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PODCAST

BustED Pencils

BustED Pencils; Fully Leaded Education Talk is a powerful radio show/podcast dedicated to public education. BustED Pencils is known for its commitment to the hard facts with a humorous twist. Hosts Dr. Tim Slekar and Dr. Johnny Lupinacci cover the “real” issues in education. The show establishes an alternative space and discusses education reform from an entirely progressive perspective. Our approach is funny, edgy, passionate, witty and gritty and features an array of guests. BustED Pencils

news news commentary

All Episodes

14:47

End of Winter Break- Homeroom

BustED Pencils ·

2026/01/05

Drs. Tim Slekar and Johnny Lupinacci have sharpened their pencils, straightened their ties, and trimmed their beards. Why? Because winter break is over! The holidays have come and gone, so it's time to get back to homeroom and get ready to learn! Highlights; Johnny gets stuck in a snowbank and Tim gets stuck singing a random song from the 1980s.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

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43:00

Our Predictions for 2026!

BustED Pencils ·

2026/01/03

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

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30:00

Happy New Year! PCS #32

BustED Pencils ·

2026/01/02

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

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29:10

Favorite Festive Films! PCS #30

BustED Pencils ·

2025/12/19

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:

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28:00

Musing About Music. PCS #28

BustED Pencils ·

2025/12/05

Today on the Producer's Choice Show we have two amused musicophiles musing about music. Drs. Tim Slekar and Johnny Lupinacci join host Producer Jakob to talk about the bands and artists they've been listening to this year, their policies about music in their classrooms, and the role of music education in schools. The show is alive with the sound of music on THIS melodic episode of the Producer's Choice Show!The Producer's Choice Show with Producer Jakob is part of BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded

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38:18

Oklahoma Student Gets Bad Grade- Class in Session

BustED Pencils ·

2025/12/03

BREAKING NEWS; a student at the University of Oklahoma got a bad grade. Yes, this is the biggest education story in the country right now. The student, a Sooner undergrad, received a 0/25 on an assignment for using the Christian bible to defend traditional gender roles. Was the grade appropriate? Is this a massive free speech issue? And how would educated educators Drs. Tim Slekar and Johnny Lupinacci deal with a similar situation if it occurred in their classrooms? We talk about it all on today's

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23:22

Water Vapor-in’ in the Boys Room

BustED Pencils ·

2025/12/01

With Dr. Johnny Lupinacci in a turkey-induced coma, Dr. Tim Slekar and Producer Jakob discuss a hot topic in education. Across America, particularly in our high schools, young people are stomping out their cigarettes and picking up vape pens. What's the big deal with vaping? Why are kids doing it even though it makes them look lame? And what's the right way for schools to respond to it? Tim and Jakob discuss this and more as they're water vapor-in' in the boys room on THIS episode of BustED Pencils

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43:00

Gobbling Up the Department of Education

BustED Pencils ·

2025/11/29

On this exciting post-Thanksgiving episode of BustED Pencils Drs. Tim Slekar and Johnny Lupinacci start things off with a chat about the holiday and then move into the education news of the week. Various agencies are gobbling up the department of education, which makes us wonder, is Trump handing education back to the states? Or is he just making education dumber and less effective? And if so, why's he doing it? We discuss! BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk is part of Civic Media

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44:00

The Thanksgiving Episode. PCS #27

BustED Pencils ·

2025/11/28

On this festive Thanksgiving edition of the Producer's Choice Show host Producer Jakob is joined by Drs. Tim Slekar and Johnny Lupinacci to talk turkey! What are their favorite Thanksgiving food items? What did they do for Thanksgiving this year? And how soon is too early to take out the Christmas decorations? We talk about all this and more on THIS exciting Thanksgiving episode of the Producer's Choice Show! The Producer's Choice Show with Producer Jakob is part of BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded

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31:24

The Republicans Are Right? Class in Session

BustED Pencils ·

2025/11/26

Today on BustED Pencils Dr. Tim Slekar and his comrade Producer Jakob take a look at a developing story out of Wisconsin. As enrollment continues to decline, Republicans in Madison have passed bills aimed at aiding and encouraging school consolidation, and while Democrats in the state are against it, Tim and Jakob think the Republicans are right (at least in part). What is school consolidation? What are the positive and negative aspects of it? And should people that love education reject it outright

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12:31

What the Heck is a Six Seven? Homeroom

BustED Pencils ·

2025/11/24

Today Dr. Tim Slekar and Producer Jakob grab their pencils and notebooks as Dr. Johnny "The Yoot" Lupinacci teaches them all about the viral meme six seven. What the heck is a six seven? Why are kids yelling it in classrooms across this great nation? And is it something about Satan or am I just too old to understand? Johnny breaks it all down for us on this episode of BustED Pencils! BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk is part of Civic Media. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to

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43:00

Butchering the Department of Education

BustED Pencils ·

2025/11/22

It's been a whole seven days since the last BustED Pencils broadcast, and Dr. Tim Slekar has found this week's biggest stories in education for us to discuss! From Linda McMahon butchering the Department of Education with little regard for those impacted, to efforts by high schools to revive the dying art of meat carving, BustED Pencils is ready to report on education from the national level all the way down to the local communities in which we all live. It's America, it's Wisconsin, it's every city

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43:30

Are Teachers Lazy? (No) PCS #26

BustED Pencils ·

2025/11/21

Today on the Producer's Choice Show we're tackling a subject raised earlier this week on Class in Session; are teachers lazy? With the Wisconsin legislature enforcing new demands on what they guess it means for professors to be working hard, Producer Jakob has invited Drs. Tim Slekar and Johnny Lupinacci on to discuss the work professors do. Experts in working hard / playing hard, they're just the right guests to answer Jakob's questions. What do professors do? Who makes sure they're doing their

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26:51

Get Back to Work! Class in Session

BustED Pencils ·

2025/11/19

Today on BustED Pencils Drs. Tim Slekar and Johnny Lupinacci take a look at a developing story out of Madison, Wisconsin. The statewide budget passed earlier this year included $256 million in increased funding for the University of Wisconsin system, but that money comes with a price; newly imposed demands on the amount work that faculty members have to do. Are these demands what they seem? Are educators not working hard enough? And how many hours of work go into each hour of class time? We discuss

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26:15

Who Can You Trust? Homeroom!

BustED Pencils ·

2025/11/17

It's a special Homeroom as Dr. Johnny Lupinacci and Producer Jakob talk about trust in media. Who better to do it than two of the most trusted voices in the media, right?! Johnny brings us a concerning article from Education Week showing that 84% of teens distrust the news, and Jakob brings info from a Gallup poll showing 72% of adults are in the same boat. What's going on? Is being able to trust the news important? And how can we restore some confidence in our ability to tell what's true or false

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43:00

Bringing Education and Democracy Together

BustED Pencils ·

2025/11/15

Today on BustED Pencils Drs. Tim Slekar and Johnny Lupinacci discuss a new law coming into effect in Ohio. The law takes aim at higher education, listing out forbidden topics and tamping down discussion, but that's not all. The law also takes an axe to several programs of study. What's the real aim of this law? What is is doing to our Ohioan neighbors? And what happens to a democracy when higher education comes under threat? We discuss it all on this episode of BustED Pencils because when you bring

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32:30

Supporting Vets in Education. PCS #25

BustED Pencils ·

2025/11/14

Today on the Producer's Choice Show we look back at the history of Veterans Day and look forward to a future of supporting vets in education. Host Producer Jakob welcomes guests Drs. Tim Slekar and Johnny Lupinacci to discuss the contributions veterans make on campus, the strengths of our system in helping veterans transition into civilian life through education, and the areas with room for improvement. It's a grateful, patriotic education discussion on THIS exciting episode of the Producer's Choice

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40:20

The Coach-Teacher Connection. Class in Session

BustED Pencils ·

2025/11/12

With Tim out on assignment, Dr. Johnny Lupinacci is joined by Producer Jakob to talk about something near and dear to their hearts; the link between coaching and teaching. What are the similarities between coaching and teaching? What can coaches and teachers learn from each other? And what core aspects apply to both of these similar disciplines? Johnny lays it all out for us as he explores the coach-teacher connection on this episode of BustED Pencils! BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk

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12:00

Of Tacos and Tuition- Homeroom

BustED Pencils ·

2025/11/10

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 that? And is it a good idea? We discuss! (Spoiler, we think helping your employees is a good thing to do). BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk is part of Civic Media. Subscribe

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43:00

Schools Are Closin’ And Times Are A-Changin’

BustED Pencils ·

2025/11/08

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 how can higher education emerge stronger on the other side of this tumultuous time? The answers aren't certain, but we know one thing for sure; schools are closin' and

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