In the season one finale of Ted Lasso, Ted gives a speech to the soccer team that he coaches. In that speech, he discusses the following expression: “It’s the hope that kills you.” In this pregame speech, Ted criticizes the use of the expression, and pushes back against the notion that having hope ultimately leads to being let down. Throughout his first year as an American coach of a British soccer team, Ted encounters multiple obstacles that hinder him from succeeding: little knowledge of the game itself and the threat of his team being relegated, a failing marriage, a boss who is determined to see him fail, a recent anxiety diagnosis, and potentially the biggest hurdle– an unwelcoming community. Whilst battling all of these external factors, Ted nevertheless remains steadfast in his efforts to promote kindness and optimism amongst his peers.
As my first year of teaching comes to a close, I can say that I had (and still have) many similar feelings to Season One Ted; despite being overcome with overwhelm and exhaustion at everything going on outside of work, the importance of remaining undeterred still remained the top priority inside of work. As teachers, we are often conditioned to feel as though we must suppress what is going on in the outside worlds of our classrooms and to leave all of our baggage at the door. It is what Ted does, and it is what I originally tried to do, too.
And then I discovered the power of my village.
My village consists of a wide range of people: family, close friends, colleagues, and most importantly, my students. Each member of this village is a necessary piece to the puzzle that works toward preventing me from falling through the cracks and thinking to myself, “I am so incapable of doing this job.” To me, my village is perfect. It is the type of village that offers me a cup of fresh drip coffee, a lesson plan for teaching argumentative writing, a coloring sheet when I’m on the verge of a breakdown, a can of Coke when I have a migraine, and above all else, a shoulder to cry on. My village made me realize that the chaos of our personal lives can coexist amongst the chaos of our professional lives, leading to stronger, more meaningful connections.
When I think of my village, I think of one word: kinship. My students and I create kinship through fangirling over the Onyx Storm release and the newest indie bookshop in Wappingers Falls; we create kinship through a love/hate relationship with the Knicks and the Dallas Cowboys; we create kinship through music from all around the country and all across the globe; most importantly, we create kinship through our powerful discussions surrounding the literature that we read together.
Teaching is hard– there is no denying this. The anti-teaching “content creators” who have overtaken my algorithm (because yes, I am guilty of a doom scroll every once in a while) have made it blatantly clear just how tough this profession is. However, if this year has taught me anything, it is that my village here at Monroe-Woodbury is filled with people who give me hope.
For me, like Ted Lasso–who wins over the city of Richmond, his boss, and his soccer team over the course of the season– kinship is created within our respective villages. Without hope, this hefty feat of overcoming his obstacles would have been impossible. Toward the conclusion of his speech, Ted reminds his players that “it’s the lack of hope that comes and gets you.” My first year of teaching was much like Ted’s first season of coaching, filled with lots of mistakes and learning, but also love and support. To the new teachers like me– find your people. Your village will become one of your strongest senses of kinship; it will be your strength; it will be filled with love, support, and people who are rooting for you to succeed. Your village will be your hope.
Emma Stack is an English/ENL teacher at Monroe-Woodbury High School. In addition to teaching, she is completing her master’s degree in English through SUNY Cortland. She has done past research on book banning and intellectual freedom, and she places a strong emphasis on using literature as a tool to amplify student voices both inside and outside of the classroom.