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