred by a caller’s question.

Busted Pencils is part of the Civic Media radio network and airs Monday through Friday from 6-7 pm across Wisconsin. 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, X and Instagram to keep up with Dr. Tim, Dr. Johnny and the show!

Catch up on our Friday episode from August 16th right before the DNC. We talk truth, have some great (gross) Tim’s Trivia, and get prepared for the Democratic National Convention.

Busted Pencils is part of the Civic Media radio network and airs Monday through Friday from 6-7 pm across Wisconsin. 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, X and Instagram to keep up with Dr. Tim, Dr. Johnny and the show!

TGIBPDNCeF: Thank goodness it’s Busted Pencils- Democratic National Convention edition- Friday! It’s Friday, so you know we’ve got Tim’s Trivia and we’re talking 20 Lessons from the 20th Century.

Dr. Tim, Dr. Johnny, and Producer Jess are finally back together after a long week apart! In line with our theme established last Friday from On Tyranny– investigate!– we dig into what we saw and heard at the DNC. We’re pumped from the infectious positive energy that shone bright throughout the week. And… And, we’re ready to see some action and walk behind that talk.

Busted Pencils is part of the Civic Media radio network and airs Monday through Friday from 6-7 pm across Wisconsin. 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, X and Instagram to keep up with Dr. Tim, Dr. Johnny and the show!

Dr. Tim and Dr. Johnny take a look at what Truth looks like, in a meta view, in the classroom and more. Kicking off the show, Tim shares his Tim’s Trivia question that evokes the Civil War. We get a quick winner from Columbus, don’t miss your chance to win some Busted Pencils merch by listening and sending in answers to Tim’s Trivia.

Then, the doctors dive into the objective and subjective types of truth and what it looks like to teach future teachers the difference. We take a caller’s question on financial literacy and discuss how that could be promoted in the classroom more.

The show wraps for the week with a preview of what is to come in the week ahead and gives out it’s Democracy in Action award!

Busted Pencils is part of the Civic Media radio network and airs Monday through Friday from 6-7 pm across Wisconsin. 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, X and Instagram to keep up with Dr. Tim, Dr. Johnny and the show!

We all know that Donald Trump and those like him are constantly spreading disinformation. What happens when they manipulate the truth instead of outright lying? Some of MAGA’s latest anti-public education campaigning claims that America is suffering the largest decline in academic performance in history, and that simply isn’t true. However, as Dr. Johnny points out, studies and test scores have been designed to support these claims. It isn’t as simple as it may seem.

At the bottom of the hour, Professor Sarah Stitzlein of the University of Cincinnati joins us to talk about how truth is the bedrock of democracy. Her book, Teaching Honesty in a Populist Era, is available through Oxford University Press. Use the promo code ASFLYQ6 for 30% off! Dr. Stitzlein will be back on September 25th for a full discussion of the book.

Busted Pencils is a part of the Civic Media radio network and airs Monday through Friday from 6-7 pm across Wisconsin. 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 Dr. Tim, Dr. Johnny and the show!