My Educated Guess...
For as long as I can remember; I’ve always shown an interest to this concept of ‘Art Imitating Life’ and would enjoy even at a young age debates, dialogues, and banter between friends, family, and strangers alike giving their hot takes and spewing their beliefs on if art is indeed imitating different versions of our everyday human lives or if subconsciously we begin to mimic the images and stories that are playing out on the big screens, television sitcoms, books, novels, whatever it is that we gather our entertainment from.
If you are reading this expecting a deep dive into the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories and Hollywood’s role in group think I’m sorry to disappoint you. What I can and will share are some of my thoughts that stemmed from a conversation with a colleague as we try to wrap our minds around what at times feel like the uncontrollable spiral that is our public education system.
School settings have always been a backdrop to American television; that is not a new thing, but I’ve always felt that if you wanted to know what the general consensus was about something; pay attention to how it is depicted and portrayed on the television (and big) screen.
That got me thinking…without putting too much time or thought into it we began speaking about the shows that were in some way shape or form a staple to our childhoods / teen years / and or adolescents that had school interwoven into the show.
While different shows have different functions and target audiences; the foundations of television have relatively been the same. Coming of age topics and scenarios that make adolescence easier to deal with while seeing youthful protagonists navigate unknown waters so that actual teenagers can at least have a reference point to help with their own experiences. Think of the crew at DeGrassi Middle / High dealing with all the challenges of adolescence or Romeo and BulletHead standing up to High School bullies on the The Steve Harvey Show.
What stands out the most in this entire observation is that universally there was always a school based figure who stood for something positive or carried an upstanding reputation. Even if they provided comic relief like Mr. Richard Belding from Saved By the Bell; the character always provided real logical lessons and advice. It was a reassuring constant; that no matter how dysfunctional the school or district may be; there will always be good hearted individuals with your best interest in mind as soon as you step foot on campus. Something you can rely on no matter what. There was no greater example of this than Mr. Feeny of Boy Meets World; heralded as the world’s greatest teacher (or only second to Ms. Frizzle of The Magic School Bus) ; he first made his debut as Cory Matthew’s 6th grade teacher and we seen his teaching trajectory connected to Cory’s career as a student moving his way to High School principal and eventually college professor.
For every “El-Train” (character from the late 90’s sitcom City Guys who was famously joked on about his ‘dumb goofball’ persona) there is an inverse to that archetype. One of my favorite shows growing up was SMART GUY; imagine that, a cool young black kid who is so damn smart he skipped his way into High School by being a child prodigy, all while being raised by a single black father.
Fast forward to 2024; I admit I don’t watch as much television as I used to and I’m completely aware that I could be completely missing my mark here but the unquestioned staple of American television that centers school is none other than ABBOTT ELEMENTARY. I love Abbott mainly because of the satirical authenticity. Abbott is not a kids show; the show was specifically made in my opinion for educators who are on the front lines of educating the next generation each day. What is put on full display is the dysfunction, mismanagement, ratchet & resourcefulness that takes place at Urban public school institutions throughout this country. What does this say about the investment that we’ve made as a country to education by just following the timeline of school centered television shows (media) over the past 25 - 30 years…
I’m sure I’m missing a ton of sitcoms here and that’s not the point but this is just a list off the top of the head; what shows were instrumental to you growing up or present day that gives you an idea of what school is currently like?
Saved By the Bell (
Smart Guy (‘97 - ‘99)
RECESS (‘97 - ‘01)
Hey Arnold (‘96 - ‘04)
Hanging with Mr. Cooper (‘92 - ‘97)
Friday Night Lights (‘06 - ‘11)
DOUG (‘91 - ‘99)
A Different World (‘87 - ‘93)
Degrassi
City Guys (‘97 - ‘01)
Boy Meets World
Boston Public (‘00 - ‘04)
Clueless
Everybody Hates Chris
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Class of 3000