Building Futures Beyond the Classroom: Meet ISAZ’s CTE Champion, Mr. Sanders 

Building Futures Beyond the Classroom: Meet ISAZ’s CTE Champion, Mr. Sanders 

Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month is celebrated nationwide every February to highlight the value of CTE curriculum in preparing students for high-demand careers, college and beyond. Through work-based learning, real-world projects and career exploration, CTE helps students turn learning into action. 

Mike Sanders, the business CTE teacher at Insight Academy of Arizona (ISAZ), helps students build confidence, discover purpose and develop skills that extend past the classroom. 

Mr. Sanders began his career at Arizona Virtual Academy (AZVA) in January 2011 before moving to ISAZ in 2014 to meet a growing need for elective offerings. Over the years, he has taught a wide range of courses from law enforcement to culinary and his specialty business, always stepping in where students needed him most. 

Today, Mr. Sanders teaches within ISAZ’s Business CTE pathway, including classes in marketing, entrepreneurship and small business, project management, and work-based learning. He also advises the school’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter, the program’s career and technical student organization. 

In the past, Mr. Sanders typically taught up to 80 students per semester across multiple classes. This year, however, he teaches 423 students in a single course: Entrepreneurship and Small Business. The class is so popular because he approaches his lessons as if every student plans to open a business. That mindset keeps students engaged and rather than treating the class as a passive elective, students speak up on microphones, turn on cameras, and actively share ideas about family businesses, future goals and entrepreneurial dreams. 

Mr. Sanders emphasizes that everything his students do, from coursework to competitions, is something they can put on a resume and take directly into college, careers or their own small businesses. 

He says, “I want our students in marketing and entrepreneurship to create their own businesses, I want them to go to competitions and compete, I want them to step out of their comfort zones, I want them to grow in ways that will position them for success in life.” 

That approach is already paying off. Last semester, Mr. Sanders’s entrepreneurship and small business class inspired two students to launch their own businesses. Linda and her Little Guppy Etsy Shop sells crocheted creatures, scarves and hats and Ariah is small business owner operating a dog treat and apparel business – Chow Chowz by Ariah T.  

Outside the classroom, Mr. Sanders also coaches martial arts, where the mission mirrors his work at ISAZ: helping young people build confidence and belief in themselves. He has coached for nearly 15 years and brings the same expectations to the mat as he does to the classroom.  

“I don’t just want to take them to competitions,” he says. “I want them to be the best – I want them to excel, so I teach them everything I know about competing from my lifetime of experience.” 

Whether coaching a student before an FBLA presentation or helping a young athlete prepare for competition, Mr. Sanders believes students are capable of extraordinary things, and that many just need someone firmly in their corner. 

“I want students to walk tall, speak with confidence, and know they can do hard things. They can be their own champion. Their own rock star. Once they believe that, everything changes.” 

Looking for a school that helps students build confidence, real-world skills and a path forward? Learn more at Insight School of Arizona’s enrollment page and see how ISAZ prepares students for life beyond the classroom.