Teachers recall formative favorites from youthful TV watching

For anyone growing up in the late 2000s, watching TV was more than just background noise—it was something everyone shared. 

Today, as that generation becomes teachers, looking back at their favorite childhood shows and movies gives a fun look at what helped shape them.

For teachers Ben Wolgemuth and Blake Drinovsky, thinking back on their favorite media brings back great memories of parental rules, Saturday morning routines, and giant movie blockbusters.

When talking about the key shows of his youth, Wolgemuth immediately pointed to a classic cartoon: SpongeBob SquarePants.

“One of my all-time favorite cartoons from my childhood was SpongeBob,” Wolgemuth said. “I think my parents kind of regret letting me watch it… they probably thought it was going to rot my brain.”

While Wolgemuth’s parents were unsure about SpongeBob, Drinovsky had strict rules in his home.

“The Simpsons and Family Guy were the two shows I couldn’t watch, but I also never could watch PG-13 movies,” Drinovsky said.

Instead, his weekends were all about a simple routine: “A bowl of cereal and my toons were my Saturday normals.”

His lineup had a little bit of everything. “I would watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, The Backyardigans, and Blue’s Clues,” Drinovsky said, picking out Disney Channel’s hotel sitcom as his ultimate favorite. “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody was the best growing up. The adventures, crazy fun, and living in a hotel—I thought that was so cool!”

Both teachers clearly remember their very first trips to the movie theater. For Drinovsky—who now teaches physics—his first theater memory was Pixar’s Finding Nemo, where the huge screen and loud audio made a big impression.

“The screen was huge, and the sounds were fascinating,” Drinovsky remembered, laughing as he quoted Darla’s famous line: “Fishy? Fishy! Wake up! Why are you sleeping?”

That love for big movies stuck with him. While he usually prefers watching movies at home now, he still goes to the theater “if it’s worth it,” pointing to major series like Marvel, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and The Hunger Games.

When staying in, he still keeps the movie magic alive. “I have a fancy sound system and lights so I enjoy watching movies at my own house.”

For Wolgemuth, his big movie moment came in 2008 when he sat in a dark theater to watch the very first Iron Man.

“One of the first movies I vividly remember seeing in the theater was the first Iron Man movie,” Wolgemuth said. “I was probably still too young to really understand the storyline, but it was a superhero movie so I was kind of hooked.”

Movies and TV shows left lasting memories on both teachers in other ways, too. Drinovsky recalled being terrified by intense scenes in Disney’s Tarzan—specifically the gunshots and swinging on vines—though he dreamed of being a hero himself.

“A Power Ranger would’ve been my childhood character wish,” Drinovsky said. “I wanted to take those adventures and look powerful.” And like millions of teens in the mid-2000s, his main celebrity crush was High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens.

Even today, those childhood shows still pop up out of nowhere. Whether it’s the Fairly Odd Parents theme song stuck in Drinovsky’s head or Wolgemuth’s memory of early Marvel movies, these childhood experiences stay with them—giving them a fun way to connect with the students in their classrooms today.