The Emmy Award-winning sitcom “Abbott Elementary” humorously follows teachers of an underfunded Philadelphia elementary school, working as a window into the city’s public education system. Through classic satirical exaggerations, “Abbott Elementary” effectively relays Philadelphia school’s infrastructure issues and the lack of resources for underprivileged students.
Leanne Bradshaw just started her mandatory practicum at a Philadelphia elementary school. She assists classroom teachers once a week, and in her limited exposure to that environment, she finds “Abbott Elementary” is an accurate representation of many aspects of public education.
“I’ve seen a couple of episodes,” said Bradshaw, a junior early childhood education major. “I feel like what I’ve seen it’s accurate. It’s very chaotic, and I feel they do that well.”
“Abbott Elementary,” created by and starring Temple alumna Quinta Brunson, provides crucial insights into the Philadelphia School District like no other television show does. Temple students who are required to attend in-person practicums or student teaching programs should tune into “Abbott Elementary” to understand the most common issues Philadelphia educators face.
The show is also beneficial for students to learn more about Philadelphia public schools and gain a better appreciation for local education.
While it’s important for students to learn from “Abbott Elementary,” a full understanding of teachers’ livelihoods can not be fully grasped by a TV show. Knowing the truth about Philadelphia public schools comes only with lived experience. But a show like “Abbott Elementary” may offer crucial insight to help students succeed.
Currently, the Philadelphia School District is facing classroom overpopulation. Northeast High School has an enrollment of roughly 3,200 students, with a capacity for only 2,100 students, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
In season two, episode three, recurring character and veteran teacher Melissa Schemmenti learns she is now responsible for teaching two grades in one classroom. It’s an exaggeration of the overpopulation crisis, but it effectively relays how overwhelming it can be for teachers to control an overfilled classroom with limited resources.
Adam Thomas, a third-grade teacher in a Northeast Philadelphia elementary school, notices the increase in students and finds it’s beginning to hinder teaching efficiency.
“Managing five or 10 more people in your room than what is maybe typical of a classroom, it just makes everything take longer and it just makes everything more difficult,” Thomas said.
Overcrowding is one of the many broad issues that “Abbott Elementary” covers consistently. Other episodes reference facility issues, like in the episode “Light Bulb,” or the lack of funding for student programs, like in the episode “Gifted Program.”
Episodes like these are important for students to watch regardless of their hyperbolic portrayal of these issues. They relay common struggles both students and faculty in Philadelphia have to endure in a way that’s easy to understand.
Julie Philips, an elementary English for Speakers of Other Languages teacher in Northeast Philadelphia, says that while “Abbott Elementary” is fun to watch, there are other cultural issues that aren’t explored. She specifically points to the influx of ESOL students and the lack of resources schools have to tend to their educational needs.
“We’re up to six full-time [ESOL teachers], like one for each grade,” Phillips said. “I really think even at our school, we need two for each grade.”
Systemic issues like the lack of certified staff for ESOL teachers are beyond the scope of “Abbott Elementary.” However, students who will work in Philadelphia education may be able to garner advice from the show’s characters.
The ability to problem solve is central to being an educator, and students can learn unique solutions to their specific problems from the teachers at Abbott. For example, the episode “Festival” details the teachers’ creative attempts to gather parent signatures to prevent their school from becoming a charter.
Students looking to work in Philadelphia schools can gather invaluable advice and lessons in resilience and communication from the characters and plot lines in “Abbott Elementary.”
“I feel like our diversity and just the amount of different people with different experiences that come into these buildings every day,” Thomas said. “And if you have the right mindset and the right lens that you’re looking at that through, it can be our greatest strength.”
Nobody should turn to a television sitcom for complete advice or guidance. But shows like “Abbott Elementary” can be of great value for students looking to work in public education and those who are currently participating in practicum or student teaching. It showcases the grit of a career in public education, but doesn’t shy away from how someone can turn the frustrations of working in the Philadelphia School District into an experience of growth.
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