25 of the most memorable TV teachers

Lily Aldrin – How I Met Your Mother

Although both Ted and Lily are teachers on How I Met Your Mother, I feel compelled to give Lily (Alyson Hannigan) the main recognition here. While Ted teaches (almost) adults in a college classroom, who can (probably) wipe their own noses and tie their own shoes, Lily has to face a room full of kindergartners every day.

I won’t turn this into a referendum about whose job is harder, because I can say, hands down, that Lily’s day to day is insanely more difficult than Ted’s. As a college professor myself, I know that Lily outputs more emotional and physical energy before noon than I probably do all day.

Lily spent her early days as a free-thinking artist, but when she realized that it might not pay the bills, she turned to teaching — not that teaching will make you rich or anything. She is a fun and engaged teacher, but she isn’t pretending that her job doesn’t get to her.

Lily understands the real and present effects of burnout, and this might be why she decides to abandon the kindergarten ship for a swanky consultant job with a quirky millionaire. Her training with five year olds comes in handy when the Captain turns out to be eccentric and hard to manage. She is so successful as an art buyer that the Captain offers to move her to Italy, which obviously causes concern for her and her family.

The entirety of the gang’s antics and shenanigans is available on Hulu.