S01.E10: Open House

[peachmangosteen]

Quote

It’s Open House night at Abbott Elementary, and while Janine prepares to meet her struggling student’s mother, the rest of the faculty uses the time to relax. Gregory is taken aback when he learns how Ava got the principal job, and later, Barbara’s daughter’s visit creates a commotion in more ways than one.

Airs March 22nd.

[DanaK]

Should we believe that Doctor mom will really make the effort with her kid when she hasn’t so far?

Edited March 28, 2022 by DanaK
Fixed a couple of syntax issues

[kitkat343]

While anyone would be an improvement over Ava, Greg is emblematic of the kind of person who often gets administrative jobs in schools.  Greg has the potential to be a very strong teacher (his students genuinely care about him) but as of right now he quite frankly isn't skilled enough as a classroom teacher to be an effective principal who can help teachers improve.  I totally get how hard it would be to work for Ava, but honestly the best thing in the world he could do is put forth the effort into learning how to become a skilled teacher and then he will be able to become a wonderful administrator (I do believe he has a lot of potential for that also).  But we have a system in which too many beginning teachers can easily get their administrative credentials without ever truly understanding how to teach who then become middling administrators.  In some states, you are required to have a certain number of years experience as a teacher, but unless you learn how to become a skilled teacher first its very hard to be a skilled administrator.   It's also extremely concerning how high a percentage of elementary school administrators are male given the demographics of the teaching staff which is overwhelmingly female, although often that is due to the fact that some highly skilled teachers like Barbara don't want to leave the classroom and become administrators.

Edited March 23, 2022 by kitkat343

[pennben]

I’m pretty sure I read an article from Quinta that she was visiting her mom staying late for teacher conferences & noticing things going on that lead to inspiration for this show. The whole thing is a lovely tribute to teachers, this was a nice more specific nod. 

As for the mother in question for teacher conference, I’m not going to knock her as we don’t know her. Sometimes it takes a teacher to point out specifics to get hardworking parents to shuffle some priorities that they just miss because life can be hard.  

[kathyk24]

6 minutes ago, pennben said:

I’m pretty sure I read an article from Quinta that she was visiting her mom staying late for teacher conferences & noticing things going on that lead to inspiration for this show. The whole thing is a lovely tribute to teachers, this was a nice more specific nod. 

As for the mother in question for teacher conference, I’m not going to knock her as we don’t know her. Sometimes it takes a teacher to point out specifics to get hardworking parents to shuffle some priorities that they just miss because life can be hard.  

I didn't like this episode. The only funny part was Jacob beating Melissa and the janitor at poker. I felt sorry for Gregory and Janine I want to know why Janine is so desperate for Barbara's attention. I doubt Ava will lose her job.

[pennben]

Ok. 

[Racj82]

1 hour ago, kathyk24 said:

I didn't like this episode. The only funny part was Jacob beating Melissa and the janitor at poker. I felt sorry for Gregory and Janine I want to know why Janine is so desperate for Barbara's attention. I doubt Ava will lose her job.

Do you really need an explanation for why Janine is desperate to be seen, liked or just needy in general at this point?

It's who she is and she wants to be as good as Barbara one day. She is what Janine desires to be as a teacher .

Ava getting played, the poker game, the jump rope cold open, No fucks given Greg were all great to me and funny. Another quality episode.

My man from Girlfriends let himself GO after that show was done. Damn.

[hula-la]

Any episode that ends with Mary J. is a great episode. 

[kitkat343]

2 hours ago, kathyk24 said:

 I want to know why Janine is so desperate for Barbara's attention. I doubt Ava will lose her job.

They've laid the groundwork as to Janine having a very absentee mother, and as a child her teachers were her surrogate parents.  It could make a very interesting episode to explore this in more depth.

 

I agree that although Ava is totally incompetent, she is also a survivalist and she will probably find some devious way to keep her job.  

[possibilities]

Greg is not only not ready to be a principal, he's also naive and arrogant as fuck to think that with zero school experience he is qualified. Surely they had other options besides Ava and Greg. I doubt Ava will disappear, because she's a popular character for the show, but it would be interesting to see Greg take over and fail just as much as she does, for a while.

I wonder if Ava is actually competent, and can do the job if she tries. She must have had SOMETHING in her resume other than blackmail, because there's SOME oversight in a school district, and probably also actual laws about who qualifies. I know that where I live, teachers have to have specific qualifications, and I'm pretty sure principals also do. So the question in my mind is whether Ava actually COULD do the job, if she wanted to. And then... how did she decide this is the grift she wanted, if she actually IS capable when motivated. But she might also just find another scam, so I guess we'll wait and see.

I loved Jacob's Double Dutch. I saw him being a poker success right away, it was too predictable. But I liked that you could feel that he earned some respect by scamming Red Headed Teacher Whose Name I Know But Can't Remember Right Now.

The Janitor's willingness to lose everything while playing poker and his saying his non-work clothes looked different: I feel like there's something wrong with me for finding that so funny, but I do find it very funny. On the other hand, it did bother me when he noted that nobody was going to take pity on or protect him and save him from himself, the way it was proposed to do for Jacob. I was kind of hoping he was also running a scam, but apparently not.

Barbara's daughter kind of reminded me of a less out of control Ava. I wonder if they did that on purpose. The way she scoffed at Barbara devoting her life to children and not having money... it's not untrue, but her tone about it surprised me. I wonder if we'll see her again.

 

 

 

[BAForever]

6 hours ago, kitkat343 said:

While anyone would be an improvement over Ava, Greg is emblematic of the kind of person who often gets administrative jobs in schools.  Greg has the potential to be a very strong teacher (his students genuinely care about him) but as of right now he quite frankly isn't skilled enough as a classroom teacher to be an effective principal who can help teachers improve.  I totally get how hard it would be to work for Ava, but honestly the best thing in the world he could do is put forth the effort into learning how to become a skilled teacher and then he will be able to become a wonderful administrator (I do believe he has a lot of potential for that also).  But we have a system in which too many beginning teachers can easily get their administrative credentials without ever truly understanding how to teach who then become middling administrators.  In some states, you are required to have a certain number of years experience as a teacher, but unless you learn how to become a skilled teacher first its very hard to be a skilled administrator.   It's also extremely concerning how high a percentage of elementary school administrators are male given the demographics of the teaching staff which is overwhelmingly female, although often that is due to the fact that some highly skilled teachers like Barbara don't want to leave the classroom and become administrators.

Yes times 1000. Principals have tough jobs. The best ones I have left me alone. The worst encouraged us use some dumbass online  lesson plan format that we had to pay for (a nominal amount,  but still). God,  she was awful. 

[Empress1]

7 hours ago, Racj82 said:

Do you really need an explanation for why Janine is desperate to be seen, liked or just needy in general at this point?

It's who she is and she wants to be as good as Barbara one day. She is what Janine desires to be as a teacher .

Ava getting played, the poker game, the jump rope cold open, No fucks given Greg were all great to me and funny. Another quality episode.

My man from Girlfriends let himself GO after that show was done. Damn.

Janine clearly has mother issues, given that she can’t even get a text back from her mom. She sees Barbara (I fell out when she checked Gregory with a look for calling her Barb) as her work mom because she wishes she was closer to her actual mom. She was unloading on the doctor mom the way she wanted to unload on her mother.

I read that Reggie Hayes had a really hard time after Girlfriends - he couldn’t find work for a long time and he also has some health issues.

I am not here for this love triangle! Fall back, Taylor!

[LydiaMoon1]

10 hours ago, kitkat343 said:

While anyone would be an improvement over Ava, Greg is emblematic of the kind of person who often gets administrative jobs in schools.  Greg has the potential to be a very strong teacher (his students genuinely care about him) but as of right now he quite frankly isn't skilled enough as a classroom teacher to be an effective principal who can help teachers improve.

Exactly. While it's unfortunate that Ava took a significant opportunity away from Greg, Greg's time as a sub will ultimately make him a much more effective administrator in the future.

6 hours ago, kitkat343 said:

I agree that although Ava is totally incompetent, she is also a survivalist and she will probably find some devious way to keep her job.  

THIS^^. Ava is going to pull a rabbit out of her hat....Trust. She's going to find a way to keep that job and keep doing her. Plus, I gotta say. While it would never occur to me to blackmail the Superintendent for a good paying job, I truly enjoyed Ava's audacity towards that dude during the school tour. Isn't it every worker's dream to tell their boss that 'Yes. I'm buying a hot tub on your dime and you're going to let me and like it!'.

7 hours ago, Racj82 said:

My man from Girlfriends let himself GO after that show was done. Damn.

William! That's right. I kept looking at him trying to place what I knew him from because his voice sounded so familiar. It's William. Damn is right!

[msani19]

@KITKAT343 everything you said rings so true, and I think it applies to many careers outside of teaching as well.

At this point, Ava needs to stay principal, I mean they can't get rid of her and her character (as ridiculous as she is) brings a lot of laughs.  She will definitely find a way. Ava's face when the superintendent told her oh yeah, I married the woman, so I've just been listening to you talk smack for the last couple hours. Just great. She couldn't even recover the way Ava normally would when thrown for a loop. 

Greg frankly won't be a great principal. Why does he even want to do it. For prestige? That's not a good (enough) reason. He still doesn't seem to have a joy for teaching either, though he has flashes here and there. Is he doing it to prove something to his critical father? The kids deserve someone who cares about them. That is certainly NOT Ava! Her indignant "everyday!!" response to hearing the kids arrive at 7:30am while funny just shows how she has no interest in her job. DJ Ava...girl, please. enough. Greg would be competent but not have any more passion for it than Ava. It's so aggravating when people think they can just get the top job with no prior experience in the field. 

40 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

Janine clearly has mother issues, given that she can’t even get a text back from her mom. She sees Barbara (I fell out when she checked Gregory with a look for calling her Barb) as her work mom because she wishes she was closer to her actual mom. She was unloading on the doctor mom the way she wanted to unload on her mother.

I read that Reggie Hayes had a really hard time after Girlfriends - he couldn’t find work for a long time and he also has some health issues.

I am not here for this love triangle! Fall back, Taylor!

You could see all the unanswered texts she had sent to her mom, I felt sad for her.

Reggie Hayes (William from Girlfriends, LOVED that show!!) has had some difficulties since the show which was unfortunate, so I'm glad to see that he's gotten some work again.  

Jacob, be careful. You in danger boy. 

 

[Crashcourse]

While it's been made clear that Janine is needy and has mommy issues, I didn't like the way she tried to horn in on Barbara and her daughter's reunion.  Either Janine cannot read the room, or she just doesn't care.  

I loved double dutch Jacob!  I never could do it.  

[kathyk24]

19 minutes ago, Crashcourse said:

While it's been made clear that Janine is needy and has mommy issues, I didn't like the way she tried to horn in on Barbara and her daughter's reunion.  Either Janine cannot read the room, or she just doesn't care.  

I loved double dutch Jacob!  I never could do it.  

I thought Janine was really rude and it was out of character for her. I think Gregory would be too strict as a principal unlike Ava who is too out of control. There should be a middle ground between the two of them.

[LydiaMoon1]

Still can't believe that Ava played Pony during a elementary school open house. Now, she knows that's inappropriate!

[possibilities]

3 hours ago, msani19 said:

Greg frankly won't be a great principal. Why does he even want to do it. For prestige? That's not a good (enough) reason. He still doesn't seem to have a joy for teaching either, though he has flashes here and there. Is he doing it to prove something to his critical father?

Yes. Greg has father issues and Janine has mother issues. They are polar opposites, with him being aloof and her being needy/clingy. Truly each other's other half! IRL it would be the most dysfunctional couple ever, despite that the show is trying to make us think they're a good match.

I was also really bothered by Janine being so rude to the mom who showed up who wasn't the mom she was waiting for. I know they were featuring her acting out of her disappointments wrt Barbara, her own mom, and the mother of the kid she was trying to help, but I think I like her better when she's enthusiastic but not obnoxious. They overplayed the awkwardness this episode, into unlikable territory. They've been correcting for having done that with Jacob in the beginning, and now he's great. I'm hoping they get the balance right with Janine, and soon.

[JeanJean]

8 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I like her better when she's enthusiastic but not obnoxious. 

YES! You totally put into words the feeling I couldn't describe. I wasn't liking her so much last night, whereas in other episodes I really have. It was too much of "everybody's day is about me."  It was more uncomfortable/sad than funny to watch. Which could be the writers' choice.

Edited March 23, 2022 by JeanJean

[Crashcourse]

4 minutes ago, possibilities said:

Yes. Greg has father issues and Janine has mother issues. They are polar opposites, with him being aloof and her being needy/clingy. Truly each other's other half! IRL it would be the most dysfunctional couple ever, despite that the show is trying to make us think they're a good match.

Exactly.  I really hope they don't go there with these two.  Just let them sort out their own issues separately and remain co-workers. 

[BAForever]

Without being too much of a psychologist, love that Janine saw Barbara and her daughter fight and then make up, like real people do. I think Janine is damaged due to her mother's abandonment (as anyone would be).

Edited March 24, 2022 by BAForever
Spelling counts

[tennisgurl]

Janine was really walking that line between funny desperate and annoying desperate, but I felt really bad for her as she kept texting her mom who is clearly ignoring her. I don't remember if it was brought up before besides Janine talking about how close she was to her teachers growing up, but Janine having neglectful parents makes a ton of sense. No wonder she is so desperate for love and validation, especially from someone like Barb.

I love how every character just keeps showing different sides to them. Jacob nailing his double dutch in the cold opener was amazing, that goofy guy always manages to surprise me. 

Is the Reign of Ava finally coming to an end? Probably not, as incompetent as she is the woman is a cockroach, always able to survive no matter what the odds. She will certainly pull off some last minute trick to keep her job, no way is the show letting such a fun antagonist go so easily. Gregory would clearly be a better principle than she would, but I think he would be a better administrator if he had more time in the school with the students, right now he still seems to be lacking in experience even if he has a ton of education.

[DearEvette]

The cold open with Jacob jumping in on Janine's double dutch turn was everthing as was his little snarky rhyme.

Janine's entire interaction with Barbara and her daughter soooo cringe.  Oh man.  I had such second hand embarrassment. But I did LOL when Janine said "The most interesting man in the world, he seems very interesting to me."  Ha!

But then she made me sad.  Poor Janine.  I was so happy Barbara acknowledged being her "work mom."

Gregory in his 'what does it matter anyway?" pity party was funny.  Mainly because he was so uncomfortable not sitting with good posture.

Another good Jacob moment was hustling Melissa but finding out the consequences of hustling a South Philly woman.  His look at the camera was great.

I know a lot of conversation is around Gregory and his qualifications for principal,  In New York State to get a certification as a Principle or District leader you have to have a master's degree and complete all the requirements to receive an administrator's certification.  There are colleges that offer master's degrees in school administration.  But another of the criteria is to have 3 years  full time teaching, which usually to become a full time teacher you need initial certification which usually requires  -- in addition to a Bachelor's degree in your area of pedagogy -- fingerprinting, 60 hours of workshops, a criminal background check (all done at your own expense). 

I looked up the Pennsylvania state requirements and becoming a principal doesn't necessarily require 3 years of teaching.  It requires:

"three years of relevant professional experience.  For the purpose of this section, relevant professional experience is “professional experience in an educational setting that is related to the instructional process.”

So that might even cover Ava because lord only knows what qualification she had beyond having blackmail in her back pocket.

We all know Ava isn't going anywhere.  But it will be interesting to see where this does go.

[Crashcourse]

We saw Gregory's dad so I hope we see Janine's mom soon because I'd like to see this resolved asap.  I'm tired of seeing her walking around and looking forlorn and needy and dressed in baggy outfits.

Damn, I wish I could remember what Ava said about Janine's outfit.  I cracked up. 

[Empress1]

33 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

I don't remember if it was brought up before besides Janine talking about how close she was to her teachers growing up, but Janine having neglectful parents makes a ton of sense.

I think in the step show episode, she said that she was on the drill team in school and there was discipline there that she lacked at home.

[MaryMitch]

I'm glad Barbara and her daughter made up. Taylor reminds me of my niece; she went to a top-tier university and now has a job marketing for a liquor company. When she started school, we were hoping for pre-med.  However - and maybe this is something Barbara realizes now - it's a great job that is teaching her a lot about business and marketing, she gets to travel (while she's young), she's making great money, and she's meeting a lot of people. AND... it suits her. Honestly, although I was hoping we'd get a doctor in the family, we're just happy she has a great job she loves and is able to save money for the future. ☺️

[SnoGirl]

I agree with everyone about Greg and Ava. Ava will survive her superintendent meeting because she is way too popular of a character to not survive. I could see them removing her and she get a teaching job at Abbott. There’s no way Greg is ready to be a principal. In my career, the principals who were the best were the ones who had been Teachers, Vice Principals then Principal spanning at least 8-10ish years. The worse ones? The ones who fast tracked as a Teacher to admin in their first three years. And you know when you asked about them, they also had terrible classroom management skills too when they were in the classroom. Plus, if Greg and Janine are end game, I do not want to see a Principal/Teacher relationship. I hope we’re going to see him realize he’s good in the classroom and that’s where he’s meant to be.

Janine gave me the worst second hand embarrassment this episode. I hope she really starts learning how to read a room. Mom issues, only ever had structure at school, no wonder she wanted to be a teacher-it was a safe space for her. It would interesting if we see Janine question if she still wants to be a teacher after sorting out her Mom issues. They say a lot of new teachers don’t make it past year five. Maybe not this year, but maybe a storyline next season? She and Jacob and both under five years right? I always assumed they were year two or three.

Edited March 24, 2022 by SnoGirl

[Racj82]

6 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

Exactly.  I really hope they don't go there with these two.  Just let them sort out their own issues separately and remain co-workers. 

Good luck with that hope.

I don't have a problem with putting them together. They just have to put the work in with them as characters first. Both of them have a lot of other things to worried about right now. Just slow burn it.

[Minneapple]

Loved Jacob with the double dutch (though having done step, Janine should have enough rhythm to get in there) and hustling poker. And Melissa being all, “I’m not even mad.” Watch your back, Jacob!

I honestly love every character on this show. So glad it’s coming back for another season.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

11 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

Damn, I wish I could remember what Ava said about Janine's outfit.  I cracked up. 

Taylor made a comment about Barbara preferring that she dress like Mr. Rogers, which Janine took as a crack about herself.

Edited March 24, 2022 by ItCouldBeWorse

[cinsays]

Well, I hear what you're all saying about having to have teaching experience to become the principal and that Greg does not yet have that, but what about Ava? How did she get that position? I can't imagine her being a good teacher or lasting as one for any length of time.

And, if she really didn't have the goods on the superintendent to get the job, how did she get it?  What would he have seen in her to let her have that position? I know she's a good actress, but I really hate her on this show. I don't find her funny at all.

I agree with those that were disappointed in Janine's rude treatment of the mom who did show up to the event.  I can't imagine she would have handled it that way.

I'm glad that Barbara ended up going to dinner with Janine.  I like them both and I look forward to their relationship growing into friendship.

[joanne3482]

11 minutes ago, cinsays said:

And, if she really didn't have the goods on the superintendent to get the job, how did she get it?  What would he have seen in her to let her have that position? I know she's a good actress, but I really hate her on this show. I don't find her funny at all.

She originally did have the goods. But in the time since she was made principal he divorced his wife and married the deaconess thereby eliminating her blackmail material. But now that she's at the school and the school is doing well despite her, he's not going to make waves but let her hang herself at the school board meeting. 

It did bother me how Greg seemed to just assume he would have gotten the job otherwise. He's barely out of college and has no experience doing anything really yet. At this point in his career he would be a terrible principal. 

[DearEvette]

30 minutes ago, joanne3482 said:

It did bother me how Greg seemed to just assume he would have gotten the job otherwise. He's barely out of college and has no experience doing anything really yet. At this point in his career he would be a terrible principal. 

Unless there is a continuity issue... in the pilot episode Gregory explicitly tells the documentary crew "I am subbing here because I need a job until I can become principal, it is what I studied for.  I actually interviewed here and got it... but then ... I dunno something happened."

So it sounds like he actually did get the principal job and the offer got rescinded because of the blackmail.

[joanne3482]

53 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

Unless there is a continuity issue... in the pilot episode Gregory explicitly tells the documentary crew "I am subbing here because I need a job until I can become principal, it is what I studied for.  I actually interviewed here and got it... but then ... I dunno something happened."

So it sounds like he actually did get the principal job and the offer got rescinded because of the blackmail.

Oh. Thanks! I did not remember that at all. That makes me both more and less peeved then. Less peeved at him, but more peeved that he was hired to be a principal of a school when he had little to no experience. 

[kwnyc]

15 hours ago, SnoGirl said:

I could see them removing her and she get a teaching job at Abbott.

Could you imagine her as the school counselor (like Sue Sylvester)? And Jacob continues to expand his character. I love that he was also in "Teachers Without Borders." Eventually, I want to see what drives him/his family background.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Never mind, this was covered.

Edited March 25, 2022 by Ms Blue Jay

[Neiman]

On 3/23/2022 at 12:22 AM, kathyk24 said:

I didn't like this episode. The only funny part was Jacob beating Melissa and the janitor at poker. I felt sorry for Gregory and Janine I want to know why Janine is so desperate for Barbara's attention. I doubt Ava will lose her job.

I’m with you, but I’ll add Jacob jumping rope at the beginning as another favorite moment. 😂

I’m glad to know Ava’s been put on notice. She may actually turn things around and demonstrate competence in the position after all.

I’m sort of surprised by Gregory’s reaction to the news about Ava’s hiring. I would’ve thought he’d have had more to say to the superintendent. 

[dcalley]

On 3/23/2022 at 9:04 AM, Empress1 said:

I read that Reggie Hayes had a really hard time after Girlfriends - he couldn’t find work for a long time and he also has some health issues.

I searched a bit and found this article from Sept. 2020. I'm glad he's on this show now!

On 3/23/2022 at 8:20 PM, SnoGirl said:

They say a lot of new teachers don’t make it past year five. Maybe not this year, but maybe a storyline next season? She and Jacob and both under five years right? I always assumed they were year two or three.

I think the pilot said they were in their second year and that they were the only two from their cohort who stuck with it.

[retired watcher]

As a 34 year Philly teacher this correct about parents not attending. I would be lucky if 8 or 9 parents attended. 

One nitpick: Philly teachers do not do recess duty. 

[methodwriter85]

On 3/24/2022 at 4:24 AM, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Taylor made a comment about Barbara preferring that she dress like Mr. Rogers, which Janine took as a crack about herself.

So there you guys have it, then. Jeanine dresses like Mr. Rogers on purpose, because he was likely the only father figure she had. 

I did feel really bad for Jeanine, Her issues run deep. 

[Annber03]

LOL, Ava getting so gleeful over the whole thing with the superintendent. Good lord. 

My god. Poor Janine. I agree that everything with her and Barbara was super awkward this episode, and uncomfortable at times, but I still felt so bad for her all the same. I'm glad that she and Barbara were able to have dinner together at the end :). 

Really good casting for Taylor. I can totally buy Barbara and Taylor being mother and daughter, and I like how their issues stem not just from the fact that they've got different outlooks on life, but also because they're actually more alike than they may realize much of the time. Her daughter's independent and not afraid to speak her mind, just like her. No wonder they butt heads as they do. 

But ooh, her and Gregory. Hm. Also, speaking of Gregory, I liked the discussion here about the idea of him being principal. I agree that I don't think he's ready for the job now, but I could see him in that position someday, with a little more time and after he became a little more comfortable and settled in at this school. 

I too loved the double dutch bit at the beginning. Jacob in teasing/snarky mode is fun :D. And I love how we're getting to see his different dynamics and different aspects of his personality depending on which other teacher he's hanging out with. It's fun to see his competitive side coming out here, first in jumping rope and now in poker. I loved Melissa both praising and threatening him in the same breath :p. 

As a kid, I always wondered what parent-teacher conferences were like. So it's interesting to see it from the teacher's side, and how tough it can be for them to do these events. Especially when so few parents actually bother to show up :/. Janine's rant to that mom was clearly personal, but also a good one. Granted, this particular mom had a valid reason for being late, but still, I agreed with her general point. 

Edited September 17, 2022 by Annber03

[PurpleTentacle]

Gregory: "What's your resting heart rate?"

Janine: "Around 75."

Melissa: "What are you, a hummingbird?"

I don't get it. 75 is a perfectly normal resting heart rate. 60 to a 100 is normal.

What do I not get about this joke? Can somebody explain?