Why School Choice And Licensing Deter Me From Teaching In Arizona

Send us a text

Some decisions feel like a pivot; this one felt like a reckoning. We open up about stepping away from teaching in Arizona and the mix of policy, practicality, and personal wellbeing that led us here. Arizona’s school choice model promises options, but the way public funds flow out of neighborhood schools has real consequences for teachers and students who rely on consistent support. We walk through how dwindling resources, chronic instability, and a tough licensure calculus made the classroom a hard place to build a sustainable future right now.

You’ll hear why we’re pressing pause on Arizona certification, how we think about teacher burnout beyond buzzwords, and what a healthier system could look like. We also share an honest checkpoint on higher education plans—why early friction with a college can signal deeper misalignment, and how we’re reevaluating programs to find a better fit. On the personal front, a pending orthopedic update shapes the near-term timeline, because being a great educator requires energy, presence, and a plan that respects health realities.

To keep some light in the mix, we tease an upcoming conversation with a Disney superfan who just returned from a dream trip—proof that wonder and play still matter even as we navigate hard choices. If you care about public education, teacher wellbeing, and the real trade-offs behind policy headlines, this story offers a candid look at why a passionate educator might choose another path for now. Listen, share with a friend who’s wrestling with similar choices, and subscribe to stay with us for the health update and the Disney interview. Your thoughts and reviews help shape what we explore next—what would you do in our shoes?

Support the show

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:02):
Welcome to a winning hut, you guys, and I am going to
tell you guys why I am why Igave up teaching and why I'm not
teaching down in Arizona.

(00:23):
And so I um am not teaching downin Arizona because Arizona is
the worst educational state inthe country.
We're also a school choicestate, meaning that parents

(00:45):
could send their kids everywhich way and to private
schools, to public schools, tocharter schools, um with tax
dollars, which really hurts thepublic schools.

(01:05):
And so hint, hint, that's whyI'm not teaching down in
Arizona.
I mean, I'm not going to wastemy time um getting a license for
the state of Arizona if I don'tfeel like it's permit for me to

(01:32):
teach.
And at the same time, I yeah, Imight be switching um colleges
and degrees because yeah, I havea problem with the college I got

(02:03):
into and I haven't even startedyet, and they're already um
saying something, but we'reworking on that, they're working
on that for me, and so I amgoing to explain next um week

(02:26):
what's going on with my houseand surgery-wise, and then I am
going to explain the week afterthat, get um into more detail
about um why I don't feel like Ishouldn't be teaching down here.

(02:52):
Then I'm going to um interviewsomeone about her vacation
because yeah, she had uh I loveit.
I love it.

(03:13):
The you guys can't say it,teachers, but it's Disney
related, and she had an awesometime, and so we'll yes, Disney
Fanatica Bra.

(03:33):
And so we'll get a chance totalk to her about that, and
we're going to catch you guysnext week, and yeah, next week
I'll give a health update.
So the week after that we'll getinto more detail about education

(03:59):
and why I'm not teaching downhere, and then um the week after
that we'll interview Danielle.
And so, yeah, that's that, andthen I'll keep you guys updated
on the surgery aspects as ofnext week when I get the reports

(04:28):
back from the t CT scan, CATscan as of Friday morning.
So I'll have a betterunderstanding of what my
orthopedic surgeon wants to doum as of Friday morning.
Um so we're gonna let you guysgo and have a wonderful week,

(04:53):
and then we will see you guysnext week.
Thank you for following us.
Bye you guys.