S02.E08: Egg Drop

[cinsays]

10 hours ago, bobby2018 said:

Oh, Tamika, you did a wonderful job! Thank you. My mom taught me. She said it's important to know about flowers so you can tell when a man gets you cheap ones.

Read more at: https://tvshowtranscripts.ourboard.org/viewtopic.php?f=1155&t=58069

ok, so when Barbara did get a close look at the lip art and the mother responded, she didn't say anything that would indicate what the art was.

so i guess we are supposed to just draw our own conclusions that is is something inappropriate.  that's kind of a miss for me, but ok

[Blakeston]

2 hours ago, perkie1968 said:

It's great that her kid is a smart, well adjusted kid who isn't fazed by mom's tattoos but that doesn't mean no one else is.  I don't beleive for one minute that there wasn't at least on kid in that class or in the hallway, who saw that tattoo that wouldn't immediately start saying and repeating the word, especially if they were gettng a reaction from it.

Agreed. I have zero issue with women reclaiming words like "bitch," "slut," and "whore," and wearing them on their bodies - and I think that if other people have problems with it, that's on them.

But wearing them in front of a room full of kindergarteners is a completely different story. Barbara would have been completely in the right if she'd just told the mother, "It's not appropriate for you to have these words on display in the classroom," instead of making assumptions about her.

[cinsays]

9 minutes ago, Blakeston said:

Agreed. I have zero issue with women reclaiming words like "bitch," "slut," and "whore," and wearing them on their bodies - and I think that if other people have problems with it, that's on them.

But wearing them in front of a room full of kindergarteners is a completely different story. Barbara would have been completely in the right if she'd just told the mother, "It's not appropriate for you to have these words on display in the classroom," instead of making assumptions about her.

there's something to reclaim about the words slut and whore?

[Enigma X]

I think it was seeing the lip ring up close that made Barbara gasp. Nothing more.

[Sailorgirl26]

26 minutes ago, cinsays said:

there's something to reclaim about the words slut and whore?

Yes. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/30/special-series/amber-rose-slutwalk.html

"At Ms. Rose’s first SlutWalk in 2015, she was joined by a few hundred women for a march to Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles. She invited performers and speakers, including one of the founders of the original SlutWalk in Toronto. Ms. Rose carried a sign that read “Strippers Have Feelings Too” and revealed in an emotional speech that playing a kissing game at a party at age 14 had led to an awful experience.

“I went to school the next day and I was extremely slutshamed by the entire school,” she said, adding, “I thought my life was over.”

The message at her events, Ms. Rose explained recently, is “Wear what you want, do what you want, have your own sexuality, whoever you want to date, whoever you want to love.”

"“I go to battle with people,” she said. “I hate to see an injustice when it comes to women, or the L.G.B.T.Q. community or sexual assault or rape victims.”

"The event exists as part of an informal SlutWalk movement of organized marches that started in Toronto in 2011, after a police officer suggested that women could protect themselves against assault if they avoided “dressing like sluts.”

"Ms. Rose said she felt that people now were more aware of issues around toxicity and relationships — and more willing to look at someone’s public behavior and say, “Hey, what he’s doing isn’t right.” While she acknowledges that her initial fame came thanks to her high-profile relationships, she feels she has been scrutinized and caricatured ever since, as people fixated on her back story as a stripper and a video vixen."

"In 2015, for example, GQ published a profile of her in conjunction with her book, “How to Be a Bad Bitch,” and the writer characterized her as an “infamous ex,” a “baby mama” and “the most famous girlfriend in rap history.” Ms. Rose expressed her outrage on social media, noting that she is “so much more” than the person they described. Asked about her reaction, she said defiantly, “You’re not going to reduce me to someone’s girlfriend.”
 

Edited November 18, 2022 by Sailorgirl26

[ItCouldBeWorse]

6 hours ago, perkie1968 said:

She also had a "wedding band" tattoo on the wedding ring finger, which I think was supposed to be the actual "wedding ring"  

This.  It's great that her kid is a smart, well adjusted kid who isn't fazed by mom's tattoos but that doesn't mean no one else is.  I don't believe for one minute that there wasn't at least on kid in that class or in the hallway, who saw that tattoo that wouldn't immediately start saying and repeating the word, especially if they were gettng a reaction from it.   I did get a hearty laugh though when Barbara pointed it out so she raised the zipper on the sweater, only to have it say slut.  

I think you are correct. I did notice the tattoo when I watched the show and sort of wondered if that was meant to be the wedding ring, but then forgot about it.

She's probably too young now, but Tameka may be greatly embarrassed by her mom's tattoos and clothing as she gets older (and other kids potentially call her mom a slut, or whore, or whatever is on said clothes), but there isn't anything that Barbara or the school can or should do about that.  Kida get teased about their parents for all different reasons and there are worse ways that parents can embarrass their kids.  But I agree that the actual issue is the other kids, whose parents didn't opt in to having them exposed to such words in kindergarten.

It would have actually been interesting to watch  the kindergarten kids, as they learned sight words like "itch" and "witch", and "but" and "cut", to also discover they could read "bitch" and "slut"!

12 hours ago, HappyBerry said:

Physics. From a height, especially a fairly high height like that one, they would flip to heavy side down anyway.

Oh, I totally agree with you, but I'm sure Janine did not realize that.  My point was that she was not even "trying", I suppose due to her fear of heights.  I mean, she dropped a plain egg, also.  The only point to doing that would have been to drop it first, as a sort of control, to demonstrate what would happen if the egg were completely unprotected.

Edited November 18, 2022 by ItCouldBeWorse

[ItCouldBeWorse]

Maybe next Janine can have her class do an Egg Baby Project, which they are also too young for.  (At least here they would use hollow eggs, so if they crack, no goop will escape.)

[krankydoodle]

I share some of Janine's issues so get where she's coming from, but I agree that the show keeps hitting the same beats with her character and it's getting a bit tired. She was annoyingly childish when Gregory was trying to help her with the egg drop and it bugged me that she kept taking Mr. Morton's classroom equipment. But I did laugh when Melissa got impatient with how slowly she was going up the ladder and Janine said it was because she didn't want to get the bends.

Some of my other favorite bits of the episode were during the science discussion when Jacob said that gluten intolerance is just internalized white guilt, Barbara managing to calm herself down after getting a close look at Tameka's mom's lip ring and just smiling serenely, and Gregory getting upset about people doing inaccurate impressions.

[Blakeston]

3 hours ago, Enigma X said:

I think it was seeing the lip ring up close that made Barbara gasp. Nothing more.

Tamika's mother mentioned an engraving, so I think we're meant to assume that the engraving was something obscene. There was no reason to mention an engraving otherwise.

[twoods]

“I believe that gluten intolerance is just internalized white guilt.” I was dying- Jacob has the best lines!

[mansonlamps]

4 hours ago, cinsays said:

there's something to reclaim about the words slut and whore?

Not in my opinion. Same with c*nt. If I could make those words disappear from the English language I would. I'm sure Ms. Rose is a lovely person, but I don't happen to agree with her on this issue. 

[Crashcourse]

17 hours ago, mansonlamps said:

Who is Ava or Barbara to interfere or judge their personal choices if the child wasn't negatively affected? 

Tameka might not have been negatively affected, but the other children shouldn't have to see her mother's profanity fantasies. 

[tennisgurl]

I would think that second graders would be old enough for an egg drop, just with more of an emphasis on rudimentary science and less on glitter. The 8th grade science teacher was fun, but he was totally wrong about younger kids not being able to handle science experiments, I remember our 2nd grace science class doing lots of experiments to teach us about the scientific method, and I even more disagree about about science not being about having fun. Science can be very fun as long as your not overly traumatizing children, Janine. 

Oh that poor kid with Ralph and Ralph Junior! That poor child is in desperate need of a hug.

Add me to the long list of people shocked that Ava actually managed to teach Barbara a lesson. She made some really good points about Barbara rushing to judge the mom and made assumptions about her, I am glad that they reached a compromise. I don't think its unfair of Barbara to ask her to not wear clothes with...colorful....language around the kids, but its very unfair of Barbara to assume that she's a bad mother, especially when it seems like her daughter is just fine.

Gregory always has the best expressions, but I was dying at his face while everyone was listing off their ridiculous conspiracy theories, he looked like he was in absolute hell. 

Edited November 19, 2022 by tennisgurl

[BAForever]

3 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I would think that second graders would be old enough for an egg drop, just with more of an emphasis on rudimentary science and less on glitter. The 8th grade science teacher was fun, but he was totally wrong about younger kids not being able to handle science experiments, I remember our 2nd grace science class doing lots of experiments to teach us about the scientific method, and I even more disagree about about science not being about having fun. Science can be very fun as long as your not overly traumatizing children, Janine. 

Oh that poor kid with Ralph and Ralph Junior! That poor child is desperate need of a hug.

Add me to the long list of people shocked that Ava actually managed to teach Barbara a lesson.

True. And what I love about Barbara is that she realized her misjudging the parent and sincerely apologized. Even though she's a fine Christian woman, she was wrong and admitted it. 

[ZuluQueenOfDwarves]

On 11/17/2022 at 1:28 PM, possibilities said:

I honest to God thought the science teacher was flirting with Jacob, until the end when he told the camera crew he hates him.

Thank you! He seems like a curmudgeon with the other teachers, but is so polite and solicitous to Jacob. Totally thought he was flirting. Was ready to ship it. Still might. 
I do need him to de-grump a bit though, science is literally the MOST fun. 
Jacob’s claim that science is history plus math wasn’t completely incorrect, either. 
Theoretically, I’m with women who want to reclaim gendered pejoratives as empowering. I even was one in my younger days. But I’m at a point where I’m just irritated that everything needs to be sexualized. And I think in most respects it would be great if people restricted the types of clothes Tamika’s mom was wearing to adults-only environments. 

[Ailianna]

On 11/18/2022 at 9:19 AM, cinsays said:

there's something to reclaim about the words slut and whore?

I think the words themselves are less important than the idea that women are negatively judged for sex, even when their partners aren't. It's really no different from any other derogatory words--I'd like the words gone, but it is the underlying judgment and bigotry that I'd like to end, much more than the words.

Edited November 20, 2022 by Ailianna

[possibilities]

Yes, a man who is sexually bold is a stud. A woman is a slut/whore. A man who takes no shit is powerful. A woman is a bitch.

[BAForever]

Loved the scene is Mean Girls when Tina Fey implores girls not to call each other "Bitch" as it gives the boys permission to use the word. I personally hate it. 

[Vanderboom]

On 11/17/2022 at 10:02 AM, Snapdragon said:

This.  I'm getting annoyed by both Janine and Jacob this season.  Last season, they both had their quirks but were overall very down to earth, competent people.  This season, they're all quirk with very little competence.  

At least this season Janine has the excuse of her breakup for her intensified quirks. Still, "I want to fight you" cracked me up! I like it when Janine steps out of her Pollyanna personality on her own instead of constantly being proven wrong by her more cynical coworkers.

Jake has better lines this year, but is a little too much of a Liberal White Guy stereotype. His best episodes have been the ones that explore his personality beyond that. I thought the science teacher was attracted to him until the last scene.

[possibilities]

14 hours ago, BAForever said:

Loved the scene is Mean Girls when Tina Fey implores girls not to call each other "Bitch" as it gives the boys permission to use the word. I personally hate it. 

There's a difference, though, between calling another person a bitch in an insulting way, meant to shut them down, and calling yourself a bitch in a way that says you're not apologizing for it and aren't going to back down when challenged.

I'm not saying everyone has to use the word. I personally do not use the word. But I do think that the way it's used makes a really big difference in the effect it has.

[Rebecca berkowit]

I find it hard to believe that Janine could not understand the “science” behind the egg drop.  It’s not advanced physics.  It’s not even basic physics, except to the extent it involves gravity, and the concept that speed and weight affect the force with which something lands.  But, again, you don’t need physics or formulas to explain that.  It’s obvious and intuitive if you live on planet Earth.  Physics just explains WHY and provides a formula to quantify the forces.  But all the kids have to know is that you need to slow the egg down or cushion its fall. Which they should get, intuitively.  THEN you can explain why it works, or doesn’t work, in terms of the physical forces.   If anything, it’s a way to introduce the concept of physics to young children, not a way for them to have to USE physics they have already studied.      My kid did that egg thing in early elementary school.  Eighth grade would be too old already.  I get what they were trying to show here, but it just made Janine and her kids look really really stupid.  They should’ve used a different example, something actually challenging for second graders and difficult to explain.  Algebra for example.  
 

As for the tattoo, I get that it doesn’t matter as long as the child is doing well, and that Barbara needed to be a bit more tolerant.  BUT, if you’re “always being judged,” (as the mother admitted), MAYBE it has something to do with the fact that when people meet you, all they see is that you have a giant “BITCH” tattooed on your chest.  They don’t have anything else to know you by.  So they judge, everyone does.  Everyone makes a judgment based on initial appearances.  You might not want that tattoo to be the first thing you present to the world.   Sure, it’s your choice, and you may find it empowering, but you also have to deal with the consequences of that choice, at least in terms of the fact that people will see it and think something about it.  

[dmmetler]

I kind of wish they’d had another parent who was less than thrilled. Because I can easily imagine little ones coming home and asking about those words that they managed to decode and parents coming into Ava’s office mad. Because early readers read everything. One of my favorites was the kid who read the graffiti on the playground and was upset that they’d misspelled Duck and that “Duck you” didn't make sense on a tunnel. I agreed with her...and told the janitor we needed to get that painted over before a kid who knew what thaf word was noticed it! 

When urban public schools/districts have uniform codes, it's not because they want to look like private schools. It's because they're heading off problems at the pass. Parents don't need to wear a polo shirt and khakis, but they need to avoid anything that's gojng to cause trouble 

[Joimiaroxeu]

Pre-happy hour hour.

That "bitch" tattoo isn't going to look so great when she hits age 70 or 80 and her upper chest area resembles crepe paper.

St. Louis University of Technology. Barbara is fast on her feet, hah hah. Hope Tamika's mother doesn't show up in a hoodie for the Central University of New Technologies.

Ava is dressing a lot better this season. I'm surprised more of her outfits don't show up on Worn on TV.

Now I want to know what Ava's Mandarin tattoos say. They must be hella offensive.

Like Gritty says, Barbara fcuked around and found out. At least she was able to come around and see the errors of her ways.

Toxic positivity. That's our Janine!

When did so much of society become so skeptical of science? Was it the moon landing?

Great episode. This was "as God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly" for 2022.

[Pallida]

My biggest issue with Janine this episode is that her entire emphasis was on a positive attitude means success without acknowledgement of learning or growth along the way. Would she tell a kid they can read through the power of positive thinking? They can learn to read with positive thinking and believing in their capacity to read (well...as long as they have the right supports if there's something like dyslexia going on). Science is no different. What was called intuitive up above, I call observation - same idea though :) Learn from observation, from mistakes and from successes, and keep on doing science. 

[Court]

I wanted to love this episode but I couldn't suspend my belief for this one. An egg drop is not too advanced for second graders at all. It's actually a great lesson for them in force and motion. My kids did an egg drop in 2ND GRADE every single one of them. You just teach it at a different level for the age group. I loved the purpose of the storyline but the execution fell flat for me. 

Loved the Barbara storyline.

[Constant Viewer]

Why are 8th graders at an elementary school? Is there no middle school? Where I live, elementary schools are kindergarten through 5th grade. I've heard of private schools including middle school grades, but not public schools.

Edited November 22, 2022 by Constant Viewer

[ZuluQueenOfDwarves]

I went to a Catholic school that was 1-8, then added kindergarten when I was in fourth grade. It was a Philly school. 

[Constant Viewer]

1 hour ago, ZuluQueenOfDwarves said:

I went to a Catholic school that was 1-8, then added kindergarten when I was in fourth grade. It was a Philly school. 

I know private schools do this, but a public school? Are there a lot of schools in Philly, or do they have huge buildings?

Edited November 22, 2022 by Constant Viewer

[possibilities]

My public school was elementary = k - 6, junior high = 7/8, and high = 9-12.

But then we had overcrowding at some levels and they started mixing up the building occupancies in order to fit everybody inside without having to build new facilities. So my jr. high years were in the same building as the elementary school.

I wouldn't be surprised if Philly has some similar issue with shifting demographics.

Edited November 22, 2022 by possibilities

[love2lovebadtv]

On 11/17/2022 at 8:44 PM, ItCouldBeWorse said:

I also wonder if parents can enter public schools anymore to pick up their children, what with the heightened scrutiny around bad people doing bad things inside schools.  I would guess that in real-life Philly, the kids who don't take buses are dropped off at the door and brought inside by staff, and then brought out to the parents at the end of the day.  If parents really needed to enter the school for a particular reason, they would probably need to get a pass at a security desk after being cleared.

I agree it's unlikely that parents are picking up children from the classroom but I see why the show went this route. It's easier to add characters 

On 11/17/2022 at 9:20 PM, ItCouldBeWorse said:

I honestly think that besides being personally very disturbed by the words, she didn't want the rest of the class exposed to them.  Tameka's mom not displaying them in school won't shield her from them at home, anyway.

In fact, schools with student dress codes like Abbott don't allow any words on the clothing to avoid situations like this.

Good point about public school students having dress codes to minimize these situations. 

On 11/17/2022 at 9:14 PM, mansonlamps said:

Believe me, I'm in agreement, I hated it, but got where Ava was coming from as a school administrator... the woman's child was fine (happy,  healthy, good student, etc.) Who is Ava or Barbara to interfere or judge their personal choices if the child wasn't negatively affected? 

I loved this storyline. As much as I love Barbara, it's realistic for her character to be judgmental about certain things. 

[Enigma X]

I know in Chicagoland, most elementary schools are K-8 but can't speak for Philly.

[kaygeeret]

I live in Milwaukee adjacent and most elementary schools are K-8, both in the city and some of the 'burbs.

Lots of Montessori programs and they are all k-8

[Bookish Jen]

14 hours ago, kaygeeret said:

I live in Milwaukee adjacent and most elementary schools are K-8, both in the city and some of the 'burbs.

Lots of Montessori programs and they are all k-8

Yep, I live in the actual city and a lot of schools are K-8. My sisters kids went to a K-8 public school in Kansas City, MO.

Regarding Tamika's "Bitch" tattoo, yeah, I thought it was tacky. But it looks like her daughter is doing well and taking care of. I'm still trying to figure out what was on her lip ring.

And when the science teacher said that science isn't fun, I said to myself, "Yes, it is!" Math on the other hand.

Edited November 26, 2022 by Bookish Jen

[qtpye]

On 11/18/2022 at 6:07 AM, perkie1968 said:

This.  It's great that her kid is a smart, well adjusted kid who isn't fazed by mom's tattoos but that doesn't mean no one else is.  I don't beleive for one minute that there wasn't at least on kid in that class or in the hallway, who saw that tattoo that wouldn't immediately start saying and repeating the word, especially if they were gettng a reaction from it.   I did get a hearty laugh though when Barbara pointed it out so she raised the zipper on the sweater, only to have it say slut.  

Yeah, I understand don't judge a book by its cover, and the mom was actually sweet.

However, there is no way that she would not be asked to cover up before entering the school.

[Bookish Jen]

This episode re-aired last night and during the egg drop, I wondered, "With the high price of eggs these days, how can Abbott Elementary afford them?" 😜

[incandescent]

On 11/17/2022 at 8:44 PM, ItCouldBeWorse said:

I also wonder if parents can enter public schools anymore to pick up their children, what with the heightened scrutiny around bad people doing bad things inside schools.  I would guess that in real-life Philly, the kids who don't take buses are dropped off at the door and brought inside by staff, and then brought out to the parents at the end of the day.  If parents really needed to enter the school for a particular reason, they would probably need to get a pass at a security desk after being cleared.

The parents (and other characters who pop into the school) wear visitor's passes.

 

Edited February 14, 2023 by incandescent

[labresq]

Can anyone read what Janine's necklace says?  I still haven't been able to decipher it. 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

I don't remember in this episode specifically, but she often wears one that says "kindness."

[labresq]

Oh, thanks!  I was scared it said Hard*ss but really didn't think she would wear that.  Kindness is much better!