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"Educator of the Year" is the twentieth episode of the second season and 33rd overall of Abbott Elementary. It aired on April 5, 2023.
Description[]
Gregory is named Educator of the Year. Later, Janine deals with a difficult student, and it’s revealed that Barbara hasn’t completed her teaching requirements.
Plot[]
Gregory's reaction to being named Educator of the Year.
A news crew from Channel 6, Action News arrives at the Abbott teachers’ lounge. They are with Ava and Elizabeth Washington, the Chief Education Officer for the Philadelphia Board of Education, to make a special announcement. Elizabeth faces the camera and introduces this year’s Educator of the Year to be Gregory Eddie. Ava poses for the camera as Gregory stands in disbelief.
In the hallway, the news crew asks Ava if they could get some B-roll ahead of their interview with Gregory. Ava grants them permission to film within the school, and even suggests that they film the students if they needed something motivational or emotional. As the crew leaves, Barbara congratulates Gregory for the award, although Gregory does not think he deserves it. Barbara explains that the award has been about optics and by awarding it to Gregory, it might encourage other Black men to become elementary school teachers. She adds that it also makes them look good. Gregory shares to the documentary crew that he is not comfortable with the extra attention.
In Janine’s class, Janine is asking for the capitals of states. A student gets it right and she praises her. Before Janine could proceed with their lesson, Deshaun, another one of her students, throws his book across the room and shouts that he hates geography. Janine tries to calm him down, but he tells her to shut up. Janine tells the documentary crew that Deshaun has been having difficulties all year, but it has been getting worse lately. She has tried all she can but nothing has really worked so she plans to call for a parent meeting.
Meanwhile, Gregory is in his room with the news crew filming his every move. As he leaves to go to the bathroom, the crew follows him, despite his protests.
Ava informs Barbara that she has to complete her continuing education requirements.
Nearby, Ava gives Barbara a notice from the school district that says that she did not complete her continuing education requirements. Barbara shares to the documentary crew that she thinks it’s preposterous that after decades of teaching, she still needs to prove that she can teach. She assures Ava that she had already completed the requirements, however, the districts says that she is one course short. Unless she completes the requirements, she might lose her teaching license. Janine interrupts their discussion to ask for permission to move up a parent-teacher meeting to today, which Ava immediately approves since she’s in a hurry to make an announcement.
Back in Gregory’s classroom, he is speaking with his student. He is giving him reminders and praising him for doing well on their last quiz. Suddenly a news team worker yells cut. Elizabeth then proceeds to give Gregory some notes, and suggests that he repeat what he said, but that he should give the student a high five. Gregory tells her that he didn’t do that for the cameras. He asks his student to take a seat and tells the crew that they might already have enough footage to use. Elizabeth notes that Gregory isn’t what she would call a natural, so she agrees and tells the crew that they are done filming.
Gregory hurriedly ushers them out when Elizabeth tells him that they will still be seeing each other again later at the ceremony. Gregory is confused by this, so he confirms what Elizabeth meant by it. She reveals that they will be holding a ceremony with food, drinks, spoken-word poem, and a children’s choir. Apart from that, Melissa would be presenting the award to him. He tries to tell her to get anybody else to present it, and even suggested that he present it to himself. However, his pleas are interrupted by Ava announcing through the intercom that the Educator of the Year ceremony will be at 3pm that afternoon and will be presented by “everyone’s favorite neighborhood Italian, Melissa Schemmenti.” Melissa hears the announcement and goes to Elizabeth to ask why she has to present the award. Ava arrives and answers that it is because they (white people) have been acting up this year and that she should not complain because she wouldn’t want to get on the district’s bad side.
Later, Gregory asks how the Janine is doing with Deshaun. Janine tells him that she is glad that she is happy that she will be speaking with Deshaun’s mom today. Melissa interrupts their “little love-fest” so she and Gregory can work on her intro. The two get flustered by the term “love-fest,” insisting that there is no love between the two. Melissa and Gregory go to Gregory’s room to discuss the latter’s intro for the ceremony. Melissa asks what Gregory thinks he is good at, but the young teacher does not think that he is good at anything. So, Melissa decides that she is going to do a regift speech instead where she will just repurpose the compliments that she has gotten over the years.
Meanwhile, Barbara approaches Jacob to ask for assistance in signing up for a continuing education class online. They go over a few and decide to join IGAL, the Intergenerational Active Listening class.
Gregory seeing the over-the-top preparations done for his awarding ceremony.
On his way to the gym, Gregory runs into Ashley who reveals that she has been to three other schools after her stint at Abbott. She then tells him that she is there to receive an award for Best Teacher’s Aide of the Year.
Gregory enters the gym and finds that the preparations have already begun. He hears a children’s choir and thinks that the whole thing is a bit too much. Melissa is also there, and she is still working on his intro. She tells him that she will be going with the quickest grace she knows, but instead of thanking Jesus, she will thank him instead.
Elsewhere, Deshaun’s mother, Cassandra, arrives and Janine greets her. She had just taken time off work and asked a co-worker to pick-up the rest of her shift on short notice. Because of this, Janine gets right to it. She tells the mother that she has been dealing with some issues with Deshaun since the beginning of the year. At first, they were minor issues like him calling out the answers without raising his hand. But it has gotten progressively worse to him throwing books. Cassandra impatiently asks what Janine wants her to do, so Janine, sensing that Cassandra doesn’t really see why she was being called to school, tells her that the meeting wasn’t her first option, but since his behavior was getting worse, she is just making sure Deshaun is having a successful time at school. Cassandra comments that no one is stopping her from doing that, and if she can’t control a seven-year-old, she cannot see her son become the best student he can be with a teacher like her. Janine is taken aback by the remark and tells her that she is doing the best she can with her son. Cassandra’s phone rings and it is her boss. She hurriedly leaves but not before saying that if that is the best Janine can do, then she is the worst teacher that she has ever seen and that she just wasted her time coming to school for this.
Barbara gets Janine to sign her IGAL worksheet after their talk.
Gregory passes by Janine’s classroom and hears her crying. He tries to comfort her but he ends up making it worse. They go to Barbara’s classroom where Barbara is getting ready to start her IGAL course. She sees Janine crying and drops everything and rushes to her. Gregory apprises Barbara of the situation as Ava pages him to the gym for the presentation of his award. Barbara tells him to go while she and Janine talk. Janine recounts the events earlier. She presented the problem to Cassandra, offered solutions, was patient, but was still called the worst teacher Cassandra has ever seen—something Janine thinks might actually be true since she’s done all that she could but is still failing Deshaun. Barbara tells her that all she can do is pick herself up, dust herself off and come back tomorrow and do her job. Barbara adds that she, herself, has been called a bad teacher more times than she can remember. There are some issues and problems that are just too difficult for anyone to solve in one school year. But if she came back the following day, ready to do her job, not having given up on herself, or her student, that is sometimes what success looks like. After she sees Janine feeling a little bit better, she has her sign her IGAL worksheet before they leave to go to the awarding ceremony.
Meanwhile, Melissa had gone looking for Gregory since he was not present at the gym. She finds him in his classroom and urges him to hurry to the gym. The decorations, the food and the choir are ready, and she adds that she even has found a Jalen Hurts tribute post that she repurposed for him. He insists that he isn’t worthy of the award, stating that every other teacher is more deserving that him. Melissa agrees with him that he isn’t the best teacher in school, much less in the whole of Philadelphia. But she sees him improve week after week, noting that he really works hard to get better and that he cares. Maybe someday he will be deserving of the Educator of the Year award, but by then, no one will give it to him because he can’t choose when people acknowledge him. She assures him that this is his moment and that he should just think of this as accepting the award early. Gregory goes along with it and says that he’ll just think of it as a “Rookie of the Year” award.
In the gym, Ashley is finishing off her acceptance speech for Teacher’s Aide of the Year, saying that she must be so good at her job that they always tell her not to come back. Elizabeth congratulates her, highlighting Ashley being of LatinX descent. She then introduces Melissa as the Italian-American teacher who will be introducing the Educator of the Year. In the audience, Jacob cannot help but observe that the ceremony and the choosing of the winners seem incredibly performative. Melissa proceeds to read out her repurposed Jalen Hurts tribute for Gregory.
The teachers' reaction to Gregory's speech.
Gregory goes up to the stage and gives his speech. He tells everyone that realistically, he can’t accept the award—he can’t fully accept it because he’s still learning. He commends his fellow teachers who come to school every day to teach. The award is not about being the best but is instead about doing your best and being there for your students through the good and the bad. His speech is met with tears and applause.
After the ceremony, Janine and Gregory leave the gym together, exchanging playful banter. Ava and Melissa take notice and lightheartedly mock their so-called “love.”
Jacob helps Barbara log in for her first IGAL class.
The following day, Jacob is again helping Barbara log in for her first class. When the video plays, she finds that the class is being taught by Mr. Johnson who introduces himself as Dr. Johnson. He is speaking in modern slang and in a language that Barbara does not approve. Barbara can only grunt in frustration as she listens on.
Starring[]
- Quinta Brunson as Janine Teagues
- Tyler James Williams as Gregory Eddie
- Janelle James as Ava Coleman
- Lisa Ann Walter as Melissa Schemmenti
- Chris Perfetti as Jacob Hill
- William Stanford Davis as Mr. Johnson
- Sheryl Lee Ralph as Barbara Howard
Guest Starring[]
- June Diane Raphael as Elizabeth Washington
- Keyla Monterroso Mejia as Ashley
- Brandi Denise as Cassandra
Co-Starring[]
- Eileen Gonzales as Producer
- Zion Andrews as Isaac
- Brayden McIntyre as Deshaun
- Solmiya Issaka as Tasia
- Claire McKeown as Choir Director
- Joey Greer as News Team Worker
- Bane Griffith as Choir Kid #1
- Lor'iel McEwen as Choir Kid #2
- Iya'nique Kelly as Choir Kid #3
- Sabrina Brown as Choir Kid #4
- Quentin Blanton Jr. as Choir Kid #5
- Jeremiah Felder as Choir Kid #6
Ratings[]
"Educator of the Year" was watched by 2.716 million viewers, earning a 0.45 in the 18-49 rating demographics on the Nielson ratings scale.[1]
Media[]
Episode Stills[]
References[]
- ↑ Salem, Mitch (April 6, 2023). SHOWBUZZDAILY's Wednesday 4.5.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals UPDATED. ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved on April 7, 2023.