Review: Abbott Elementary, "Educator of the Year" | Season 2, Episode 20
The teachers at Abbott learn that respect for their work doesn't come easy (unless white women have been acting out again)
One of the things I really enjoy about preparing for my Abbott Elementary coverage is reading the Hulu descriptions for each episode. They’re always concise and to the point—brief summaries of what you’d find in the longer, official ABC episode descriptions. So after a few weeks off, the Hulu description for this week’s Abbott Elementary episode (“Educator of the Year”) is this: “Gregory is named Educator of the Year.” My immediate reaction, naturally, was: “...how?” Thankfully, it’s something the episode answers quite easily and quickly: The award is basically about “optics” and not at all “merit-based.”
That’s not a knock on Gregory, and it’s obviously not a knock on the other teachers at Abbott. But the thing that really works about the very concept of “Educator of the Year” is the fact that everyone else immediately acknowledges it just being for show and that there’s not a competitive edge to it. While competition between these teachers can be fun, this particular p…