How 'Abbott Elementary' helps teachers process the absurd realities of their job

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

The award-winning comedy "Abbott Elementary" is nearing the end of its second season, set in a fictional Philadelphia school, and it follows a plucky teacher who will stop at nothing to get her students what they need.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "ABBOTT ELEMENTARY")

QUINTA BRUNSON: (As Janine Teagues) I was called. I answered. And now I know even with no help from the higher-ups and no money from the city, I can get this job done.

KELLY: Just how real is the show? WHYY's Aubri Juhasz put that question to some real-life Philly teachers.

NICOLE WYGLENDOWSKI: Welcome.

AUBRI JUHASZ, BYLINE: Nicole Wyglendowski, or Miss Why, as her students call her, is a special education teacher at an elementary school in North Philadelphia. She's also an "Abbott Elementary" superfan and constantly compares herself to the show's characters, like Jacob, the corny history teacher.

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CHRIS PERFETTI: (As Jacob Hill) You know, before I taught here, I was in Zimbabwe. I was doing Teachers Without Borders.

WYGLENDOWSKI: So this is very Jacob of me, but I taught abroad in Asia for a year after undergrad.

JUHASZ: Miss Why watches the show every week and live-tweets the whole thing. So when I decided to bring some Philly teachers together to talk about "Abbott," she agreed to organize a watch party.

WYGLENDOWSKI: Hey, Miss D.

JUHASZ: An hour before the show starts, Miss Why's teacher friends start to trickle in.

WYGLENDOWSKI: Miss D is my savior.

JUHASZ: There's wine and snacks, and while they nosh, the half-dozen teachers discuss the show...

WYGLENDOWSKI: Teachers are my people.

JUHASZ: ...And one of its prominent themes - the state of school buildings. There's an episode where the show's protagonist, Janine, played by Philly native Quinta Brunson, tries to fix a flickering light.

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BRUNSON: (As Janine Teagues) Oh, look at this. It was just a loose wire.

JUHASZ: And accidentally blows out the power in parts of the building.

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JUHASZ: Maura McDaid, a lawyer turned middle school math teacher, says just like the building in "Abbott," her school is plagued with issues.

MAURA MCDAID: I got locked in my room the other day...

WYGLENDOWSKI: Oh.

MCDAID: ...Because my door knob has been busted for...

SAM CRITTENDEN: Are you serious?

MCDAID: Yeah, twice. Once my class was locked in it.

JUHASZ: The average Philly school is more than 70 years old. Most don't have central air conditioning and were built using lead and asbestos.

MCDAID: Any other school district would have, you know, leveled this building and rebuilt new (laughter).

JUHASZ: Philadelphia is the poorest of the country's 10 largest cities, and schools here have long suffered from chronic underfunding. Miss Why knows teachers who don't watch "Abbott" because it hits too close to home. But she likes the show because it's a comedy and there's truth in every joke.

WYGLENDOWSKI: Well, I can't believe they're actually talking about this on TV. Like, other people are going to watch this. And I have to laugh because if you don't laugh, like, you will cry.

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JANELLE JAMES: (As Ava Coleman) What it do, baby boos?

JUHASZ: Miss McDaid's favorite character is the show's outrageously unqualified principal, Ava. When a student pees on Janine's rug, Ava comes up with the money for a new one...

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JAMES: (As Ava Coleman) Y'all seeing this?

JUHASZ: ...But decides to spend it on something else.

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BRUNSON: (As Janine Teagues) A plastic sign.

JAMES: (As Ava Coleman) Thank God for the school district because they gave us $3,000, and I had to spend all of it.

JUHASZ: Miss McDaid says even though most principals aren't anywhere near as bad as Ava...

MCDAID: Watching the show and trying to figure out sometimes why you would possibly do what she does, I think, reflects sometimes on what teachers feel with administration.

JUHASZ: The show helps the teachers feel seen and allows them to process the sometimes absurd realities of their jobs. Veteran teacher Barbara speaks directly to those realities early on in the second season.

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SHERYL LEE RALPH: (As Barbara Howard) Being a teacher is being asked to do the impossible year after year, and our only solution is to show up every day and try our best.

JUHASZ: With the show's 9 p.m. start a few minutes away, the teachers settle in front of the TV. And Miss Why starts live-tweeting.

WYGLENDOWSKI: See?

JUHASZ: It's a Valentine's Day episode. And second-grade teacher Melissa has been waiting for her boyfriend to call.

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LISA ANN WALTER: (As Melissa Schemmenti) Look who finally decided to text.

JUHASZ: Just when she thinks all hope is lost, he tells her to look at the vending machine in the teacher's lounge. The chip bags say, I love you.

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WALTER: (As Melissa Schemmenti) You love me?

BRUNO AMATO: (As Gary) Yeah. I love the crap out of you.

MCDAID: (Laughter) That's very Philly. I love the crap out of you, baby.

JUHASZ: The show ends and the teachers clear out fast. After all, it is a school night. For NPR News, I'm Aubri Juhasz in Philadelphia.

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