“Sorry in advance for the length, but I need to get this out. After 22 years, I don’t know if I have it in me anymore. I am a teacher. I will always be a teacher. I love teaching, but this isn’t teaching. Everything I am required to do is about preparing my students for… Read more »

Listeners and readers of BustED Pencils know we have a love for music—punk rock particularly!  I typically try to find a music video to support blog posts and our intro music to the podcast is Rise Against’s Re-Education (Through Labor). Last week I had the opportunity to get an interview with Tim McIlrath of Rise… Read more »

Stupid cliche alert.  “Be careful what you wish for.” Wisconsin has a new budget! Finally we can get down to the continued further “disruption” of the teaching profession. Yes it is now official.  $2100, 10 months, and no student teaching gets you a license to teach in Wisconsin—teacher shortage solution I’ve been told.  Never mind… Read more »

As the war against our public schools and the profession of teaching drags on it amazes me that some people still act surprised when politicians attempt to enact policy that pushes us closer and closer towards total privatization and the siphoning of tax dollars directed towards operations that only stand to profit from the collapse…. Read more »

Wisconsin’s Joint Finance Committee passed Scott Walker’s budget proposal dealing with teacher education on a 12- 4 party line vote.  While the entire proposal is a partisan disaster that continues the dismantling of Wisconsin’s public school system—one item is worth highlighting. 45. Alternative Teacher Preparation Program- Require the DPI to grant an initial teaching license… Read more »

Since testifying against the Wisconsin DPI (Department of Public Instruction) teacher license rule changes, some have suggested that I am simply a defender of the status quo. That my insistence on “standards” means I wish to keep in place the current system. Nothing can be further from the truth. Here is a direct quote from… Read more »

Good afternoon.  My name is Tim Slekar and I am the Dean of the School of Education at Edgewood College.   Let me be clear from the outset. Our teacher shortage is a manufactured crisis that has resulted in an Exodus from the profession and has routed potential teachers away from teacher education.   Loosening, tinkering, and doing… Read more »

Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction is toying around with this statement.   “School districts throughout the state are experiencing difficulties obtaining and retaining licensed personnel. These difficulties can impact children’s educational experience. An emergency rule is needed to create additional flexibility in the teacher licensing process for individuals who are seeking a license for the… Read more »

How long has it been?  How long have I been writing about Wisconsin’s war on the teaching profession and the ridiculous notion that we have a “teacher shortage?”  Rhetorical I know. Well today “they” did it.  “They” opened the door to deprofesssionalization and authorized the use of emergency licenses to address the “shortage” and placed… Read more »

Last week I was following a few Facebook strands.  As I often do, when I find a quote that sparks me to think, I like to repost it to my Facebook page.  Typically I get a decent amount of “likes” with the occasional comment.  However, when I took Alison Hawyer McDowell’s quote below I had… Read more »