Why I Love Abbott Elementary

Since it's a show set in an elementary school, I'll keep my list cute as cute and simple as a well-read fifth grader!

~It's smart. It treats you like a smart kid. It doesn't dumb a complex issue down for you. It meets you on your level.

~Nothing bad happens. Even when something bad happens, it's not really bad. Isn't that refreshing in the world right now?

~The cast is stellar, talented and real. You could really see these folks as your kids' teachers.

~It doesn't shy away from the realness of being a Philadelphia school....they constantly need money!

~They teach themselves lessons. In the episode where a parent wears clothing with the word "bitch" Barbara has to reframe how she sees the parent and the use of the word.

~They hit on problems that kids have in an empathetic but not pitying way. The kid that comes to Ava because he has outgrown his pants gets a ribbing about being ready for a flood. Later she explains to Barbara how we all overcome our poverty in different ways. IE your experience is not necessarily my experience.

~A good will-they-or-won't-they is always fun!

~It likes to make as much fun of a selfish black female principal as it does a vulgar brutish white Philly lady. It's also fun to see Jacob mocked for his over-the-top white liberalism.

~It hits on the fact that a white teacher may not all the way "get it" but he is trying. Jacob teaching topics on Black History manages to educate even Ava.

~If you loved "Everybody Hates Chris" Tyler James Williams' face is still just as cute!

~I want to take Janine home and cook her food and watch girlie movies. Then I'll send her back to Barbara!

In a world that is sometimes hurtful, gross and just overwhelming, Abbott makes me feel safe and loved. It's like a warm hug from your flat screen tv. And it doesn't hurt that Mrs. Howard truly does remind me of my kindergarten teacher, Mrs. McKnight. Gosh, I loved that woman!

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