Public School Kids

"Yeah, it was a big-time mistake." That's not a sentence you expect from a politician, but that's exactly what former Montana Governor Marc Racicot told me, and it's the center of this bonus episode.

In our last episode, "Contradiction," we talked about what it means to tell a fuller, more honest story about who we are, including our mistakes. This bonus episode picks up that thread with a conversation from our interview with Racicot that didn't make the final cut, but is one I can't stop thinking about.

We talk about how politicians so rarely admit when they've gotten something wrong. Then, Marc does exactly that, walking through two real mistakes from his time in office, including Montana's 1997 electricity deregulation and a change to Health & Human Services that backfired. We also talk about Colin Powell, a public school kid from New York City who rose to Secretary of State, and his 2003 UN speech on Iraq that he later called a "terrible mistake."

Owning a mistake doesn't erase it. But it gives people a reason to trust you. A healthy democracy, like a healthy relationship, doesn't require perfection — it requires honesty.

What if one of the most important things public schools can teach us isn't what to think, but how to wrestle with complexity?

In this episode of Public School Kids, Erika explores one of America's defining contradictions: a nation founded on ideals of liberty and equality that repeatedly fails to extend those ideals to everyone.

With historian Johann Neem, former Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau, and Montana's own Chrysti the Wordsmith, this episode examines why confronting those contradictions isn't about rejecting America, it's about understanding it more fully.

Through Denise's family's story, we explore the lasting impact of federal Indian policy, from the flooding of the Fort Berthold Reservation and the Indian Relocation Program to the federal boarding school system. We then turn to Montana's response: the constitutional promise that eventually became Indian Education for All, making Montana the first - and still the only - state to require every public school kid to learn about the distinct and unique cultural heritage of American Indians.

Because history isn't about choosing between America's ideals and its failures. It's about having the courage to hold both.

In this episode:

• Why democracy requires citizens who can wrestle with complexity
• Carl Jung's "shadow" and America's contradictions
• Thomas Jefferson, Martin Luther King Jr., and the power of "both/and"
• Denise Juneau's family story
• Federal Indian policy, relocation, and boarding schools
• The origins of Indian Education for All
• Why Montana chose to tell a fuller story
• What public schools can teach us about becoming better citizens

Can people become the best versions of themselves? And if so, what role should public education play in that journey?

In this episode of Public School Kids, Erika traces the surprising religious roots of America's public school system, exploring how the Second Great Awakening transformed the nation's understanding of human potential. As Americans increasingly embraced the belief that people were capable of growth, educators like Horace Mann argued that public schools should cultivate not only knowledge, but character. Education became a way to develop judgment, responsibility, integrity, and the habits necessary for democratic citizenship - a philosophy known as self-culture.

Erika is joined by former Montana Governor Marc Racicot, whose own public school education and lifelong faith shaped his understanding of leadership, accountability, and service. Together with historian Johann Neem and Montana's own Chrysti the Wordsmith, they explore why generations of Americans believed democracy depends not only on educated citizens, but on good citizens.

In this episode:

• How the Second Great Awakening changed Americans' understanding of human nature
• William Ellery Channing's idea of "self-culture" and its influence on public education
• Why Horace Mann believed schools should develop character as well as intellect
• Marc Racicot on integrity, accountability, the Golden Rule, and the responsibilities of citizenship
• Why the founders of the common school movement believed democracy requires moral formation, not just academic achievement

Featuring: Johann Neem, Marc Racicot, and Chrysti the Wordsmith.

Music Credits: Andrea Peterman

Additional Music: Special thanks to Keith McCutchen for his beautiful arrangement of Amazing Grace, and to the St. Olaf Choir for singing it in the only way they can.

Public School Kids is written, hosted, and produced by Erika Peterman.

Edited by Lacy Roberts. Sound design and mixing by Chapter Four Media, led by Sarah Gibble-Laska.

What happens when people from different backgrounds grow up together?

For many Americans, public school is one of the first places they encounter people whose lives, beliefs, interests, and experiences are different from their own. It's where friendships form across social circles, where kids learn to navigate differences, and where they begin to understand that the world is bigger than themselves.

In this episode of Public School Kids, Erika Peterman talks with two Montana public school kids whose lives took very different paths: New York Times Hollywood Correspondent, Brooks Barnes, and conservationist, Ryan Callaghan. Together, their stories reveal how public schools create the shared spaces where young people learn confidence, curiosity, empathy, and how to live alongside people who aren't like them.

Historian Johann Neem returns to explain why America's public schools were intentionally designed to bring diverse groups of people together, and why that mission may be more important today than ever.

Plus, recurring contributor Chrysti the Wordsmith explores the history and meaning of the word citizen.

In this episode:

• Navigating difference, belonging, and identity
• Lessons learned from football fields, choir rooms, lunch tables, and hallways
• Why exposure to different people matters
• The origins of America's public schools and the Common School Movement
• Chrysti the Wordsmith on the history of the word citizen

Featuring:

• Brooks Barnes
• Ryan Callaghan
• Johann Neem
• Chrysti the Wordsmith

Music by Andrea Peterman: www.andreapeterman.com

Additional tracks:

"Back To Cool "by Shane Ivers – https://silvermansound.com

"Pickup Line” Johnathon M. Horner (Beat Mekanik)

About Public School Kids

Public School Kids is a storytelling series about what Americans share and why it matters. Through stories from classrooms, communities, and public school kids across the country, the series explores the role public education plays in shaping citizenship, character, and our shared American experience.

Learn more at Public School Kids

Why does America have public schools?

Most of us assume the answer is obvious: to teach kids how to read, write, and do math. But the story is much bigger than that.

In the premiere episode of Public School Kids, host Erika Peterman explores the origins and purpose of public education in America. Along the way, she shares the story of her father growing up in Conrad, Montana, and reflects on how schools help create the communities that shape us.

With historian Johann Neem as our guide, we travel back to the founding of the United States, when a new nation faced a fundamental question: How do you prepare ordinary people to govern themselves?

The answer helped create one of America's most important institutions: the public school.

Plus, meet recurring contributor Chrysti the Wordsmith, who explores the history and meaning of a word at the heart of this episode: democracy.

In this episode:

• A story about community from Conrad, Montana
• Why Thomas Jefferson believed education was essential to self-government
• The origins of public education in America
• Why public schools were designed to serve something bigger than individual students
• Chrysti the Wordsmith on the history of the word democracy

Featuring:

• Johann Neem
• Chrysti the Wordsmith

Music by Andrea Peterman: www.andreapeterman.com

About Public School Kids

Public School Kids is a storytelling series about what Americans share and why it matters. Through stories from classrooms, communities, and public school kids across the country, the series explores the role public education plays in shaping citizenship, character, and our shared American experience.

Learn more at Public School Kids