Why Teacher Prep Programs MUST tap into the MAGIC that is Abbott Elementary

Abbott Elementary is the gift that keeps on giving to teacher prep programs because it highlights and emphasizes the intangibles that far transcend coursework around content, pedagogy, or lesson planning. Instead, the television series introduces the challenges, the cultivation, the productive struggle, and, most importantly, the JOY found on ‘Abbott Elementary campuses across the country. Teacher educator programs must understand that their successes lie in the ability to create authentic learning spaces outside of the traditional learning environment that focuses on whole-teacher development. Providing cultural, social, emotional, and communal workshops and activities helps teacher candidates recognize how to connect coursework and community to their classrooms…which is the true secret sauce.

Abbott Elementary’s Appeal

Janine, Mrs. Howard, Ms. Schemmenti, Gregory, Jacob, Ava, and Mr. Johnson are true representatives of the diverse groups of people who work in America’s urban schools in disinvested communities. They are examples of the authentic connection between educators and staff who are bound together in the same fight, overcoming the same challenges, and working towards the same goals. In successful urban schools, EVERYONE from the cafeteria staff to the custodians, security team, teachers, and administrators must operate by the idea of ‘one band, one sound’ to create a culture that perpetuates the idea that everyone has each other’s backs throughout the building so that students are able to see the alignment. 

Teacher educator programs must invest time in teambuilding exercises and collaborative activities that assist teacher candidates in embracing the concept of village or tribe work. Success in urban schools does not come from individual accolades or pockets of excellence. It is bred from the mantra ‘We Over Me’ because it is about the development of a systemic infrastructure that supports the need for consistency which is integral in transformation spaces. Often times teacher residents enter campuses with the ‘binders of knowledge’ provided by their teacher prep programs and they are so entrenched in their ‘holy grail’ that they struggle to part from the information and learn how to entwine the knowledge they have been given with the knowledge they are receiving in their actual practicum, which causes many of the teacher candidates to be unsuccessful in their teacher residencies.

The Lessons from Abbott Elementary

There is an episode of Abbott Elementary wherein Janine comes in bright-eyed and bushy-tailed with plans to correct all of the inequities she sees throughout the building. She tries to paint and fix the lights in the ceilings, even when the veteran teachers, Mrs. Howard and Ms. Schemmenti and the custodian, Mr. Johnson try to explain to her that they have tried to make those changes but the inequities in schools like theirs exist because of unfair practices that are far beyond their control. When she hears what they are saying she adapts the ideology that they don’t care enough. However, she forges forward. 

When she encounters insurmountable setbacks and is unable to make the changes, she begins to listen to the counsel of those who have been doing the work. She learns that in her role, it is best to commit to changing the narrative in the spaces where she has true impact…her classroom. The episode highlighted the revolutionary approaches many prospective teachers have before they learn about the confines and red tape that stifle their dreams for radical change on their campuses. This is why teacher prep programs must be committed to embed real-world classroom and campus simulations and experiences in their coursework, allowing them to develop a deep understanding of how to effectively engage in problem-solving when issues arise. 

The unwavering spirit of hope that exudes from the characters in the television classrooms of Abbott Elementary can be seen in many of the schools in the disenfranchised communities across the country. The teachers want to be there. They are inspired to dismantle and disrupt the visible and invisible interceptors that stifle the progression and productivity that awaits. They believe in the abilities of the students they teach and are preparing them to astonish the world with their greatness. Teacher preparation programs must design coursework, experiences and activities that will empower their teacher candidates to create culturally responsive classrooms that are entrenched with social emotional learning and restorative practices.

Abbott Elementary is shining the light on the issues that have impacted educators in impoverished communities for decades. My sincere hope is that teacher preparation programs understand their roles in preparing the most exceptional teachers by employing these four tenets.

Cultural Joy in Teacher Prep Programs

• Cultivate teachers that will teach with ‘cultural joy.’ It is a given that teachers must be experts in the subject matters they teach. Content knowledge is great! However, there are questions prospective teachers must think through during their residencies that must be coupled with their content knowledge to ensure they are successful with their students. Is your classroom inviting? Are you intentionally showing up with love for the lesson? Have you designed you lessons to accommodate students learning in the way that motivates them? Do they see themselves and others, in their learning materials, so they understand the true meaning of diversity?

Teach Who You Are

• Develop teachers that will be authentic. Teacher prep programs must allow teacher residents to ‘Teach Who You Are’! Students of color have been lied to long enough and they need someone who has done the work themselves and has earned the privilege to stand before them and teach. They are treasured jewels and should be taught as such. So, we need to create teachers who are self-aware, have a deep understanding for the current climate in America’s schools and communities and are co-conspirators in deconstructing improper and inequitable systems.

Village Work

• Build teachers that believe in the collective. Thriving in urban educational spaces is not about the individual, it is about the team. It absolutely takes a village to achieve the highest levels of success when building the academic confidence of those who have learning struggles or have not had consistent accessibility to amazing teachers. This is why it is imperative that teachers embrace the idea of working together to move student achievement. Prospective teachers should be taught to learn from various teachers across the campus, not just their host teachers. They should be encouraged to create their own village of teachers who are diverse in race, age and gender. Doing so allows them to have extensive access to various approaches that can be used in their classrooms as it relates to lesson development and execution, cultural presentation and relationship building, just to name a few.

Community Matters in Teacher Prep Programs

• Ensure prospective teachers understand their success comes from their connection to the community, in which they teach. They must be uber aware of the change agents and grassroot organizations that are fierce advocates for the community and build relationships that will foster continued collaborations between those groups and their schools.