Courageous Conversations About Our Schools

America’s culture wars are driving great teachers out of the classroom, exacerbating a shortage that has reached critical levels in most states. The story of Willie Carver, an English and French high school teacher from Kentucky, is especially tragic. He was selected as the state’s teacher of the year in 2022 and honored recently with 49 other outstanding teachers at the White House. He was beloved by his students and colleagues. But Carver is also an openly gay teacher and the recent hostility toward LGBTQ educators and students simply became too much for him. In this episode Carver explains why he made the painful decision to leave the classroom. Three of his student also describe what it was like having him as their teacher.

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SInce 2022 the number of new bills affecting LGBTQ students and how teachers are allowed to talk and teach about issues related to gender and sexual identity have skyrocketed. These bills and the larger question of the school’s role regarding to gender and sexual identity have generated considerable controversy among educators, parents, and the public at large. On one side are those who believe discussions about gender and sexual identity shouldn’t take place in the classroom. This sentiment was reflected in a statement by one of our guests, Meg Kilgannon, who said, “Let equipped parents have these conversations with their children.”On the other side are those who believe that as students learn about diversity and respect for others in school, they must learn about differences in gender and sexual identity. Many also argue that LGBTQ students must have a safe and supportive learning environment, especially given the high number who suffer emotionally and socially as a result of bullying and prejudice. As long-time educator, David Thomas expressed, “Parents give us the best that they have, but… for a lot of students who are gay, their first bullies are their parents.”The central questions guiding this Courageous Conversation are this: What role should schools play regarding policies, instruction, and classroom discussions related to sexual and gender identity? How can schools respect the rights of parents while also ensuring that students are well-supported and have a safe place to learn? Even though many of our guests didn’t always see eye to eye, they all agreed that more respectful conversations about topics like this need to continue.

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High school students on Kentucky’s Student Voice Team discuss findings and recommendations in their report, "Race to Learn." But many of these students are frustrated because some of their recommendations cannot be implemented because of restrictions in new state laws.

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Never before have Americans been so deeply divided about how history, current events, and controversial issues should be discussed in our public schools. At the center of these debates are questions about race and racism – what exactly students should learn about these concepts, how the concepts should be taught, and what the outcomes should be. The views and political perspectives of our guests vary widely (by design), but the purpose of the conversation is not to debate or argue but rather to have a respectful exchange of ideas, for participants to speak from the heart and to share their own experiences and perspectives. Most importantly, it’s to listen and learn from one another.

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Critics charge that teachers are indoctrinating their students with left-wing ideology on a variety of issues - how history is taught, the books they are allowed to read, and how students learn about gender and sexual identity. In this episode, I ask my guests to define what it means to indoctrinate, say whether it's always wrong, and speculate on its prevalence. Like most polarizing issues, the questions surrounding indoctrination are full of nuance.

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