Holmberg's Morning Sickness – Arizona Teachers Quitting & Taking "Credit"

Episode Date: Nov. 12, 2025
Main Hosts: John Holmberg, Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, Dick Toledo

Overview

This episode pivots from the usual sharp-witted banter and local Arizona flavor to a heated, insightful discussion around the ongoing crisis in Arizona’s public education system: more than 1,000 teachers have quit since July. John Holmberg, always fearless with his opinions, both lampoons and laments this trend—claiming partial "credit" for his longstanding advice for teachers to quit. The conversation weaves through causes for the exodus, the changing dynamics between teachers, parents, and students, and larger cultural consequences. Genuine frustration and black humor keep the discussion both weighty and wickedly entertaining.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Show Updates & Listener Interactions

• [01:19] Shout-outs to listeners, birthdays, and app download antics get things started—even recounting a listener's hospital stay inspiring nurses in Ohio to become fans.
• [03:30] John updates listeners on co-host Bret Vesely’s father's recent passing; reflects on personal stories and the show's community-feel.

2. Humorous Asides on Family, Parenting, and Drinking

• [06:30] In typical HMS fashion, John and crew riff on a recent study indicating teenage binge drinkers end up making more money as adults, poking fun at the anxieties of modern parenting.

• [07:10] Quote – John Holmberg:
  “Binge drinking is like a parent's worst nightmare. You got a kid who's drunk and just know that that's CEO training, essentially.” (07:10)

• [08:57] Brady and others share stories about kids coming home drunk for the first time. The crew tongue-in-cheek suggests that overprotectiveness may, in fact, backfire.

3. The Arizona Teacher Exodus: “I’m Taking Credit!”

[13:48] – [18:41]

• John pivots to the headline topic: over 1,000 Arizona teachers quitting since July.

• Holmberg’s Self-Proclaimed Influence:
  John jokes (with underlying seriousness) that he’s taken part in the exodus by consistently advising teachers to quit until the balance of power shifts.

  • Quote – John Holmberg:
    “I’d like to tip its cap to the 1,055 teachers who have quit their jobs since July. I like to take credit for that. I’ve been telling public school teachers to quit their job.” (13:48)

• Why Are Teachers Leaving?

  • John: “They have been stripped of their power because parents don’t question their kids anymore. They question the teacher first. Quit your jobs immediately.” (14:29)
  • The crew discusses the impossible expectations placed on teachers by both parents and school “Bobs” (administrators).
  • Teachers’ authority eroded, continually forced to accommodate individual education programs (IEPs) for nearly every student.
    • Brady: “Try being a teacher when you’ve got 26 kids that all have an IEP that you have to address.” (15:51)

• On Parental Shifts:

  • John: “When your kid comes home with Ds… that’s your job! They hate your kids. And your kids are... the parents are now on the side of the kid over the teacher. Used to be the other way.” (15:05 – 15:20)

• On Teacher Pay:

  • Candid about how teaching “has never been a lucrative super job,” and the myth of money as a motivator.
  • Quote – John Holmberg:
    “If you’re doing it for your passion, you’ll stay. But they can’t stand the kids and the parents.” (16:13)

4. Systemic Effects & “Lowering the Requirements”

• [17:00] John acknowledges the legislature is now lowering requirements to be a teacher simply to keep classrooms staffed.
  • Quote – Brady Bogen:
    “Your constant hammering of this has also made the legislature go, 'we need to lower the requirements for teaching.'” (17:08)
  • Now, people can teach before they are certified—further diluting the quality and prestige of the profession.

5. Public vs. Private Schools and the Future

• [18:56] Brief rundown comparing public and private schools—the latter giving teachers slightly more authority to expel problem students, but with minimal pay advantage.
  • John: “If there was one industry I’d like to destroy, it would be the public school system. And I’m doing it one person at a time.” (19:43)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Public Education’s Decline:
  “Congratulations. I feel personally somewhat responsible for helping the teachers all quit their jobs. 1,055 and that number’s going to go up, folks. You should keep doing it.”
  – John Holmberg (18:23)

• On Changing Classroom Dynamics:
  “Used to be there was one bad one per 20, 30 kids… now it’s the other way. Now there’s one good one.”
  – John Holmberg (18:09)

• On Privatization and Teacher Authority:
  “That parent that becomes the thorn in the side—private schools are like, 'you need to move your child.' Kick them out. They let those teachers have some power. I love it.”
  – John Holmberg (19:22)

Important Timestamps

• [01:19 – 03:30] – Listener shoutouts, community updates, and personal anecdotes.
• [06:30 – 09:44] – Discussion of the binge drinking study and implications for parenting.
• [13:48 – 19:43] – Main segment: Arizona teacher exodus, power dynamics in schools, pay, IEPs, and John’s “mission” to disrupt the public school system.
• [18:56 – 19:56] – Public vs. private school comparison, teacher pensions, and a (morbidly) triumphant note from John on “destroying” the public school system.

Summary: Tone & Takeaways

Irreverent and refreshingly unsentimental, this episode delivers a scathing critique of the failings in Arizona’s public education, with John Holmberg leading the charge. The hosts’ banter mixes humor, personal experience, and pointed societal criticism—laying blame on shifting parent-teacher dynamics, administrative bloat, and legislative desperation. While Holmberg’s claim of “taking credit” for driving teachers out is tongue-in-cheek, his arguments about teacher working conditions and parental attitudes are clear and forceful: until teachers regain authority, and parents reassess their role, the exodus will continue.

For educators and parents alike, this episode is both a warning and a rallying cry—with plenty of that signature HMS sarcasm.