Busted Pencils

Every year on BustED Pencils we like to start things off by making a few predictions for the new year. Drs. Tim Slekar and Johnny Lupinacci aren’t just two educated educators; they’re also two predictable predictors who predict predictions. What will change in education? What storylines do we see coming? And how can our challenges be turned into opportunities? We discuss it all as we deliver our predictions for 2026!

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! Go to bustedpencils.com for swag, all of our episodes, and for information on partnering with us! For information on 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! As the Producer’s Choice Show wraps up its first year on the air, host Producer Jakob has invited Drs. Tim Slekar and Johnny Lupinacci back on their own show to discuss their resolutions for 2026. What do we want to see change for education? How can we be better educated educators? And what does the future hold for BustED Pencils in the new year? We talk about it all on THIS sentimental episode of the Producer’s Choice Show!

The Producer’s Choice Show with Producer Jakob is part of BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk which is part of Civic Media. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Go to bustedpencils.com for swag, all of our episodes, and for information on partnering with us! For information on 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!

Every year Tim and Johnny celebrate the New Year by making predictions for how they think the next year is going to go. The problem is that they have NEVER been held accountable for their predictions… UNTIL NOW. Producer Jakob has dug up Tim and Johnny’s 2025 predictions and on the final day of the year we will now judge their powers of divination. Can these educated educators really see the future? Find out if our 2025 predictions were any good on THIS special Class in Session as we’re looking back at 2025!

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! Go to bustedpencils.com for swag, all of our episodes, and for information on partnering with us! For information on 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!

On the final Homeroom episode of 2025, Drs. Tim Slekar and Johnny Lupinacci are joined by Producer Jakob to reflect on the past year. What moments really stuck in our minds? Which episodes are our favorites? And what changes to the show helped make it even better in 2025? We discuss it all on the ultimate episode of BustED Pencils Homeroom 2025 edition as we’re reflecting on 2025.

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! Go to bustedpencils.com for swag, all of our episodes, and for information on partnering with us! For information on 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 on the Producer’s Choice Show Jakob is interviewing education expert Dr. Tim Slekar about the supposed war on Christmas. Has the way in which the holidays are celebrated within public schools changed since Tim was a wee lad? How should teachers approach the holidays in a way that lets the whole class participate in the fun? And do we have to completely marginalize Christmas or can yuletide whimsy and inclusive classrooms coexist? We discuss it all on THIS inoffensive holiday episode of the Producer’s Choice Show!

Click here to see Tim and Jakob discuss controversial nativity scenes!

The Producer’s Choice Show with Producer Jakob is part of BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk which is part of Civic Media. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Go to bustedpencils.com for swag, all of our episodes, and for information on partnering with us! For information on 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 we have a rare treat; Dr. Tim Slekar is actually teaching something! Producer Jakob dons his dunce cap, brings in his freshest apple for Mr. Slekar, and prepares to learn the true history of Santa Claus. Where did jolly old Saint Nick come from and how did he become the treasured simple of Christmas that we all know and love today? Find out in this spectacular episode of BustED 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! Go to bustedpencils.com for swag, all of our episodes, and for information on partnering with us! For information on 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 Dr. Tim Slekar and Producer Jakob are going nativity after a series of inflammatory news stories about controversial nativity displays at churches spark conversation. How do we feel about using the nativity as a venue for protest? Do religious people have a right to practice their beliefs as they please even if some find it offensive? And how can people of different religious beliefs coexist peacefully in a society? We talk about it all on this local civics packed edition of BustED Pencils Homeroom.

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!

We’re talking publicization and Mamdani with Jonathan Gyurko as one of our favorite guests makes his return to the show. Author of the fantastic book Publicization, Gyurko is back at it again with two fantastic articles that have set the education world ablaze. Whether it’s giving educated educators the framework they need to “strengthen the public education narrative” or covering Zohran Mamdani’s plans to improve public ed in New York City, Gyurko’s on top of it all.

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! Go to bustedpencils.com for swag, all of our episodes, and for information on partnering with us! For information on 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!

On the final Producer’s Choice Show before Christmas, Producer Jakob has brought in movie expert Dr. Johnny Lupinacci for a discussion of their favorite festive films! Every era has its own classics, every family has their own tradition, and every person has their own personal favorite. Today we’ll be finding out which Christmas classics put Johnny in the holiday spirit on THIS festive episode of the Producer’s Choice Show!

The Producer’s Choice Show with Producer Jakob is part of BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk which is part of Civic Media. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Go to bustedpencils.com for swag, all of our episodes, and for information on partnering with us! For information on 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 Drs. Tim Slekar and Johnny Lupinacci are doing their best VJ impressions as they discuss their recollections of MTV, its cultural impact, and the importance of music education. With MTV continuing to wind down the last vestiges of its music content, now seems like as good a time as any for a good old fashioned retrospective. Has TikTok killed the video star? You tell us!

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! Go to bustedpencils.com for swag, all of our episodes, and for information on partnering with us! For information on 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!