Courageous Conversations About Our Schools Podcast
Our podcast brings people together for respectful conversations about today’s most contentious issues affecting our schools.
Episode Directory
Find your favorite podcast episodes by topic, guest, or category.
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The Shoe Club: Walking Towards Empathy and Connection in a Michigan School (Ep. 42)
From Hate to Dialogue: A Conversation with Daryl Davis, “Klan Whisperer” (Ep. 41)
Democracies Cannot Survive Without Quality Education. A Conversation with Author Brook Manville (Ep. 40)
Character Education is Essential (and Unavoidable). How To Do It Well (Ep. 39)
The Transformative Power of Curiosity - A Conversation with Scott Shigeoka (Ep. 38)
Why These Students Are Rejecting Contempt and Embracing Dignity (Ep. 37)
Schools Are Abandoning DEI. How a Different Approach Can Preserve It (Ep. 35)
Teachers Are Afraid to Talk About the 2024 Election (Ep. 34)
Meet Aaron Stark - Almost a School Shooter (Ep. 32)
Rich Harwood Rocks My World! (Ep. 29)
Middie Rising - A City Unites and Defuses a School Culture War (Ep. 1 of 3)
Middie Rising - A City Unites and Defuses a School Culture War (Ep. 2 of 3)
Middie Rising - A City Unites and Defuses a School Culture War (Ep. 3 of 3)
Bridging Youth Divides Through Morning Classroom Conversations (Ep. 25)
A Conversation with Daniel Buck- Defender of the Education Culture Wars (Ep. 23)
When Homeschooling Fails Should the Government Step In? (Ep. 21)
A Courageous Conversation with a Transgender Educator (Ep. 20)
Can Educators Prevent Racism in Schools? Diverse Perspectives, Lively Conversation (Ep. 17)
Thriving in Turbulent Times: Why Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is Essential (Ep. 15)
The Latest Culture War Dustup: Balancing Parent Rights with Student Rights (Ep. 14)
Taking a Stand Against Antisemitism in Schools (Ep. 13)
Overcoming Toxic Polarization in our Schools with Peter Coleman (Ep. 12)
Political Opposites Square Off on Schools, Gender, and Sexuality (Ep. 11)
Book Bans Exposed: Who Decides What Students Can Read? (Ep. 10)
Calming the Culture Wars in our Schools with Journalist Monica Guzman (Ep. 9)
Weston Brown's Story: A Family and School Tragedy (Ep. 8)
Forbidden Topics: Are Schools Hiding the Truth from Students? (Ep. 7)
Taming the Culture Wars with Journalist Amanda Ripley (Ep. 6)
Gender and Sexual Identity in Schools: A Battle at the Epicenter of the Culture Wars (Ep. 4)
High School Students Weigh in on Race. Are their Elected Officials Listening? (Ep. 3)
How Students Learn about Race and Racism is Dividing Our Country (Ep. 2)
The Shoe Club: Walking Towards Empathy and Connection in a Michigan School (Ep. 42)
This story starts with a bag of shoes that helped a school community heal after the tragic deaths of two students. That story blossomed into a unique project called the “Shoe Club” that fosters empathy and breaks barriers in a Michigan middle school. The founder of the club and guest on this episode is Matt Hamilton, a 2025 Horace Mann and NEA Award-winning teacher from East Jordan Public Schools in Michigan.
The Club has gotten national attention with inscribed shoe donations from the likes of Jane Goodall, Michael Jordan, moon-walking astronaut Chalie Duke, Dolly Parton, and a Nobel Peace Prize recipient.