LAUGH
Who said binge-watching your favorite show has a negative effect on your well-being? Whether you’re a Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV, Prime, or Disney+ fan, you know the joy that comes from streaming your favorite shows with all of your favorite characters. What you didn’t know is that so-called laziness is helping you become the kick-ass teacher of your dreams. Here are ten ways that binge-watching your favorite shows might be secretly making you a better teacher.
1. You’re constantly training that bladder to hold in your pee.
You’ve been sitting on the couch for hours and you are finally being rewarded with the biggest twist you never saw coming. Are you getting up to empty your incredibly full bladder? Hell no! That bad boy can wait. Is this unhealthy? Possibly. Is it helpful? Absolutely. You are training your body to hold copious amounts of pee until you have 2 minutes to run to the bathroom before your next class.
2. You’re becoming a pro with modern technology.
You are basically a Jedi master with that Roku remote. You can type in passwords, search for a series in two seconds, and find the exact episode that you are looking for. Fast forward to getting an interactive whiteboard board or operating other new technology in your classroom. While everyone else is freaking out over how to operate them, you crack your knuckles and get to it. This is child’s play! Thank you, streaming services, for making me extremely tech-savvy.
3. You’re an excellent crime solver.
If Johnny and Bethany are engaged in a heated battle of he said-she said, fear not! Binge-watching countless hours of true-crime shows has made you a wonderful detective. You line up your suspects and your witnesses, preparing to solve this case. You can make even the most confident student crack and tell the truth. Thank you, NCIS!
4. You get the pop culture references of your students.
Suddenly, you are the hip, young, cool teacher because you speak the pop-culture-laced language of your kids. You can talk about Baby Yoda, Jughead Jones, and Pilot Pete with the best of them. Thank you, endless hours of TV, for opening up more avenues for connecting with my students.
5. You know how to deal with absolute bonkers moms.
After watching countless marathons of the Real Housewives, you know how to navigate the tricky landscape that is scary, hyper-involved moms. You are basically Andy Cohen at a reunion show – cool, calm, collected, and slightly amused. Nothing really phases you anymore because you have seen it all.
6. You are incredible at navigating the many personalities of your colleagues and your supervisors.
Have an “Angela” for a co-worker and a “Michael Scott” for a boss? Thank goodness you have spent so much time with your onscreen friends because you 100% know how to deal with these types of insufferable people.
7. You’ve learned how to give constructive criticism without crushing a student’s dreams.
Simon Cowell, you are not! Thanks to American Idol, the Voice, and the Great British Baking Show, you are a pro at boosting students’ self-esteem. You’re also incredibly good at gently providing them with ways to improve.
8. Crying girl drama no longer phases you.
Because of “The Bachelor”, you know what lack of sleep, hormones, and too much estrogen in one place lead to. You also know that these girls are rarely crying about what they think they are crying about. Your inner therapist has learned how to “Chris Harrison” these situations with outstanding grace and poise.
9. You are so used to functioning without sleep.
All of us have experienced how “just one more episode” suddenly turns into four more episodes with the final one ending at 1 a.m. Luckily for us, teachers, we know how to function with very little sleep. We are in a profession where waking up at 6:30 a.m. is sleeping in! This nighttime binge-watching has prepared us for crazy weeks that leave us with late bedtimes and early morning wake-up calls. Teachers? WE GET SHIT DONE.
10. Binge-watching gives your brain a much-needed break from the students you constantly think about, the lessons you are always planning, and the never-ending parent emails you receive.
We all need balance in our lives and watching TV is a way to mindlessly shut your mind off and relax for a few minutes. Light a candle, heat up some popcorn, snuggle with your comfiest blanket and bliss out for a bit. Your hard-working butt definitely deserves it!
Also read: Weekends For Teachers: Goals vs. Reality
