Principles Over Party: Teaching Founding Values While Fighting Educational Decline

On October 20, 2025, Kim Monson gathered educators, entrepreneurs, and civic activists to tackle the intersection of founding principles, educational decline, and free speech. Brad Beck of Liberty Toastmasters shared his approach to teaching young people about constitutional principles, while educator Priscilla Rahn previewed her new book and radio show focused on restoring American education.

Teaching Constitutional Principles to the Next Generation

Start listening at 52:31 – Hour 1

Brad Beck, co-founder of Liberty Toastmasters, detailed his innovative approach to engaging high school students in Boulder with founding principles. Rather than discussing party platforms, Beck presents students with eight core principles including human equality, natural rights, and consent of the governed, then invites them to frame all questions around those foundations. The technique transforms emotionally charged political debates into thoughtful discussions grounded in shared American values.

Beck recounted standing at the classroom door, shaking each student’s hand, and handing them pocket Constitutions before his presentation. The personal connection and principled framework produced remarkable results, with students approaching him after class wanting to continue the conversation.

“And I took the tact of putting all these eight principles on a big sheet of paper and revealed them one by one and talked about each one of these ideas, like human equality, natural rights, consent of the governed, government-secured rights, limited powers, all the ideas that the American founding was based on.”

Brad Beck, Co-founder of Liberty Toastmasters

Restoring Excellence in American Education

Start listening at 02:00 – Hour 1

Priscilla Rahn, a 32-year education veteran and former principal, brings her experience to a new book titled “Restoring Education in America, an Inspirational Teacher Toolbox.” The educator shared the harrowing story of her mother’s escape from North Korea as a 12-year-old, jumping onto a moving train with her family to flee communist oppression, a formative experience that shapes Rahn’s passion for American education.

Rahn announced her new daily radio show launching November 3rd on KLTT 670 AM, focusing on education issues from the perspective of a classroom teacher. She emphasized the power of asking people to identify the principles and values underlying their positions.

“It was birthed from the idea of with Charlie Kirk’s assassination, the conversation around education and school choice and the need to debate.”

Priscilla Rahn, Educator and Author

Fighting for Academic Excellence in District 49

Start listening at 18:07 – Hour 1

Ivy Lui called in to discuss her campaign for school board in Falcon District 49. A former board member who was gerrymandered out of her seat in 2023 after challenging the district on academic performance and ideological curricula, Lui returns focused on reversing declining test scores. The district remains 3.5% below 2019 levels in language arts and 1.3% behind in mathematics.

Lui exposed how social and emotional learning programs entered the district under the guise of character building but carried publicly declared objectives of transforming society and injecting equity ideology. Her previous efforts to remove these distractions and refocus on academics met fierce resistance from board members she described as claiming to be Christian conservatives.

“I was learning that curricula were being brought in specifically to have the publicly declared objective of transforming society and injecting equity into the kids’ minds and social justice.”

Ivy Lui, School Board Candidate, District 49

Free Speech Under Attack: The Alex Jones Precedent

Start listening at 84:42 – Hour 2

Susan Kochevar, entrepreneur and owner of 88 Drive-In Theater, raised alarm about the Supreme Court’s refusal to hear Alex Jones’s appeal of his $1.4 billion default judgment. She warned that default judgments, which deny defendants the ability to present their case, represent a dangerous erosion of due process being weaponized against conservative voices including Peter Navarro, Steve Bannon, Mike Lindell, and Rudy Giuliani.

On a brighter note, Kochevar shared observations about dramatic positive changes among young workers this year. Her teenage employees at the drive-in arrived on time, dressed professionally, and showed unprecedented interest in learning about capitalism and how business works.

“You know, you have to defend speech, especially the speech you do not like.”

Susan Kochevar, Owner, 88 Drive-In Theater

Parental Rights and Transparency in Roaring Fork Schools

Start listening at 99:24 – Hour 2

Elizabeth Taylor explained her campaign for school board in the Roaring Fork District, where 65% of students read below grade level. The engaged parent spent years attending school board meetings, work sessions, and accountability committee meetings, often as the only parent in attendance. She pointed to a 2022 “gender toolkit” rollout as a catalyst for her activism.

Taylor highlighted a troubling policy allowing children 12 and older to make mental and physical health decisions without parental knowledge or consent. Her priority is restoring parents to the center of their children’s education and ensuring basic academic proficiency returns to the classroom.

“Right now, you know, 65% of kids are below grade level in reading.”

Elizabeth Taylor, School Board Candidate, Roaring Fork District

Understanding Insurance in Colorado’s Challenging Climate

Start listening at 09:25 – Hour 1

Roger Mangan of State Farm Insurance walked listeners through the mechanics of homeowners insurance pools and why Colorado premiums have skyrocketed. With State Farm collecting $110 million in premiums but paying $129 million in hail and wildfire claims in 2022, rate increases became inevitable. Mangan offered practical strategies for managing costs, including raising deductibles from 1% to 5% to significantly reduce premium increases.

The insurance veteran also clarified misconceptions about auto insurance, explaining that companies typically check driving records only every three years and single speeding tickets rarely trigger rate increases absent accidents or license suspension.

“The only way to mitigate that is to probably go to higher deductibles.”

Roger Mangan, State Farm Insurance