Busted Pencils

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 democracy to be in action? Dr. Tim and Producer Jess sure are! Are you feeling confused or concerned about what comes next? Well, Dr. Tim is briefly returning to his former life as Mr. Slekar, social studies teacher, to bring you answers.

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, X and Instagram to keep up with Dr. Tim, Dr. Johnny and the show!

Did you miss some pencil busting this week? Fear not, you can catch up now!

We check in with Todd Allbaugh of Civic Media’s Todd Allbaugh Show live from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Then, learn how the American eugenics movement shaped the creation of standardized testing models still used today with author of An Illusion of Equity, Wendy Warren. Finally, hear our incredible interview with Randi Weingarten, president of the AFT.

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, X and Instagram to keep up with Dr. Tim, Dr. Johnny and the show!

After a long week, TGIBPF indeed! We’re recapping the week, breaking down all of the democracy in action and analyzing this week’s lesson of standing up and standing out from Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny: 20 Lessons from the 20th Century. Next week, we’ll dig into Snyder’s lesson of remembering the importance of small talk and interpersonal connection. Plus, Friday’s Tim’s trivia: what breakfast food has a risqué origin? The answer is a little corny…

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, X and Instagram to keep up with Dr. Tim, Dr. Johnny and the show!

Randi Weingarten can now add qualified Pencil Buster to her incredible resume! Randi serves as the president of AFT- formerly the American Federation of Teachers, now expanding their branding to reflect that they are the second largest nurses union as well as the second largest teacher’s union and largest higher education union. She’s here to talk about the state of public school in America in a bit of a Dickens’ moment- the best of times, and the worst of times.

Today’s Democracy in Action value is popular sovereignty. Popular sovereignty says that the power of a government comes from its people. Unions are vital in protecting laborers and advocating for workers so that each citizen can continue to participate in government.

Checking in on the RNC, we’re joined by Todd Allbaugh- Civic Media Radio host of the Todd Allbaugh show, broadcasting 12-2pm across the network- who has broadcast directly from the convention all week.

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, X and Instagram to keep up with Dr. Tim, Dr. Johnny and the show!

Like many teachers, Dr. Tim, Dr. Johnny, and Teacher Joanna experienced the attempted assassination of Donald Trump this weekend with a stark realization that they would be tasked with teaching this event and all of its ramifications. Teacher Joanna of Educators Amplified encourages us to take a breath, regulate ourselves, and process what we’re experiencing first so that we are ready to navigate these challenging topics when they emerge in the classroom.

Today’s Democracy in Action is the work teachers do to value life and the pursuit of happiness.

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, X and Instagram to keep up with Dr. Tim, Dr. Johnny and the show!

What do the SAT and nephrology have in common? More than you might think. Goodness, are we busting some #2 graphites today! Wendy Warren, author of An Illusion of Equity: The Legacy of Eugenics in Today’s Education joins Dr. Tim and Dr. Johnny to dig into the sordid origin of today’s high stakes large scale standardized tests. And let’s be honest, even if standardized tests didn’t originate with the same ideology that fueled the Nazis- which, to be clear, they did- those tests would still be instruments of inequity.

The RNC is ongoing, and Civic Media is on the ground to get you top tier coverage. Keep up with live updates here. The latest news we’re covering on Busted Pencils is Ron Johnson’s inflammatory comment claiming that the Democratic Party’s platform poses a “clear and present danger to America.” Johnson claims someone loaded the wrong speech to the teleprompter… you can judge that for yourself.

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, X and Instagram to keep up with Dr. Tim, Dr. Johnny and the show!

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 the Wisconsin Public Education Network, Heather DuBois Bourenane is here repping the advocacy and support WPEN coordinates for public schools. Joining her today are two new pencil busters: Sarita Foster, Director of Community Schools for the Madison Metro School District and Jamie Racine, District Coordinator for Sun Prairie Community Schools and co-chair of WI Coalition for Community Schools. Register for the WPEN Annual Summit July 30-31st and for the Wisconsin Community Schools Conference July 30th.

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, X and Instagram to keep up with Dr. Tim, Dr. Johnny and the show!

It’s been a full week of democracy in action. Catch up now so you’re ready to bust some pencils Monday evening!

Catch our monthly check in with fierce advocate of public education, mother of Matt Damon, and professional Pencil Buster, Dr. Nancy Carlsson-Paige.

Wondering how to tackle the big topics in your classroom? Hear the advice of Jesse Hagopian from Rethinking Schools and our weekly guest Teachers Hallie and Joanna of Educators Amplified.

And finally… our original educated educator, teacher of teachers, learner leading learner Dr. Tim Slekar… he got schooled.

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 comes from Dr. Johnny Lupinacci’s experience as an educated educator. Today Johnny explains how he uses core democratic values to frame how he teaches teachers how to teach democratically: how to guide a student into becoming a democratic citizen. Coming up next week, we’re digging into one of 20 lessons On Tyranny from the 21st century: stand out.

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, X and Instagram to keep up with Dr. Tim, Dr. Johnny and the show!

BustED Pencils never shies away from the big topics. Today, we’re talking about the Civic Media news on minor edits made to Joe Biden’s interview with Earl Ingram. Civic released a press statement today acknowledging the edits and committing to doing better by the public in the future by releasing the full, unedited audio. So, we’re digging into this news, our commitment to the democratic value of truth, and our candid thoughts on Biden’s candidacy. Plus… one of our educated educators got, well, schooled today.

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, X and Instagram to keep up with Dr. Tim, Dr. Johnny and the show!