The HoneyDew with Ryan Sickler - 335: Joe Dombrowski is the Kindergarten's Comedian

Episode Date: May 19, 2025

My HoneyDew this week is comedian Joe Dombrowski! Be sure to check out his past special Don’t Eat the Crayons and his more recent show tapings, both available on his YouTube channel. Joe joins me this week to Highlight the Lowlights of his transition from kindergarten teacher to stand-up comedian. He shares his journey of discovering a love and passion for education, along with the personal and professional struggles that led him to make a bold career pivot into comedy. BALTIMORE! I’m coming home! Catch me at the Horseshoe Casino on Saturday, June 28—one night only with special guest Justin Schlegel! Grab your tickets now! http://tixr.com/pr/ryan-sickler/142608 SUBSCRIBE TO MY YOUTUBE and watch full episodes of The Dew every toozdee! https://youtube.com/@rsickler SUBSCRIBE TO MY PATREON - The HoneyDew with Y’all, where I Highlight the Lowlights with Y’all! Get audio and video of The HoneyDew a day early, ad-free at no additional cost! It’s only $5/month! AND we just added a second tier. For a total of $8/month, you get everything from the first tier, PLUS The Wayback a day early, ad-free AND censor free AND extra bonus content you won't see anywhere else! https://www.patreon.com/TheHoneyDew What’s your story?? Submit at [e-mail] Get Your HoneyDew Gear Today! https://shop.ryansickler.com/ Ringtones Are Available Now! https://www.apple.com/itunes/ http://ryansickler.com/ https://thehoneydewpodcast.com/ SUBSCRIBE TO THE CRABFEAST PODCAST https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-crabfeast-with-ryan-sickler-and-jay-larson/id1452403187 SPONSORS: Ridge Wallet - Right now Ridge is having their HUGE Memorial Day Sale. Get up to 40% Off at https://www.Ridge.com/HONEYDEW GhostBed -Head to http://GhostBed.com/honeydew and use code HONEYDEW to get an extra 10% off your entire order - on top of the Memorial Day Sale!

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If you have questions or concerns about gambling or someone close to you, please contact Connex Ontario at 1-866-531-2600 to speak to an advisor free of charge. Ben MGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. Baltimore! I'm coming home! We're gonna wrap the Live in a Live Tour up Saturday June 28th at the Horseshoe Casino. It's gonna be a great night. I got Justin Schlagel from 98 Rock gonna be out there with me. We're gonna have some surprises. It's gonna be a really big deal. Get your tickets now at RyanSickler.com. The Honeydew with Ryan Sickler. Welcome back to the honeydew y'all we're over here doing it in the night pan studios. I am Ryan sickler and I want to say thank you to all of you.

Thank you for supporting this show. Thank you for supporting anything I do. I don't care what it is. Even if you're just telling someone about the show. Thank you for supporting anything I do. I don't care what it is. Even if you're just telling someone about the show Thank you for supporting it And if you've got to have more than you got to check out the patreon it's been five bucks since day one And I'm not raising it. It is this show the honeydew with y'all and y'all have the craziest stories on The internet I promise you five bucks a month

I promise you, five bucks a month, go check it out. We have an additional tier up there for another three bucks. You're getting the way back a day early ad free and bonus content there. You're not getting anywhere else. All right. All right. That's the biz. You guys know what we do here. We highlight the low lights and I always say these are the stories behind the storytellers.

I am very excited to have this guest on here. First time on the do, ladies and gentlemen, Joe Dombrowski Oh my god, honey. Do Joe right can ask you a question, please? Okay, but you're a baldmore guy, but where's this y'all come from? You use y'all a lot a lot in your daily vernacular I do so where's that from? So it comes from Maryland's below the Mason-Dixon line you we would say that it that oh, yeah We were big yallers in Maryland. Is that right? Interesting. Okay. Okay, and I did live in Texas for one year when we were kids Well, it got deeply embedded in like four four five somewhere three to four

Yeah, we lived just outside of Houston in a town called Spring, Texas. And maybe, maybe I picked it up a little bit there subconsciously. A lot a bit. A lot a bit. I swear to God, when you told me you were from Baltimore, well, I would have known by all the crab paraphernalia. Yeah, that's what I was just like.

I was like, this is southern Miami. I get it a lot. Anytime I talk here, I just met a guy from Texas the other day that told me he thought I was from Texas. Just listening to you, you could have told me this is a Nate Land podcast and I would have been like, that checks the house. Yeah.

Well, we're big Nate Land fan. For sure. For sure. Welcome to the show, Joe. It is a pleasure to have you here. Before we get into your story, promote everything and anything you would like. For sure. I'm on tour right now.

It's going crazy. You got to get your tickets at thejoedembrowski.com. But I just shot a special too. We were talking about it. Shot with the same people that Ryan's shooting with. That's coming out soon. Keep an eye posted on all my socials. You can follow me at thejoedembrowski everywhere or just joedembrowski on Instagram.

And you'll find it when I can announce where it's going. So get ready for that and come see me on the road. Trust me, you'll like it. Yeah, you're doing good out there, bro. Thanks, man. You are. I'm working really hard right now too, because we've got bigger goals in mind with our family,

hopefully extending our family and things. So I'm hustling now to be able to relax a little bit when that time comes. So yeah. When you have family. Gone, gone, gone. Good luck with the relax and then bro. Oh man, thank you.

I pretty much was a teacher for 10 years though. So now I'm an alcoholic. Yeah, we're gonna talk about that. Yeah, for sure. But I, I, being a teacher, I think that I'm gonna be a really good parent because I don't think

I'll be caught off guard very much because I understand a lot of the development of a child. I taught everything kindergarten to sixth grade, so I'm kind of ready for these little nuances. Not that it's gonna be easy, but I do think I am a little bit more prepared. Yeah, battle tested and prepared. I think.

Well, let's go back to the beginning. Can we talk about your upbringing, your parents and where you're from originally and how eventually you get into teaching. So where are you from? Detroit, Michigan was born in Detroit, Michigan was raised just outside of Detroit and great family. I have a very standup oriented family.

Now they don't do standup, but we are a big comedy consumption house. So they were- Even back in the day before you got into it. Oh my God, I'm a little kid. I remember sneaking out because my parents are laughing so hard and then I just joined them on the couch for a Roseanne.

You know what I mean? Like that. All the specials. And then when I was really little, I did standup comedy for the first time in my third grade talent show and like all the other kids are like dancing to Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys. I'm like, I'm gonna do stand up. Hell yeah. I made my mom go in the closet, get my first communion tuxedo.

No, did you? I swear to God. You got your first communion tuxedo. No, did you? I swear to God. You get your first communion suit, it's still fit. Sold, I stole all my jokes from a magician and just went up there and just like nailed the standup and I was like the talk of it, it was great. And that hit the standup bug. But what really did it is we went to Disney World later on

and this is like the beginning of Kathy Griffin's huge takeoff and she was like doing a set in Disney World. And then I saw her do it and her physicality, I was like, that's crazy that I can see a person doing what they're talking about with nothing on stage but them in a microphone. I was so inspired by that, that it always stuck with me, that I wanted to be a performer.

But my parents were not into that. So it was very much like, you're going to college, you're gonna study something and then that's what you're gonna do. And I'd be like, but I'm still, and they're like, come on, no, this is not how this works. We're from Michigan, we have like zero Hollywood knowledge, right?

So I studied education, which I loved. I really liked working with kids. Can I ask you, can I just stop you there for one second? Your parents, both together at the time, at least still are? Yeah, still together. Okay. Still together. And were they teachers?

No. They were not. What did dad and mom do? My dad was a civil engineer for the United States Air Force. And my mom was a nurse. Oh, wow. Okay. Yeah, My dad was a civil engineer for the United States Air Force and my mom was a nurse. Oh wow, okay. Yeah, my mom was a nurse. So-

And how many siblings? Trust me, baby. Oh, you're an only child. Aren't you lucky? All right. I'm an only child, so my mom is like obsessed with me. She calls it love, but the doctors call it munchausen by proxy.

By proxy. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So we're very close. So we're a very close family. All right, close. So what leads you into wanting to teach then? Great question. So I was in a fraternity in high school,

I mean high school. I was in college. In high school, high school fraternity. What college you go to? Central Michigan University. Go fire up chips. And school fraternity. Central Michigan University, go fire up chips. And my fraternity in particular had a, well, all fraternities have a,

like one charity that you're raising money for for the year. Every fraternity is different. Is there a number you're supposed to hit? Indirectly, but yeah. Like, is it ridiculous? So I'm really supposed to be busted like 10 grand? So like all of our parties, you like paid to go to it,

but that money we were giving to charity and then we'd have fundraisers throughout the year, like huge events that was just raising money for these charities. And then a handful of brothers every year would go to it and work for them. And ours was the Serious Fund Foundation. What's that? Serious Fund is a string

of summer camps all over the country that are for children with like severe, sometimes terminal illnesses. And every week is usually different based on what the illness is. There's a sickle cell week, there's a transplant week. That's my week, sickle cell week. Do you have sickle cell?

No, that's what they call me. That's my, Tom and Christina fucking nicknamed me sickle cell and the whole world calls me that. I'm going to that camp. I don't know if you should. I do think there's an element of cultural identity there, but just from my experience on Sickle Cell Week, I just don't think you hit the demographic personally,

but yeah, Sickle Cell Girl, that's your drag name. Welcome to the stage. Sickle Cell! You're killing it. When I walk in places, and people who know me will say Sickle Cell, or when I'm at shows, just my last name being Sickler, and he just did it. He just called me that. Just one day to be funny about it, and I was shows, just my last name being Sickler. Sickler. And he just did it.

He just called me that. Just one day to be funny about it. I was like, oh my God. And then they'll yell it to me. And people look, you know, it's a weird thing to scream at somebody in public and then have them be like, what's up man? What's up man?

My cell's got shape, bitch. Sickle cell, what's up guy? That's amazing. That's amazing. I know, sorry. So I volunteered. That's amazing. I know, sorry. Go ahead. So I volunteered. I was one of the brothers who volunteered. And my week, my first time was all different situations.

The kids were in all different situations. We had a kid in a wheelchair and the event was the high ropes course, but everything at this camp was designed for kids with needs. So there was nothing that a kid couldn't do. Like all the boats were- Even a kid in a chair could do-

Could canoe, like there was no limits. Like everything was specially built. Okay, that's great actually. So like the high ropes course, there was even like, you could hoist a wheelchair up. And then there was ramps up there that they could push themselves through, like in the trees. Something that a kid never thought they could do, right?

So this kid's panicking and he doesn't think he can do it. He doesn't want to do it. And I was just like, I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna have so much fun. I can't believe you're not gonna do it. Cause like, I'm gonna have fun and go home and tell everybody how much fun I had. And that sucks that you can't believe you're not gonna do it. Cause like I'm gonna have fun and go home and tell everybody how much fun I had. And that sucks that you can't, but you do you,

like you do your thing. And he's like, well I can do it. I was like, actually you can't. I was like, you already told me you don't. And I get it. You're too scared and hey, that's fine. But I'm gonna go have fun. You say, I can do it.

I'm like, I don't think you can. I'm playing this game with this kid. Finally, he's just so mad at me that he gets up there, has the time of his life. I thought you were gonna say he gets up. Oh yeah. Get out of the God damn chair, Joe. He looks at me, he's like, you wanna fuck me up?

Son of a bitch. Oh my God, could you imagine? Well, that's why my name's actually not Joe, it's Jesus, Jesus. Personally, I do make people walk again. So this kid really goes up there. He gets up, he goes. How high are we talking here?

Yeah, normal. 20 feet. Huge, high as hell. We hoisted him up in his wheelchair. We hoisted him up and he was able to do it. And he had so much fun. And I remember looking at him up there and like his face going from fear to just

uninhibited pure joy without restrictions was life-changing for me. And I was like, I think I want to do this. I think I want to be a teacher. That moment. See, and that kid really get it and have that moment for himself. Wow. I want to definitely dive deeper. Make that different. Wow, fuck yeah. I wanna definitely dive deeper. Make that different. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

So then I kept going back, was volunteering a little more and it was great. I got my first teaching job just outside of Detroit. Loved it. I had the best staff, was super close with them. And- Where? What school? I taught in an area-

Michigan State. Yeah, for sure. I taught in Kego Harbor, Michigan, which was just on the border of Pontiac, Michigan. Okay. And we had a lot of students coming in from Pontiac. It was an older building school of choice. So we had kids coming from all over the place.

And are you, is it elementary school? Only elementary teacher. Only elementary. Yes, yes, yes, yes. And are you familiar with the term Title I? No. Okay, so this was a Title I school. Which means?

A Title I school is a school where the majority of the student population, their families qualify for the kid to have free and reduced lunch and breakfast because of the income of what the dual income of the family is. I was a Title I kid. Yeah, yeah. Free lunch tickets. Yeah, yeah. So.

But everyone in there is this, you're saying? It has to be the vast majority. I don't know what the percentage is anymore. It used to be 50% or more, but all of the buildings except for one that I've taught in was Title I. Oh, all of them, okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Oh, two, I sold my soul. I sold it, double did private one year. That was wild. We'll talk about that. Yeah, we should. What's your first day like, you know, getting in there and really, do you remember your first day? Are you nervous as hell? Are you excited?

Or is it all of it or? So I walked into that school thinking I was gonna be Hillary Swank and change these lives. Yeah. Like you couldn't have told me no. I remember I stood out there and I like shook all these kids' hands. I'm like, I'm about to do Freedom Writers Diary to you.

No, it was, I was like brainwashed. You really as a brand new teacher think that there's like no holds barred and you're gonna do it. But when you start to like realize the bullshit that goes on in education period, it's kind of wild. There's just so many, we're definitely gonna get into this, but there's so many, there's so much red tape around a teacher and education

that to really get the students the education that they need and deserve is unbelievable. It's unbelievable. And you don't know that in your first few years as a teacher. You're just like going along with what you think is normal. But the first days were, were wild, but wake up call, wake up call for sure. But fun, loved it, loved working with the kids.

You did? I did. And then did you work with any like kids with disabilities like you did with the camp or was it? Please pause while my PTSD sinks back in. So this building that I taught at had this program which was for the most severely emotionally impaired mental health disorder students, not in the school, not in the district, and the entire county

had a special program in my building. And if you know what mainstreaming is, mainstreaming are where we take students who are in special education services and they are mainstreamed back into the general education classroom by slowly spending more and more time in there to go on.

But I'm doing this with like severely emotionally impaired students, right? I had a kid who was being brought into my class, they're like, Joe, but before we do this, you need to take special training to learn how to effectively restrain a child if they're attacking you for your safety. Effectively, can I just get a taser?

I was like, are you fucking kidding me? So they send me to this two day training and I come back and then the kid starts going to my classroom, day one, he comes up to me and he goes, can I tell you something? I was like, sure. He goes, run from the zombies, run, run, run. I'm like, I'm going to have a bleach martini when I get home. This is insane.

This is a little kid saying this shit to you, dude. So then he's a runner. He's a runner. He takes off at recess all the time. And what, where's he going? Just off property? He's trying to get away? CVS?

Just all the way. Wherever the hell he wants. Down main roads. He's done this. So they give me the training, right? to get away? CVS? Just call out to us. Wherever the hell he wants. Yeah. Down main roads. He's done this. So they give me the training, right? So I know how to effectively secure this child if I do. Is there a way?

Is there a way to? Yeah, it's like- Is there a technique? Well, the first thing is, like, you can't be by yourself. Yeah, it's a child. Like, you gotta, like, like risk in this way that doesn't, like, harm them. I'm like, I get it. But also at one point,

this kid's running in oncoming traffic. You know what, honestly, whatever you taught me, I don't really care. If we happen to snap a wrist on accident. Yeah, and save them. Yeah, we'll have a cast on, I'll get sued, but at least you're alive. Think me later.

So anyway, we had this man in the building who worked for an outside service, who kind of did recreational activities with the kids. He would organize games after school, teach them how to play basketball, that sort of thing. He's not employed by the school or the district, okay? So whenever this kid would run, they would call me over the PA, send

someone up to my room to cover me. Since I had the training to effectively restrain this kid, they're like, oh, he ran, can you go get him? I'm running all over the town. Also just because you have the training doesn't mean you got the fucking road work out there and the cardio to go chase some fucking eight year old kid that's got lungs that are never endless. In what job do they say, hey, here's these extra things. And they're actually really physically demanding. And we're not going to pay you anymore to do that. But by all means go run your little ass down. So they send somebody to cover your class and you got to go run out there and get this

kid. So I could bust my ass to get this kid. So this one day, I'm done, okay? I've done this like nine times. I'm running, running, running after this kid. And he's in the middle of the road and he reaches up into the gravel on the side of the road. Now he's whipping golf ball size rocks at me while he's running.

I'm like, I'm not, I'm not doing, look at me. I'm not doing this, this is the thing. He's running, running, I'm running out of breath, out of nowhere. That gym teacher-like guy comes, slide tackles this guy, this, into the grass. The kid. Into the grass ditch on the side of the road.

Right, he never did it again. He was done running. That was it. He was done running. He stopped. He was done running. He was done running. He was done running. He was done running. And that was the moment when I was like. Was that part of the technique you were taught by the way? Was that in the handbook?

It was absolutely taught. It was taught what? Definitely not to do. The image in my head, boom, done. I was like, okay. He never ran again. Never ran again, never ran again. done. I was like, okay. He never ran again, huh? Never ran again, never ran again. But this program was so intense too.

Like these kids. This also, I don't mean to interrupt here, but it also sounds like a surefire way to get a brand new teacher, not to ever wanna fuckin' teach. It sounds like this is something you would have finished. I did it for nine more years. All in this type of education?

No, I ventured out a lot. So I actually taught in three places. I taught Detroit, Chicago, and Seattle. But I mean all troubled youth or you say all? Vast majority, low income. Low income, but. Not always troubled, but yeah. But yeah, yeah.

So that was a kicker. And that, what doesn't kill you, make you stronger for sure. That really beefed me up. Did it? In what ways? It proved to me that they were going to ask the world of you and you're just expected to do it. And one, I'm a big, I am such an advocate for education and for teachers, because if we are not making, if we are not creating an environment for a teacher to be a well-rounded, healthy person, then they can't be their best.

And if they're not their best, the student's not getting their best. But we have one teacher in schools with 30 kids or more in one classroom and expecting this person to stay sane. Well, that's some bullshit because you can't do this. You can't be the best teacher you can for all those kids. You can't. That's impossible. And we're not creating these environments for teachers to be the best they can be. And that's not fair to the kids. So I'm starting to learn this, which is why I'm such a huge advocate for teachers.

And... It's also such a mind shift from, I'm going to save these kids to now like, oh, fuck, this is what this really is, and here's what's really going on in this system. Well, there's a problem, though, on a macro level. And it's that, and I can say this as a former teacher, the vast majority of people who go into education

are do good people who want to do good. Generally speaking, rules followers who don't want to rattle the cage. Ryan, this isn't gonna change if we don't rattle the cage, right? And teachers are not the type of people who get a task and come back at it. And we need to build up and be like, this isn't right.

And it's not gonna change until people start advocating for themselves, their classroom and their capabilities. There are too many times where I was in my classroom and there's too much put on me to where the kids suffered when I could have advocated and said, I cannot do this. And it's because if I do, these kids are not gonna get the best they can possibly out of this environment.

And teachers are doing that on a big scale. On average, how many students are in your class? No, it depended on where I was at. So it moved all over the place. What's the most ever? Oh, 30, I think I had 30. Wow, that's a lot of kids. 29? That's a lot. Yeah. all over the place. What's the most ever? Oh, 30, I think I had 30, I went to 29. Wow, that's kids.

29? That's a lot. Yeah. And what's your ideal? What do you, what room, I mean, obviously we all say one-on-one, but what's the smallest group that you- One-on-one's not realistic, so. Personally feel you could really make an impact.

So there's, I have two strains of thought on this. One, I think it needs to depend on grade. It needs to be smaller as the kids are younger and it can go up from there. I don't think that high school classroom sizes are unrealistic and unmanageable right now where they're at in the 20s, low 20s. That's what we were in high school, 20s, 35,

somewhere in there. But it also depends on the group. Like if you have a group that they can thrive in that environment, great. But if you have a group coming in and that's not them, then that's not them, okay? Kindergarten for sure, 10 to one teacher with a paraprofessional for extra assistance is healthy.

But the biggest thing is there needs to be social work. And social work is typically in public schools, one teacher covering four or five buildings. And it needs to be one teacher, one social worker per grade level who follows these kids from kindergarten to eighth grade. So they can learn them, understand them, relate to them, know what works and what doesn't.

History and build a long lasting relationship that can change a student if they're in some sort of like mental distress or whatever it is. Well, speaking of mental distress, what happens to you mentally when you realize, oh fuck, I'm in a system that's broken and has so many problems and now I'm in it, and what am I gonna do?

Do I continue? Do I get out? Like where are you personally with that? I'm different. And I loved it, but I never let teaching define who I am as a person. And as we were talking about a little bit ago, stand up with something I always love, performing with something that I love. And as a teacher, especially a teacher in the first five years in the United States, you need a second stream of income to live. I wanted to say that too.

When I was a kid, I'm 52 next month. When I was a kid, I was going to say, you son of a bitch. I moisturize. A teacher could buy a house. Yeah, what's that? A teacher could really buy a house back then off of a teacher's salary. I feel like they're probably making damn near the same amount of money they made 30 fucking years ago and they can't afford anything.

2010, 11, I'm making like $32,000 a year. No. Yeah. As a full-time teacher? Yes, yes. 30? And paying for my health insurance is coming out of there, my taxes are coming out of there, and my teacher union dues,

which at the time you had to be in the union. So that's all coming out. So you have, so that- So what do you really, how old are which at the time you had to be in the union. So that's all coming out. So you have, so that- So what do you really, how old are you at the time? 23, 22. Okay, and you're making what? Would you say 30? 2000, 30.

I remember my first check came in and it was three digits long. And I said to my mom, I was like, I think this is wrong. And she just laughed at me because she was like, oh baby, that's right. That's right. And I was like, I think this is wrong. And she just laughed at me because she was like, baby, that's right. That's right. And I was like, I can't, well, now on top of everything

they deducted, I have to pay my car. I gotta pay rent. I gotta pay groceries. And then at the end, you're left with a hundred dollars. Right. And that's real. And that's a lot of people's reality. And so you gotta work a second job, open an Etsy shop,

do volunteer, like work the school functions and make a little extra money, whatever. Mine was comedy. So I'm doing improv, sketch and standup for whatever I can make. All while you're teaching? Yeah. From your 20s and stuff?

Yeah, yeah. All around Detroit to make, to do a $20 spot so I can put gas in my car for the week or whatever it is. And you took two shitty job choices, bro. No, I took three, I was a spin instructor too. Whoa, what the fuck are you talking about? Are you finding time to do that? This was my life.

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This is my life. To live. I would wake up at 4.30 in the morning to teach a five o'clock in the morning spin cycle class. All right, you're keeping yourself in shape by doing that. Then I would go home, shower, teach a full day of work, sometimes teach another cycle class and do a set at night before I went to bed and do it all the next day. Hustle. Hustle.

So you're making $30,000 and $20 a year with the comedy input. Yeah. With the comedy boosts all the way back at that end. It was great, it was great. But the comedy kept me going for real. It was like, you still have to have an identity outside of being a teacher and a network

Did you ever run into any your students parents doing comedy or anything like that? Did you do like did you read that somewhere? No. Oh, yes You're gonna I'm just curious cuz I'm saying if you're doing it the whole time Yeah, curious if you ever run into somebody maybe not the kids, but I bet their parents or something. So the switch in My comedy career, so I'm talking, okay, first of all, what was I talking about when I was 23? Like, boo hoo, I just got out of college.

Are you talking about the kids or teaching at all at that point? So I'm just complaining about being a 23 year old, talking about being a 23 year old, crazy guy, yay, right? And then I started to switch into talking about my life as a teacher and I'm like watching it click with audience members. And then I'm starting to realize they have kids,

they get it, they have nieces and nephews, they get it, they were a kid, they get it, they went to school, they get it. This is like nonstop. And that's when I learned relatability in comedy, right? So I started to really just take the story from the week and hit it on stage and it's working, it's working, it's working. And then I had a group of parents at a show and I knew they were at the show when I got there. And I was like, do I switch? But did you know they were your parents, so to speak? You did, you knew they were, okay.

Yeah, so I'm like, do I switch? How did you know? Did you know they were coming? No, I saw them there. You walked in and saw them before they saw you? Yeah, I'm like backstage, I'm like, shit. So I'm like, do I switch and bomb or do I keep and like maybe do well? And I was like, no. So I'm like, do I switch and bomb or do I keep and like, maybe do well?

And I was like, no, I have not. You're barely paying me to be a teacher. So I'm gonna do it. And then I did my set and then before I left, they were still at the bar and they're like, that was hilarious. We love that. When our words get out that I do this,

and now some of the teachers that I work with are asking me about it, they decide they're gonna go. My principal one time comes and I'm fucked. I'm like, this is gonna be, yeah, this is it. She the next day came into my classroom before school started and shut the door behind her and I'm like, I'm toast. And she goes, you have something here

that not a lot of people can do. And she's like, you need to remember that. She's like, cause this is for you, keep doing it. And I was like, seriously? She's like, oh yeah, keep doing it. And I was like, seriously? She's like, oh yeah, keep doing it. And then we had this little unwritten thing where I'd be like, yo, on Friday, it's also in teacher culture,

it's really frowned down upon to take the kids to parent pickup and leave with the kids. That's not a good luck. What do you mean? Like if I go, you gotta take your whole class down to the bus line or the parent line and you take them, you send them off on their way. And then you go back in and fix up

whatever you gotta do in your classroom, talk to whatever teachers you gotta talk to, whatever you think. But if you're that teacher who goes out there with your purse, your backpack, your coat on, and when this is done, I'm done, it's just culturally like there's a stigma around it. And I would tell her, I'd be like,

yo, I'm doing it today, because I got a gig that I got to get to, that's two and a half hours away. She's like, I didn't hear it. I don't know what you're talking about. I love her. A gig? Yeah.

What's that? Okay. So she would just turn another eye, and I'm like, this is incredible. And then that just snowball, snowball, snowballs. And then like we were talking about earlier today, like the internet's really taking over and comedy and stuff.

So I'm making, I'm not really posting standup, but I'm like making videos and whatever. And then I played a joke on my students where I did an April Fools prank when I gave them fake spelling words and quizzed them on these words that were not real. And then I posted it and 20 million views overnight. Wow, overnight, bro.

And a call to go on Ellen DeGeneres. Wow. And that took my career to another level. Yeah, I mean, it has has to now you're in. Well, two things happened there. One, hey, people can say whatever they want about Ellen and what's happening, not my lived experience. So I can only talk about what happened to me.

I went on that show and they told me, hey, we know you're a comic. This isn't your last comic standing audition, wholesome, funny teacher. That's what we're talking about. So don't try to be funny on this. And I was like, proof is in the pudding, now I'm just gonna be who I am and it's gonna work, right? And I go out there and they say, hey,

if Ellen like in commercial breaks gets up and leaves to fix her hair, get coffee, whatever, is she's not being rude, she's working. I'm like, whatever, okay, yeah. Commercial break happens, she stays in the seat and she goes, so you're a comedian? And I was like, yeah. She goes, I watched some of your stuff.

I go, oh, thank you. She goes, I don't think you get it. You have something here and you need to go farther with that. This is- Same thing the lady said. Yeah, so I was like oh my god and it like lit this fire in me and I got off that show and Everyone keeps telling me all you got your 15 minutes. Oh, you got your 15 minutes. I'm like, oh hell no not me

This is this is the start of something that you're not you're all not ready for because I had my set was done So now I'm after that show and it's blown up, blown up, blown up, I'm cold calling clubs. Hey, this is me. I actually do stand up too. Can you give me a one nighter? What can we do? Start picking me up.

Lou Ferranda at Caroline's on Broadway gives me a chance. He watches my set and when I'm done, he calls me in for lunch the next day. He goes, you have something, you have a voice that isn't heard. And if you want to get to any club in this country, you tell me and I'll call on your behalf. And after that, it was done. Wow. It was done. And then I taught for a few more years because, you know, I'm leaving something secure. And it just it didn't stop. My comedy career was just continued to grow. And then I taught for a few more years, because I'm leaving something secure, and it just, it didn't stop.

My comedy career was just continued to grow. What was it that made the spelling bee take off? The practical joke. What do you think it was that caught everyone's attention? I think it was the innocence of the kids is so funny, right? It was the innocence of the kids is so funny, right? And kids are funny every day. I had something that I was doing with them all the time. I was constantly setting the kids up to be funny.

So if this was a late night show, I was writing for them. Right? funny. So if this was a late night show, I was writing for them. Right. So in that video, they, I knew this was going to be great. I was ready for it. And one of the things, the number one comment is like, how is this dude keeping a straight face? And I was like, cause I know that that's part of this. And I know that if I start reacting, the jig is up on them too. And I think the authenticity and the innocence of a child, like which I've always found hilarious, came through in that video and just like gave levity to a lot of people at just a weird time.

And it just took off. I think it was an escape for a lot of people, which was cool. Are you comfortable or can you tell us about maybe some of your favorite kids that really impacted you and still maybe have an impact on you today? Yeah, I've had... There's... And also, sorry, I know people are going to yell at me, but it's also a weird world we live in today because back in the day, I couldn't email my teacher. Yeah.

I didn't have... They come to my shows now. If you randomly saw a teacher out in the wild, you were like, you're a person? I thought you just did that shit inside this building here. When you see them in the wild, they freeze. Yeah. It's like, oh, really? You talked your little ass off all day.

All I had to do is take you to Kroger and we get you to stop. All right, noted. But there's always kids that make an impact. One of the coolest things that's happening right now is a lot of them are post-college working. Kids you taught. And they'll come to show you. And they'll be like, do you remember me?

And I'm like, well, how about this? Do you remember when you shit your pants and a nugget rolled out of your pant leg? How about you ask me again if I remember you? How about that? He remembers me. You don't forget. You don't forget. You don't forget.

It's like, yeah, yeah, I remember you. So, but there are a lot of kids who like shape the rest of what you do and who you are as a person. And like I told you being in Title One, there was a lot of kids in like very, very, very dark situations. And I learned a lot about foster care,

which changed my life. I've learned a lot about that on this show too. Dude, changed my life, changed my life. Tell me. I had a kid who was in a foster care situation and he had like some severe needs outside of just being in foster care. And he was in a foster care situation. And while he was in foster care, and while he was in foster care, his one day he just comes to school as normal and I go and I take the kids to the end of the day. Normal day, everything's fine.

The end of the day, a cab driver, as I'm sending all the kids to their parents, comes up to me and he's like, are you Dumbrovsky? I'm like, yeah. And he goes, is this your student? And I was like, yeah. He goes, oh, his foster parents gave him up. So I got all of his stuff in a garbage bag

and we're taking him to, I'm driving him right now to his new foster situation. I'm like, the hell you are. A cab driver's company, just throw his kid away like that. I'm like, the hell you are. I go, he doesn't know you. He doesn't know this car.

He doesn't know where he's going. And I'm just gonna accept this. So I pulled the kid back into my classroom and I was like, give me a minute. And I went to that cab and this is a huge no-no in teaching, okay? Even if you're going on a field trip down the street,

the kids don't get in your car, like you don't do it. And I get it, I totally get it, right? You gotta protect your ass, you gotta protect the kid, right? But in these situations, sometimes the rules need to be bent, not broken. And in that split second, I was like, I could make a decision right now to just put this kid in this cab. And we don't even know if that guy is even who he says he is. You don't fucking know. Right. And even if he was, this kid will always live with the time that an unknown cab driver showed up with his shit

in a garbage bag and took him somewhere he didn't know. And that's gonna stick with them. And I'm like, he knows me, we have a relationship, I'm changing this course of action. I told the cab driver, he's getting in my car and we will follow you to where he's going. So he gets in my car and we follow the cab driver, the cab driver drops us off,

the student and I grab his stuff and I walk them to the front door, we ring the doorbell and I couldn't believe what I saw. You wouldn't believe the places that they're putting these kids. I am Trying to keep it together for this kid because if I panic and Start breaking down is gonna unleash on him. They put him in the basement of this home

with Shit everywhere this house is disgusting. Are there more kids? There's more kids. That's what I've learned is basically a check. There's their own kids, there's more foster kids. I was like, what am I gonna do? So I go downstairs and I take out his stuff and I set up his new bed with him

and I put his toys under the bed and help him and tell him I'm gonna see you at school tomorrow. It's gonna be fine. Like, what are you supposed to do? So I had to like do that for that kid. and help them and tell them, I'm gonna see you at school tomorrow, it's gonna be fine, like, what are you supposed to do? So I had to like do that for that kid. And then like in that moment, I was like, this is one out of like so many. And it is never like falling short on me

that the existence that so many kids have in this world is beyond their control. And there are people here who are trying to make it better that the existence that so many kids have in this world is beyond their control. And there are people here who are trying to make it better and people here are trying to make it worse. And it's like unbelievable how kids get stuck at the absolute bottom and how hard it is for them to climb out of that.

And it was that moment that really like changed my perspective on just like the world and what people come from and what they can do and can't do and who people are and what shaped them and who they are. Also just what evil humans are capable of as well. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Is this kid been someone that's reached out and ever come to see you?

No, and he probably won't. I don't think he, like I told you, he had some issues outside of being in foster care, but there were some really cool things that happened. This isn't necessarily a sad story. So a lot happened, and it was coming apparent due to some family members who passed away that he was going to never be reunited

with his family, and he was always gonna be in foster care, which is really hard to stomach, but he started kind of speaking loosely about relatives. And I was like, I've never heard this kid talk about relatives. And we told the foster care system, like he's talking about sister, he's talking about whatever, like you might want to look into that. And sure enough, he had a much older sister who had estranged herself from the family, who had children of her own who started,

who they reached out to to be like, hey, you're the closest sibling to this child, this is what's happened. And she started volunteering in my classroom, working with him, kind of like making a relationship for her, and by the end of that school year, she actually adopted him. Wow, dude, great fucking story.

Yeah, yeah, it was pretty incredible. You did make a difference, damn it. I don't think honestly, like thank you, I don't ever wanna say that was me. Because like I don't, I did what people should do, look out for people. Like I saw an innocent child with no ability to advocate for themselves in distress

and like I made a move. And like sure, people can be like, you're great, teachers are heroes. And it's like, no, like if you're just doing what you're, how the world's supposed to go, then like we're gonna overcome some serious shit here. Well, I, look, I hear what you're saying. You weren't being a teacher. You were just being a trained human being, I, I look, I hear what you're saying. You weren't being a teacher.

You were just being a kind human being. I don't know. Yeah, I hear you. Yeah. But, but you were in a place to do that for this kid. And sometimes you can't save every single kid, but you can help put them on a path and just aim them in the right fucking direction. A lot of times that's enough to get someone to spin them around and we go, go that way.

Go that way. And that moment really made me think too, because there are so many people who want to be teachers. And like, I don't really necessarily like want to get into it, but my existence as a teacher who also is a gay guy, it's not easy. There's a lot of stigma there and a lot of people don't. Oh God, it's-

You mean a male gay teacher or just gay teacher? Just to be a gay teacher. In the school system period? Yeah, it was so hard. There's like so many, there's so much bullshit around it. And then there's schools and districts who like, you can't be gay or any rainbow, anything and you can't be a teacher.

Like it's like- Really? Bro, yes, for sure. Are they allowed to even ask? I mean, this is all stuff that if they ever said like, why did you let this person go? Oh, they were late five years ago. You know what I mean?

That type of fighting. Any reason we can get to get rid of you without saying why we're really getting rid of you. And there's so much like legislation around LGBT people trying to become, trying to be teachers or be teachers. And my whole thing is like, are you fucking kidding me? Like if anybody in this country has the desire to work with children and save their lives,

as long as they're passing the background check, are showing that they're passing the interviews and they're not a criminal or weird, and they can do a good job, why are we withholding this position from people who want to do it? You need strong, passionate people who care. You're just sitting here telling us

what teachers get paid. You're willing to volunteer. And again, what you say, the key part there is do a good job for that amount of money to do all of that, to sacrifice your mental health, your emotional. So you did that for nine years. So what makes you finally say, all right, I'm going to shift out of this and into full-time comms?

I loved it. That's what I'm saying. I can tell you did. I did love it. But I loved working with the kids. The bullshit, I call them the four Ps, parents, politics, paperwork, and poop. No. Is that a four Ps?

No. No, I'm done. Parents are a problem. Parents are a huge problem. And sometimes a huge advocate, a lot of the times a huge one. You ever have almost, having somebody really get in your face about their kids?

Yeah. Really? Oh yeah. You get aggressive, huh? Oh yeah. And you know, you'll hear a lot of- Is it the dads or the moms mostly? I've had both.

Yeah. Equal. I've had both equal. It's not just the dad trying to come in and flex on you. Mom's in there too. And I, you'll hear a lot of teachers say, well, a lot has changed since when I first started. I taught for nine and I saw that change, like for real.

You have tenure? I did have tenure. You did? Yeah, yeah, yeah. My teaching certificates have all expired, so. Plus, I mean, they're gonna watch back clips of what I'm doing now. I am not going back. I'm not going back.

Wait, let me ask you this. What was the most, when you were done, what was the most you were being paid as a teacher? Like, what'd you cap out at? So that is a little bit of a loaded question, especially in my experience, because I moved from the Detroit area to Chicago to Seattle,

progressively more cities. So I don't think it really, with more experience too. And teaching is so linear that like you move up with every year. So it's like, that's kind of a loaded question with my experience. But I can tell you,

it's extremely rare for a teacher in this country who's been teaching for 30 years to hit a hundred thousand dollars. Come on. Yeah. Just a regular high school teacher's not hitting a hundred grand? With their masters. They have a masters in their not?

That you're not reimbursed for. Yeah. Now I can't, again, I don't want anyone coming from other comments. This is from what I know at this time. I'm sure there's districts that that's not true, but I can confidently tell you it's not most districts in the US.

Wow. No wonder nobody wants to get into that. This is what I say all the time. You have to make this a lucrative profession. Why do you get all these people who come out with like the best degrees from the best schools? It's because like they took a job that they're going to be compensated huge, huge, huge, huge, huge for. If this job had that type of compensation, we're going to get the best and the brightest applying. And now we can pick and choose out of

the best of the best. That's facts. To teach our kids. That's facts. And here's some other bullshit too. Come on. Get it. Would you ever put a doctor into a doctor's, into surgery without a scalpel and the tools and the things that they need to do that surgery? Of course not. Right. Why are we sending teachers into a classroom with four desks, five books, and no pencils and telling them, here are the world, save them. My daughter's teacher, she's in fourth grade now and he takes out of his own damn pocket every year for those kids.

Every year. Yeah. Every teacher does every year. It's crazy. Yeah, I didn't know that either. He's like, oh no, I bought these. I'm like, you bought this for the whole class? It's crazy.

That's why my kids' teachers will be spoiled rotten. So tell me about the shift out of teaching. Did you have anxiety about it or were you ready to go? Or you- Chop it at the bit. Great story. Great story with, you wanna talk about a callback? Listen to this.

So my husband, who was not my husband at the time, was very, he's very pragmatic. He works for a really big company where it's very much like, like I told you, we run on facts and data, right? So his whole thing is like, you need as a comedian to make your salary as a teacher in one summer

so that you can take that next school year off and just do comedy, because you already made your teaching salary. So now you have enough to what you would have lived off. So if you're enough 50 grand, we're gonna knock that out in the summer so that we got the whole year without having to go back to teaching.

Right, right, right. So that's what he ends up telling me, okay. So I did it in a month. I went balls to the walls for a month and I did it. And I'm like, I'm sitting pretty here. Well, Brian, I told you what a teacher makes wasn't that hard. Yeah, I was just saying.

You ain't sitting that pretty. It wasn't that hard. It wasn't that hard. But then, I did it anyway. Now I don't want anyone to get it twisted too. Comedy is when you're getting off your feet, it's about diversifying that revenue stream too. So I'm taking brand deals and I'm doing a podcast

and I'm working the road, working with other comics and still doing small sets for even more money. Like I'm making it happen. But I was dead set on it and I made it happen. So I was to leave the next school year. And the wheels were already turning because I was taking a lot of time off my last year, okay? I was taking so much time off that I started to realize

that this isn't right for the kids. They need a teacher who's gonna be here and present. And I'm gone every single break. I come back, I'm not refreshed. I'm gone, I'm taking off a lot of Fridays. This isn't right for the kids, right? So my boss, before I made the decision to officially leave, she's like, I wanna talk to you.

Do I think you're a great teacher? I think you're good. Do I think you're a great comedian? She goes, I think you're good. She goes, but I don't think you'll ever be able to be great at one of these things until you give it all of your time. One of these things you have the degree for and can always come back to.

And one of these things, I think if you don't strike the nail while it's hot, you might not get this opportunity again. And I said, am I fired? And she said, no, but I think you know what you have to do for you. And I was like, I wanna be mad. You've got some really good people in your life

who give you a fucking thumbs up. And at first I was pissed. I was pissed. Cause I was like, how is she gonna tell me that? And then when they really reflected on that, I was like, no, the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi came into this woman so she could tell me the truth. Mahatma Gandhi. This truth see so she could tell me the truth. Mahatma Gandhi.

This truth seeker came and told it to you straight. Like people, shit. And I was like, goddamn, that's true. So then I left and I did it and it was awesome. Pandemic happens, I lose all of my dates and we're all struggling as all of comics did. And I'm like, shit, I think I need to go back just to continue bringing a good normal revenue stream

in that I can consistently count on. Were they even doing in-person back then though? That's part of this. So I applied for a kindergarten position that opened at the school down the street from where I lived at the time. I got the position and it was half of the year was virtual and the other half was in person. And best year of my career. You had a good time.

So I've always, that was the one and only year that I taught kindergarten. My whole career I wanted to teach kindergarten. So this was my time to actually be able to do it. And every day it's like your own PBS show. It's not in kindergarten, it's not really education, it's edutainment. You're over there like, I'm like, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo. Yeah, let's count these syllables like we're ducks, go. It's just great. It was fun, really fun, really, really fun.

Let me ask you, what do you miss the most about teaching? I miss the collaboration. With the kids or the other teachers? No, with other adults. You know this career is can be, so you, for anyone listening, you start with your people, you're with them all the time, and then you get to a point where you can go out on the road and make your own money, And now you're literally by yourself. And we don't see each other unless there's a festival

or we work together. Who do you see? And hopefully one of the features for the weekend is cool and you have a buddy for the next two days, but it might not always be the case. So I miss that collaboration. It is a solo sport. It is a solo sport. Luckily the show that I'm running

at the Comedy Store right now, my straight friends, I run with my best friend, Richie Armani, and that has lit some new creativity because now we're collaborating all the time and working together again. But other than that, it's an isolating position, so I do miss the collaboration, I do. Any of the teachers you worked with come see you?

Oh yeah, all the time. They all support it? I've worked with some incredible people with a lot of passion and drive who really just love what I'm doing. Any of the people that gave you that great advice, have they come to see you? Yes. Yeah. And they were like, you made the right decision.

Yes. That's fucking great. Yes. And the ones who tried to hold me back have never come. Have never come. Not one of them be like, I was wrong. And I'm fine, bye. This has been great, man.

Thank you for doing this. Ryan, this really, you caught me off guard. You run a good shot. You cried. I did, what was that? That's called real feelings. I must be a real person. Yeah, yeah, it's crazy. Before we totally wrap up here,

I'd like to ask you advice you would give to 16 year old Joe Dombrowski. What would you say to this kid? This truly sounds cliche, but I wish I picked up on it sooner. Nobody, nobody is going to believe in you more than you. Nobody. You can listen to people who are telling you, you can do it, you can do it.

If you don't believe you do it, bitch, you can't, you can't. If you can look at yourself at the end of the day and you say, I can do it, you can. And if the people around you aren't building you up, you need new people, okay? Agreed. Right? And even when you're the most Successful artist in the world that didn't happen because they had great agents and they had a great team that happened because

Those people believed in their worth and their talent and their voice and they went for it So no one's gonna believe in you harder than you you you're steering the ship, go where you wanna go. That's great advice. I heard a long time ago, the man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can't are both right. Boom! Which one are you? I haven't heard that. Which one are you?

I like that. Yeah, man, thank you. This is a great episode, Joe. Yeah, come on, man. This was great. New friends, I like that. As always, Ryan Sickler on all social media. Come see me on tour.

Tickets are on my website at RyanSickler.com. We'll talk to y'all next week. You