Education Meets Intersectionality: Insights from Abbott Elementary

Season 2, Episode 7, “Attack Ad," Abbott is hit with negative commercials aiming to paint the school as an ineffective source of education for the neighborhood. The commercials were produced by rival charter school Legendary Charter Schools, ran by Draemond, a former student of Barbara. The commercial focused on the quality of education Philadelphia students deserved, emphasizing the lack of funding faced by Abbott and suggesting the limit of opportunities students would face attending Abbott, categorizing Abbott based on their economic status. Intersectionality is displayed in “Attack Ad” when dealing with economic and educational disparities that reflect real-world tensions between charter schools and public schools, specifically those underfunded like the likes of Abbott. The episode highlights the societal narratives of underfunding and the education that comes with public education. With teachers like Janine and Barbara, those narratives are aimed to be broken. Janine is put into additional challenges as a public school educator, not only now trying to provide to her students on an underfunded budget but also trying to maintain and advocate for her students facing societal biases in order to keep them from transferring out. Barbra is faced with the challenge of having to teach her former student again as to why it is important to uplift instead of putting down public schooling and education. At the end, Barbara was able to use her knowledge and reputation against her former student to highlight how low funding can overcome societal narratives put onto underfunded teachers, as she was able to do with Draemond years back when she was his teacher. Not only was this a good ending to the episode, but it highlights the lasting effects and connections teachers leave on their students no matter the socioeconomic status they might be in. 

Janine

Janine is a prime example of a multiface persona that influences her experiences, obstacles, and aspirations over the course of the show. Race being the most important, working in a public school with a large African American student body presents challenges for Janine, a black woman. Her understanding of the social disadvantages her students encounter on a daily basis and her compassion for them are all influenced by her race. It also affects how she interacts with her coworkers and the greater educational system, where racial disparities frequently affect the resources and assistance that students can access. While gender is also an effect, a woman must deal with the social pressures that frequently come with traditional gender roles, particularly in the compassion field of teaching. Her understanding approach to her students and coworkers demonstrates her femininity, but she also battles the pressures placed on women to always be “nice” or in other similar ways. 

Barbara

Barbara, while also dealing with race and gender like Janine, faces other challenges as well, like regional upbringing. Barbra has worked in Philadelphia for many years and has a strong connection to the neighborhood. She is well aware of the unique challenges faced by the students and their families, many of whom are from low-income families. Her local connections also help to explain her no-nonsense demeanor; she has witnessed the consequences of long-term neglect in the educational system and has learned to adjust with fortitude and realism. She also deals with sexuality and family life. Barbra’s marriage and family are both essential parts of her identity. She embodies traditional feminine values, such as nurturing and caregiving; however, she also commands respect in a way that reflects her confidence and authority. She holds herself to high standards and expects the same from her students and colleagues, reflecting a balance between warmth and discipline.

Melissa

Melissa's character's intersectionality can be found through her Italian-American working-class upbringing by bringing a toughness and loyalty to her family and community. Melissa occasionally shares old-school values and approaches differently than the younger teachers at Abbott which creates disagreement with them when it comes to new ideas and methods. Because she mostly embodies a “do what it takes” attitude, it reflects the expectations of female educators to be nurturing yet resourceful. She does whatever it takes by bending rules and calling out favors to help out what her school or students need. This reflects the kind of strength and pressure that is faced by women educators in underfunded schools. Although she doesn't face discrimination she does face stereotypes and often makes jokes to navigate her background which creates pride within her identity.

In conclusion, these intersectional identities fundamentally influence the individual’s history, engagement, and perspectives, creating a multi-dimensional individual who cannot be defined simply. Struggles, successes and cultural background frame their view and in some cases their style of teaching and interpretation. It is this varied background that also shapes their approach to teaching and how they relate with the wider society, building relationships through common experience and comprehension. In the end, the overlapping of these different identities creates an active being in which one’s past and work life are always impacting and enriching each other. The diversity of the characters backgrounds and different archetypes creates comfort for the viewer, it makes the characters more relatable and opens up more opportunities for satire and humor.