Are Teachers Really Indoctrinating Students? (Ep. 1)
Episode Notes
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, podcast host, Ken Futernick, asks his 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.
Featured Guests:
Erika Sanzi
Former Teacher & Director of Outreach
Parents Defending Education
Rhode Island
She spent the past five years writing about K12 education, with a focus on parent choice, student outcomes, and the boy crisis. She is a former educator and elected school board member and currently serves on the board of advisors for The Boys Initiative. She is also the mother of three school-aged sons.
Kristin Allan
School Board Trustee, Cherry Creek School District
Colorado
Kristin is running for the Cherry Creek School District Board of Education to expand the legacy of CCSD as a top K-12 public education system and stand strong for our students, families, and educators.
Josie Reich
High School Student, Without Walls High School
Washington D.C.
Josie Reich is a high school senior at School Without Walls High School in Washington, DC. In the fall, she will join the Yale University class of 2026 as a prospective Ethics, Politics, and Economics major.
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Josie wrote her high school capstone research paper on political polarization, examining how to best combat animosity across party lines among teenagers. She has since worked with Braver Angels to organize a workshop entitled Depolarizing Within: For Teens. Previously, Josie worked as a field organizer on the Congressional campaign of Col. Morris Davis in the 11th district of North Carolina. Outside of political work, she is a debater, classically trained vocalist, Bronfman fellow, youth health educator, and co-founder of the literary magazine The Pen.
Krystle Williams
Special Education and English Arts Teacher
Cleveland, Ohio
Krystle is the LRC Racial Equity Partner at Living Room Conversations, and she is in her seventh year teaching at the same high school she attended as a child.
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The best part of her day is greeting students at the door with her megaphone. Krystle has a Bachelors of Arts in Humanities from Ursuline College, and a Masters of Science in Education from Johns Hopkins University. She is completing a second graduate at Teachers College, Columbia University this summer. Making connections through small acts of conversations and storytelling is her passion. As a lifelong learner, she asks lots of questions, all the time, even when the conversations are tough. She seeks to understand, rather to respond when engaging in dialogue in hopes of seeing the humanity in others and also so that they may see the humanity in her.
Joe Murray
Middle School History Teacher & Attorney
Memphis Tennessee
A successful trial attorney, civil rights litigator, educator, and public policy expert working out of Oakland, Tennessee, Joe is now hoping to use the same energy and determination that made him a success in those fields to produce thought-provoking books and commentaries. It is Joe’s hope to challenge people to think outside the box and unchain them from the preconceived notions forced upon them by their identities.
Ken Futernick
Host, Moderator, & Teacher Educator
Placerville, California
The Courageous Conversations About Our Schools podcast is hosted by Ken Futernick. Ken is an experienced moderator, a teacher educator, and a long-time advocate for collaboration and civil dialogue.
Testimonials:
“As a participant and frequent listener, I appreciate these conversations because they represent a sincere effort to bring together people with different views on a controversial topic. No sound bites, no raised voices, no assuming of bad intentions. Instead, people volunteer to have s conversation in good faith to share their views and better understand the opinions of others. Ken, the moderator, is an excellent model of what is to listen to understand, and I'm grateful for his efforts.”
Erika Sanzi, Director of Outreach at Parents Defending Education