Greater empathy for teachers (especially the rebellious ones!), a better grasp of how children communicate their feelings, and a fun look into Danish life!

Rita is a Danish television series that follows the life of a stubborn and eccentric teacher. She is a working-class single mother of three children, two of whom are grown and one who attends the school where she teaches. Through the pursuit of unconventional teaching practices and a little rule-breaking, we watch as Rita helps her students grow and learn to accept themselves and those around them. In her personal life though, she struggles to relate to her own children and to other adults. She copes by smoking cigarettes and unapologetically expressing her sexuality. Through all the trials and tribulations, Rita will do and say whatever she wants on her own journey of growth that’s rooted in rediscovering why she started teaching to begin with.

In many ways, watching Rita felt like I was getting a glimpse of how I want to be with my kids once they’re older. Her rebellious spirit was so inspiring as a teacher that I want to borrow some of her attitude! I related to Rita in so many ways, and became attached to her throughout the show. It was nice to see some of the issues that are fraught in the U.S. handled in a normalized and relaxed way in Denmark. For me personally, seeing the raw emotion and honesty surrounding subjects like mental illness, body dysmorphia, sexuality, and family dysfunction was liberating to watch as a woman. One second you’ll be laughing, and the next you’ll be crying! It was also really refreshing to see my body type represented in a television show as Rita’s friend Hjordis is a plus-sized teacher. If your experience is anything like mine was, you won’t be able to stop pressing, “continue to next episode!”