Why Abbott Elementary is must see TV

By Erika Whitfield

The name Quinta Brunson may sound familiar. She was a regular contributor to the hysterical BuzzFeed shorts on social media. She also appeared regularly on season one of A Black Lady Sketch Show on HBO.

Brunson is both the creator and main protagonist in Abbott Elementary the new breakout sitcom on ABC. To be sure, there have been classroom comedies dating back to the invention of TV: Boomers will remember Our Miss Brooks from the 1950s, then there was Welcome Back Kotter in the 1970s, with a more diverse cast and a launching pad for John Travolta, then Saved By The Bell, and Boy Meets World, just to name a few.

But Abbott Elementary humanizes the teacher experience like none other as it puts teachers, undervalued and underpaid, at center stage. At the same time, it shines a light on a underfunded public school in Philadelphia, Penn. that mirrors schools in the St. Louis area and across the United States.  

Here are five reasons why Abbott Elementary is a must watch, even if you are not an educator.

1. Veteran teachers are the mortar that holds the school building together.  Veteran actress, Sheryl Lee Ralph plays Barbara Howard who is a no nonsense tenured kindergarten teacher.  She is refined, well-dressed, and poised.  The Barbara Howards of schools are national treasures.  They serve as endless resources for new teachers greater than any planned professional development.  (Shout out to Ernestine Carr who taught me the importance of creating the environment where my students will thrive no matter what was happening in the hallway.) These tenured teachers have experienced almost every situation from engaging difficult parents on student attendance concerns to effectively teaching while lacking important supplies.  Ms. Howard gracefully manages difficult situations and mentors new teachers in the process, and no matter how inept the school principal.  At the end of the day, Ms. Howard always does what’s best for her students. 
2. The first year of teaching is survival of the fittest. Brunson,plays Janine Teagues, a first-year fourth grade teacher.  In true new teacher fashion, Ms. Teagues wants to fix every problem and right every wrong.  This includes changing the light bulb of an annoying flickering light in the school’s hallway.  These are the ‘other duties as assigned’ on the job posting. I remember once there was a flickering light in my classroom signaling the bulb was going out.  A work order had to be written by an administrator for maintenance or an electrician to change the bulb, and it didn’t happen right away. While this may appear as a minor fix, even changing a light bulb undergoes a process in a school building. Ms. Teagues’ desire to fix this problem right away is yet another to do on her list.  As a result, she does not have time to eat lunch.  It happens! Ms. Teagues personifies the hope we all need in our schools.  She wants what’s best for her students, too.  When a new student, Courtney, is transferred to her classroom who is equally smart as she is disruptive, Ms. Teagues determines that she’s likely bored and needs to be challenged.  Because of Ms. Teagues’ diligence, Courtney moves up a grade. 
3. Black male teachers matter and so do qualified substitute teachers. Tyler James Williams plays the only black male teacher in the school building, Gregory Eddie.  Mr. Eddie works to find where he fits in the school building.  Early in the season, Mr. Eddie believes he’s only a body that fills a seat as a substitute teacher saying phrases like, “I’m just a sub” or deciding against decorating his classroom for fear of a new teacher entering the room and redecorating. He quickly learns that his presence means more to the students of Abbott Elementary than he realizes. 
4. School principals show up in school buildings with a variety of motivations.  Experienced teachers have likely experienced a variety of principals throughout their careers.  Some are hyper focused on climbing the school hierarchy. Some are singularly concerned with pleasing parents.  Some focus on the needs of teachers.  Some are student-focused.  Some are solely concerned with themselves.  The best principals find a balance within the school community.  Abbott’s Elementary’s Ava Coleman, played by Janelle James, qualifies as the worst. She squanders school funding.  She inappropriately interacts with teachers, staff, and students.  She is quite frankly the least qualified educator in the entire building. And she is hilarious.
5. Teachers live lives outside the school building. There’s shock and awe in the eyes of students when they see you outside the school setting.  Whenever I run into students at the grocery store, they look at me like I’m an android who does not eat food.  Melissa Schemmenti played by Ann Walter reminds the world that teachers have a life outside of work.  Ms. Schemmenti, a Philadelphia native, is both streetwise and educated.  Outside of school, she “knows people” who can get you what you need off the back of a truck.  Ms. Schemmenti keeps that same energy in the classroom with her students.  She’s got the tools — experience that she can pull from her proverbial secret source to help her student thrive.  She’s also the teacher bestie to Ms. Howard.        

Abbott Elementary isn’t just a mash-up of colorful characters.  The show creatively addresses major issues in education such as the idea of gifted education that can isolate and misidentify students, implementing a new reading program only to toss it away once students finally learn to manage it, or even ethically soliciting for donations.  It is hilarious and worth watching.  Like most teachers in the world right now, we’re laughing to keep from crying.