Even when things were normal (whatever “normal” means) teachers have always had a special relationship with Netflix. We’re so good at binge-watching, we could probably add it to our resumes under “special skills”. But since the quarantine, we’ve taken it to new levels. During the little free time we get after we’re done remote teaching for the day, we turn to our shows to unwind. And the more we watch, the more we realize they have a lot in common.

1. Sitting through Zoom meetings is like watching The Irishman…

You see a lot of familiar faces, but the damn thing goes on way too long and it feels like you need a break in the middle of it.

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2. Trying to get your students to focus like Tiger King trying to keep his tigers in line…

Watching Joe Exotic try to keep his tigers in line looks an awful lot like any teacher trying to keep their students focused during a Zoom class.

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3. We can surely relate with Wendy and Marty in the Netflix show Ozark because everything we do is for the kids…

4. Trying to keep up with the workload brought to you like Ralph Breaks The Internet…

The confused looks on his face for most of this movie… is all of us trying to use all these new internet resources that districts have been bludgeoning us with.

5. Not being able to see our students and relatives feels a lot like being in Love Is Blind…

Our love for each other is just as strong, even though we never get to see each other!

6. With distance learning, becoming accessible 24/7 and working more hours than ever before feels a lot like being a contestant on the the show Awake…

Except instead of doing it for a chance to $1 million, we do it out of the kindness of our hearts for our students!

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7. A few weeks into the quarantine and our homes feel like they’ve been pulled out of Tiny House Nation…

I used to think my house was plenty big but a couple weeks into this quarantine and I’m pretty sure these walls are closing in. How do the people on this show do it?

8. From the minute remote teaching started, it feels like we’ve been on some sort of bizarro-world journey, like the kids in Stranger Things…

Every new mystery they unravel looks a lot like us exploring a brand new teaching resource we don’t understand and have no idea how to use.

9. Trying to balance teaching from home, your own kids at home and discovering your partner in a whole new light strangely feels a lot like the plot of Marriage Story…

9. When students open up your emails like they’re blindfolded in Bird Box, “I didn’t see any attachment…”

10. Just like the characters in The Good Place we now spend our days wondering where we are, how we ended up here, and when this is all going to end…

11. Everything is going up in flames like EVERY SINGLE EPISODE in Grey’s Anatomy…

Like this show, the entire school year started off great, but every time you turn around, there’s a major change and now you’re just wishing it would end.

12. Trying to succeed at work while still trying to be a good parent… suddenly feels a lot like Will Smith in The Pursuit of Happiness…

This movie unexpectedly became the most relatable thing we’ve seen all month. It seems like we’ll never make it alive, but we keep our hopes up.

13. Once Upon A Time, in our classrooms…

Just like the characters in this show, we now too have vague and distant memories about a previous life we once lived. Full of wonder and excitement, I call this fairy tale “Being in our actual classrooms”.

14. Vampire Diaries is all of us right now

You know, I never felt connected to vampires, until I too started avoiding sunlight, keeping weird hours, and getting irrationally pale.

15. A month in quarantine and we all feel like we’ve been pulled out of The Walking Dead’s cast…

Zombies have really icky skin and they spend their lives shuffling around, wearing the same clothes day after day. Gee, where have I seen THIS before. 

16. Every Zoom session has been transformed into a scene from Gossip Girl…

Yep, it’s pretty much all of my students as they pop into my Zoom class and start spilling tea with their friends because they haven’t seen them in weeks.

17. Trying to make all your new lesson plans for remote learning and failing at it… Just like in Nailed it!…

A show where people hilariously fail at trying to recreate something amazing. This is exactly how I feel trying to follow these new lesson plan guidelines.

18. Repeating the instructions like Bill Murray slowly going crazy repeating the same story every day in Groundhog Day…

Remember when this movie was considered a comedy? Now it feels like a documentary. Bill Murray slowly descending into madness repeating the same news story every day is every single teacher in the world right now repeating the same instructions over an over and over.

19. Reminiscing about the days before you were locked up with your teacher friends like Andy and Red in Shawshank Redemption… 

When you and your fellow teachers hold a virtual happy hour, it sure starts to sound like Andy and Red reminiscing about the days before they were locked up. I just wish Morgan Freeman would narrate my struggles for a day or two.

20. Attempting your first Zoom class like Prince Albert in The King’s Speech. You’ve been teaching for years, but you still dread it…

A leader who’s afraid of speaking in front of a large group? Feels like me attempting my first Zoom class, right down to all the stuttering.

21. Students studying every last inch of your house during your Zoom classes like they might be the next stalker in YOU…

Joe’s tenacity in stalking and tracking down his victims is the same kind of tenacity you can see in your students who study every last inch of your house through their screen. Yes Billy, that is a “Live, Laugh, Love” sign behind me… don’t judge!

22. PLC meetings brought to you by The Crown…

Every episode of this show feels like one of your PLC meetings. No one can seemingly agree on anything and everyone feels like they’re in charge.

23. Getting creative with the leftover food in your fridge feels a lot like being a contestant on The Great British Baking Show…

Now that all your quarantine snacks are gone, everyone is starting to get really creative with the supplies they have left in their pantry. We can feel these contestants on an emotional level.

24. Working side hustles to make ends meet like Walter White in Breaking Bad…

A lot of teachers out there have 2nd (and 3rd) jobs that may not be happening right now. This Walter White guy may be on to something here.

25. Schools officially closing for the rest of the year feels a lot like FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened…

A documentary about a really cool planned festival that was canceled before it even happened. This sounds an awful lot like our schedule for the last two months and all of the end-of-the-year celebrations with our students that were just canceled.

Also Read:

Remote Teaching: As Told By Our Favorite Netflix Shows & Movies