Busted Pencils

Today on a special Monday edition of BustED Pencils Drs. Tim Slekar and Johnny Lupinacci are joined by noted Taco Bell eating expert Producer Jakob to talk about a neat new program. Taco Bell is helping its employees afford to get a college education with their Tacos and Tuition program. Why don’t more companies do […]

Today Drs. Tim Slekar and Johnny Lupinacci talk about a continuing phenomenon in American higher education. Colleges and universities across the country are seeing enrollment drop lower and lower, and many schools have had to cut back or close campuses. What lies behind this troubling trend? What can schools do to buck the trend? And […]

Today on the Producer’s Choice Show we use the recent passing of former vice president Dick Cheney as a conduit through which to explore an important topic in education. How do we teach our students about controversial figures without A) forcing our views on them or B) watering down the truth? It’s a tough one, […]

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Today on BustED Pencils Drs. Tim Slekar and Johnny Lupinacci set sail on a daring adventure across the high seas. Their purpose? To check in on teachers from the rest of the world (OECD members, and especially Iceland)! How do teachers feel about their compensation? How long are new teachers sticking with their careers? And […]

With food assistance under threat, millions of Americans are now unsure if they will be able to afford their next meals. Dr. Johnny Lupinacci and Producer Jakob discuss the impending suspension of SNAP benefits and the challenges these cuts pose for children as they attempt to get an education. BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk […]

The ghosts and ghouls are out to play today on a special Halloween Spooktacular episode of the Producer’s Choice Show! Your host Producer Jakob (aka Mix-Master-Jake) is joined by two TERRIFYING guests; Drs. Tim Slekar and Johnny Lupinacci, to talk about all the spooky, scary, shocking, and scholastic Halloween themed adventures they’ve had as educators. […]

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Today on BustED Pencils Dr. Tim Slekar comes to Dr. Johnny Lupinacci and Producer Jakob with a concerning article. Published by Wired, the article is critical of friend of the show Alpha School. Are these sincere, necessary criticisms? Are the critics missing the forest for the trees? Or is it a little bit of both? […]

Whatever remains of the Department of Education is giving out over $150 million for civics training. Pretty cool, right? Well as with everything with the current president, there’s strings attached. Still, Dr. Johnny loves him some civics, so he’s not ruling anything out! We preview our investigation into what’s up with this program on today’s […]

Today on BustED Pencils Drs. Johnny Lupinacci and Tim Slekar discuss an interesting Substack article Tim was sent. Written by Hollis Robbins, the article sets out a vision for how artificial intelligence stands to disrupt existing structures within education. Will schools and faculty be able to adapt quickly enough to the changes caused by A.I. […]

On today’s unusual episode of the Producer’s Choice Show, host Producer Jakob is joined for an intense 1 on 1 interview with Star Trek expert Dr. Tim Slekar. Together they discuss Star Trek as a means for introducing students to difficult concepts, reflect of some of Tim’s favorite episodes, and ponder how the nature of […]

Tim Slekar

From special education to the special educators that occupy classrooms all across this great nation, folks in education are facing tough times these days. Who do the people that look out for our kids call when they need someone to look out for them? Today’s guest, Ted Kraig, that’s who! Ted is regional director at […]

Today Dr. Tim Slekar and Producer Jakob talk about the tremendous cuts being made to the Department of Education. With massive reductions in staff, many essential functions which the DOE is involved with are struggling. Among those functions is working with children with special needs. Testing, creating Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), and providing kids with […]

Today on the Producer’s Choice Show we’re tacking a red hot subject; literacy. Can kids in America read? What’s up with all these scary statistics that make it look like our kids can’t? And does reading still matter, anyway? Or is it time to kiss reading goodbye? To answer these questions and more, your host […]

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Today on BustED Pencils Drs. Tim Slekar and Johnny Lupinacci are joined by one of their favorite guests; Teacher Hallie! She’s not just one of our favorite recurring guests, she’s also a newly minted entrepreneur! With her new service Regulate 2 Educate, Teacher Hallie is helping educators get themselves into the right state so that […]

Social media, who needs it? Probably not children. So how do we keep our kids safe from the dangers of social media? Denmark thinks that they’ve found the answer. A proposed law in Denmark would ban children under 15 from using social media. Are rules like these good? How do you implement them? And should […]

Today on a very special episode of BustED Pencils Drs. Tim Slekar and Johnny Lupinacci evaluate Zohran Mamdani’s proposal to end gifted programs in early childhood education. Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist running for Mayor of New York City, presents his education proposals as more equitable and fair than the current system. What do we think […]

Should teachers and administrators be paid bonuses for the success of their students? Today on the Producer’s Choice Show your host Producer Jakob presents that question to two extremely knowledgeable guests; Drs. Tim Slekar and Johnny Lupinacci. Is it a good idea? How could it go wrong? Is it all about the money? And how […]

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Today on BustED Pencils Dr. Tim Slekar and his young ward Producer Jakob are joined by rural superintendent Mike Beighley to talk about the exciting innovations coming in education. Last time he joined us Mike told us about the innovative ways in which he and LIFToFFS Learning were using A.I. as a pilar of their […]

Tim and Jakob talk about Halloween costumes, the joy of celebrating holiday seasons with children, and stories from Halloweens past on this first Homeroom of October. They talk about their favorite Halloween costumes, debate whether store bought is better than homemade, and have a HAUNTINGLY good time. But wait, where’s Johnny? Could it be… no, […]

Guests? We don’t need no stinking guests! Today on BustED Pencils Drs. Tim Slekar and Johnny Lupinacci are joined by Producer Jakob to talk about the hottest stories in education this week. Is it illegal for the Department of Education to come out against Democrats? Why are Harvard and other universities bowing to political pressure […]

Today on the Producers’ Choice Show we’re moving an apostrophe and inviting multiple producers to submit their questions for our guests! Your host Producer Jakob nobly steps aside as two of BustED Pencils’ most lauded former producers, Luke Mathers and Producer Jess, take a crack at asking Drs. Tim Slekar and Johnny Lupinacci questions. Who […]

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Today Dr. Johnny Lupinacci and Producer Jakob are joined by Dr. Jonathan Shailor to talk about the Shakespeare Prison Project. Started by Shailor in 2004, the Shakespeare Prison Project helps incarcerated men learn, perform, reflect and grow through the embrace of theater. From volunteers to students to families and inmates, embracing Shakespeare in prison has […]

Breaking news; Dr. Tim Slekar, a highly educated educator, has come to us today with a massive education scoop on a story out of North Carolina. Also we cover the Department of Education’s plans to provide a good, patriotic education to all red blooded Americans. Enjoy the program, folks! BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk […]

Today on BustED Pencils Drs. Tim Slekar and Johnny Lupinacci are joined by author and associate professor Christopher Tienken to talk about A.I. and the ways in which it can revolutionize education in America. There are many challenges and potential pitfalls when it comes to the A.I. education revolution, but one thing is certain; A.I. […]