S02.E16: Teacher Conference

[DearEvette]

Quote

The Abbott staff heads to the Pennsylvania Educational Conference. Gregory reluctantly attends after a disagreement with Amber and bonds with Janine over their similarities. Jacob finds himself charmed by the Addington teachers.

Airdate: 02/22/2023

[Crashcourse]

Please, PLEASE don't have Gregory and Janine making googly eyes at each other.

[Crashcourse]

6 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

Please, PLEASE don't have Gregory and Janine making googly eyes at each other.

Welp.  They finally kissed.  It'll be interesting to see how things progress, given that they work together.

Janine really did look cute in that blue outfit.  

It was nice to see all the teachers at the conference.  Also nice that Melissa and her sister reconciled and the sister gave her the info about Abbott being turned into a charter school.

 

 

Edited February 23, 2023 by Crashcourse

[Roaster]

Janine was looking mighty cute in that blue outfit and white boots.  I would have tried to kiss her, too, Gregory!

It was good to see the gang in a different context.  What happens in Allentown, stays in Allentown, I guess.  Jakob's game night was particularly good.

[Annber03]

Ooooh. That kiss. I had a feeling they might go there, and I really liked the kisses (!) they shared in and of themselves, it was sweet and intimate all at once. 

But man, here I was thinking that they were totally in the clear now that Gregory and Amber weren't together*...I totally forgot about Maurice. Yeah. That's an issue, for sure, and explains some of the decision to treat that moment as they are. Mind, obviously, that's going to be far easier said than done, and it'll be interesting to see what happens if and when Maurice finds out, too, so yeah, clearly this isn't over yet. 

*I loved the running joke of people going, "Damn..." in regards to Gregory's breakup with Amber. Especially the students walking by :p. 

Melissa's references this episode were hilarious, too - Beetlejuice and "Inspector Gadget", I love it :D. The image of her and Barbara coming out with sunglasses on at the end was great. And it was nice to see Jacob having some fun, too - too bad that group wound up being a little too much for him in the end. It was cute to see him and Janine geeking out over the conference as a whole, though  And I laughed at his "Absolute gasp!" comment early on - has he been hanging out with Isaac from "Ghosts", by any chance :p? 

But ooh. That supposed info about the school turning charter. Hm. That sounds ominous. 

[JeanJean]

Eeeeeeeeeeek!!!

Like Gregory and Janine, I'm still recovering.

[kathyk24]

That kiss was amazing! Gregory and Janine have chemistry even if they don't admit it. Janine shouldn't feel guilty about Maurice they haven't been together for very long. I don't want to see Abbott become a charter school.

[SHD]

What kind of word has two Xs and no vowels? Did Grimes have another kid?!

[Ms Blue Jay]

I'M TRYING TO WATCH JANINE AND GREGORY KISS AND THERE'S A NONSTOP SCROLL OF SCHOOLS THAT ARE BEING CLOSED BECAUSE OF THE ICE STORM ALONG THE BOTTOM OF MY SCREEN.  WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME

[dmmetler]

I obviously went to the wrong conferences....

 

The school I used to teach at is now a charter, and Melissa's sister is exactly right. Here, when a charter comes in, the employees stay with the district and are moved into vacancies, and if you want to stay in the building you've been in for years and teach the same kids, you have to apply. 

 

There were teachers who had taught those kids' parents who got kicked out. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

Was there a closing tag!??!?!!?  My show went from Janine saying "Let's just throw it out" to the camera and then nothing.

Jacob's new "friend" was the WORST.  Nobody who uses "literally" that much should be a teacher.

I liked the Keg Stand lady though.

Edited February 23, 2023 by Ms Blue Jay

[Ms Blue Jay]

1 hour ago, Annber03 said:

*I loved the running joke of people going, "Damn..." in regards to Gregory's breakup with Amber. Especially the students walking by :p. 

 

[Blakeston]

Janine and Gregory are both about twelve years old, emotionally. I hope that when they inevitably get together, this show delves into how rough it would be for them to attempt an adult relationship.

Gregory's complete inability to compromise for Amber, or even try to understand her, is a very bad sign. And Janine is in a constant state of denial, not just regarding her feelings for Gregory, but about everything. As a couple they would communicate horribly.

I'd like to see them happy together, but it would be one hell of a long road.

[Harvey]

I’d watch a whole spinoff of Barbara and Melissa ditching various conference activities.

The Janine and Gregory romance storyline is stupid and shouldn't be given more screen time. Either get together or don't, stop with this slow-burn BS already.

 

[DanaK]

Janine forgetting the word the kids were supposed to guess lol

[BAForever]

Oh show I love you. From Melissa and Barbara playing the "veteran teacher card" at PECSA, to Jacob and Janine's enthusiasm to Melissa and her sister reuniting, so good. I don't mind the Gregory and Janine storyline since it is only a small part of the show. Notwithstanding the drinking, that's what teacher conferences are. Lots of free vendor stuff, workshops you can pick and choose, excited and bored teachers. 

[Badsamaritan]

8 hours ago, Blakeston said:

Janine and Gregory are both about twelve years old, emotionally. I hope that when they inevitably get together, this show delves into how rough it would be for them to attempt an adult relationship.

Gregory's complete inability to compromise for Amber, or even try to understand her, is a very bad sign. And Janine is in a constant state of denial, not just regarding her feelings for Gregory, but about everything. As a couple they would communicate horribly.

I'd like to see them happy together, but it would be one hell of a long road.

I try to remember their characters are only in their mid-twenties, and think back to how emotionally crazy I still was at that age. Just because your age says you're a grownup doesn't mean your emotions are under control. Especially Janine since she's had exactly one serious relationship. I don't think we really start to navigate those types of things until we get more experience under our belts. So I'm ok with how this is playing out with them, it actually feels realistic to me. Gregory has his own parental issues that are obviously showing up in his relationships and again, that feels very real considering their ages. They don't have the life experience yet that lets them recognize behavior patterns. These aren't 2 people who lived a rough life and had to grow up quickly. 

THE. KISS!!!! Grab your man's lanyard, Janine, get it gurl!! 😍🥰

[Annber03]

5 minutes ago, Badsamaritan said:

THE. KISS!!!! Grab your man's lanyard, Janine, get it gurl!! 😍🥰

Hee, yeah, I liked that moment, too :D. 

[LydiaMoon1]

Great episode tonight.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

"Jokes on you, I've been crossing the street by myself since I was 3".  WHO IS JANINE'S MAMA??!!!

Jacob and Janine are so excited, God love 'em. They are a lot.

Put the notebook away, Gregory.

Dayum.

Kristine Marie: You leaving already, just like your ex-husband? Melissa: Late? Just like your period after senior prom?

The Schemmenti Sisters are lethal.

Janine was so happy to get that conference swag bag (unlike her reaction to the "Teflon" bag she got for V-Day).

Why is Ava trashing Janine at the conference?

Welp! Gregory is 0-2.

Dayum!

Don't mess with the Schemmenti Sisters. They can talk about each other, but NOBODY else better try. 

Whew, the alcohol is really flowing.

Janine is so cute with her mini dress and her little boots.

Tina Schwartz is a mess everywhere she goes.

KISS!!!

Just when I thought that Jacob had found his tribe.......he did not.

Janine says ILY to Customer Service????

I forgot to put my shoes on. Where are my shoes, my shoes?! Is that Sea Barbara I see?

Ava, why did you check in as Janine? You know that girl can barely pay her bills!

Uh-oh! The Villain is about to return. Duh dun dun!

 

Stay tuned....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 24, 2023 by LydiaMoon1

[Lovecat]

As a native of Bethlehem, Allentown's much classier neighboring city (I said what I said), I 'bout fell out of my chair laughing at Janine's "Allentown...*sexy* city, whew..."  I mean, that was indeed Quite A Kiss, so I can understand girlfriend's brains were still a little scrambled, but Allentown is many things, and sexy ain't one of them 😀   

I do love all of the Philly (and now SEPA) shoutouts on this show, and especially appreciate the accuracy.  Allentown's lack of sexiness aside 😉 it would not have been a surprising selection for a SEPA teacher's conference.  Quinta and the writers really do a good job keeping it real [Unlike the team at This Is Us, where Rebecca got disoriented in a small town in the Poconos and was brought home by the Bethlehem Township police (a 40-minute DRIVE away).  Did she teleport?  I am still chapped about that one.]

[DearEvette]

Very funny episode.  I laughed quite a bit. And the writing for this episode was simply excellent.

They absolutely got the conference vibes correct.  The vendors, seeing people from other places that you see on the conference circuit, the flowing alcohol, some people being excited to go to the various sessions and taking notes, while others slack off and visit the sites of the city.  The only thing they didn't really include was the sheer joy of eating out at expensive restaurants on the company's dime.

Another thing I really liked about this episode was how many callbacks we got and the continuity (Kristin remembering she thought of Janine as "Bilbo" to the return of the teacher that kicked the student and she is a mess, to mention of Draemond again and the revisit of the charter school possibility that was left hovering from the first half of the season, and Barbara's penchant for losing shoes -- I guess since she spent so much time at the pool 'Sea Barbara" made a quick appearance).

Oh, I loved the pointed irony of being a white teacher who has made a conscious effort to learn about other cultures and be enlightened only to be dismissive of the students who are less likely to "make it out" and be so unaware at how tone deaf that is.  Some people would characterize her as "woke" but her actual attitude literally the opposite of what that word means. Yikes.  I saw Jacob's face fall when she was saying all that.

Also, of course Jacob would know about the AKA pinkie sign! 

A couple of things that made me LOL the most:

The "Damn"  -- both of them by bystanders re: the Amber/Gregory breakup. 

The photographer who was so over it  and his sarcastic asides “No one’s ever done that.” said in thee most deadpan voice.

Kristin showing up on the down low in her Inspector Gadget/Carmen San Diego get up with her spy vs. spy whispers only to have Janine loudly blow her cover by saying her full government name loudly several times. HA!

"Absolute Gasp!"

And finally...

I am so glad they pulled the trigger on the kiss. I hate the idea that a will they/won’t they has to be dragged out until it limps along from old age.  I like the progression of this.  Also the deployment of the kiss was really nice — the setting,  the absolute lack of any ambient noise, the continued flower/plants motif that has meaning for both of them… so nice. It was a great scene for them. 

[meep.meep]

14 hours ago, Roaster said:

Janine was looking mighty cute in that blue outfit and white boots.  I would have tried to kiss her, too, Gregory!

It was good to see the gang in a different context.  What happens in Allentown, stays in Allentown, I guess.  Jakob's game night was particularly good.

Me:  where's her old lady clothes?

[JeanJean]

It didn't occur to me until later that the documentary crew would have been there during the kiss. That made me a little sad because it was such a lovely and private moment.

I hope we see more of Melissa's sister.

[JeanJean]

13 hours ago, dmmetler said:

I obviously went to the wrong conferences....

 

Do school systems really splurge on such lavish conferences for teachers? It would be nice if they do, but considering how stingy they are with dollars for supplies and such...

[DanaK]

So are the teachers required to go to these conferences? Or is it just a change of scenery and learning some things that excites many of them? Either one would explain why Barbara and Melissa look forward to going, only to slack off for most of it

Edited February 23, 2023 by DanaK

[853fisher]

13 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Was there a closing tag!??!?!!?  My show went from Janine saying "Let's just throw it out" to the camera and then nothing.

Yes.  They're back at Abbott, Ava says she heard a rumor about a hookup, Janine and Gregory act shifty, but it turns out it wasn't them - we see

Spoiler

the hotel clerk with the sloppy charter teacher.

IDK how you watch the show, but I had to refresh my Hulu - the captions were a good 2 or 3 minutes ahead all the way along, then in the end it turned out the progress bar was ahead of the video and it thought it had ended before it actually did.  Weird!

[MicheleinPhilly]

As someone who absolutely LOATHES conferences and will come up with every excuse in the book not to attend them, I was team Melissa and Barbara all the way. But the two of them acting like they were at some lovely Caribbean resort instead of in...Allentown just sent me over the edge. 🤣 No offense to Allentown but a party or sexy city, it ain't. 

Janine's and Jacob's enthusiasm is one of the things I hate the most about conferences. Granted, I'm in my 40s but I felt the same way in my 20s. Calm down, kiddos! It's not that much fun! But then again, I am a cranky ass. 

I squealed at the kiss but Gregory needs to stop hopping from partner to partner like J.Lo. Honey, be single for a bit. 

I'm both looking forward and not looking forward to the charter school storyline. I think it will allow Abbott to do what it does best which is advocate for our public schools but at the same time, I know it's going to make me 😡.

[Irlandesa]

3 hours ago, BAForever said:

Oh show I love you. From Melissa and Barbara playing the "veteran teacher card" at PECSA, to Jacob and Janine's enthusiasm to Melissa and her sister reuniting, so good.Notwithstanding the drinking, that's what teacher conferences are. Lots of free vendor stuff, workshops you can pick and choose, excited and bored teachers. 

I liked how small it was.  It really felt like those hotel education conferences where you're all a little close.  The only thing that stood out to me was that they partied at night and checked out the next morning, indicating that the previous day was the last full day of the conference. That's not how the local-ish conferences I've been to worked.  Every one left about mid-day on the last day and the final presentations were sparsely populated.  There was no party at night, and spending an extra night in the hotel room did not happen.

13 minutes ago, JeanJean said:

Do school systems really splurge on such lavish conferences for teachers? It would be nice if they do, but considering how stingy they are with dollars for supplies and such...

Splurge?  They aren't luxe.  I would guess teachers pay for it. In order to maintain a license, teachers are required to do continuing ed.  The conference is an easy way to get some continuing ed.

8 minutes ago, DanaK said:

So are the teachers required to go to these conferences? Or is it just a change of scenery and learning some things that excites many of them? Either one would explain why Barbara and Melissa look forward to going, only to slack off for most of it

States close schools for the two days.  All teachers aren't required to go to them.  But like I mentioned above, teachers need continuing education and this is an easy way to get some.  But it's usually expected that if you aren't at the conference, you're working at lesson planning/prep or taking PTO.  At Barbara and Melissa's point in their careers, they'd likely be skipping these and doing something else.

[DanaK]

Man, Jacob happened upon some very dicey teachers from another school, with at least some of them only wanting to teach the better students and clearly ok (along with those kids' parents) with leaving the rest behind. My brother and I went to Catholic schools through 4th grade for me and 5th grade for him and maybe a grade or two more so I guess my parents were somewhat guilty of this as well

[Night Cheese]

This was a great episode! "Semicolon or colon?" "Semicolon!" "No!" Hahahaha. "Good to see you again, Bilbo. Glad you made it out of the Shire." "Janet Wack-son" "That's bisexual erasure. I expected better from you." So many great lines!

I was wondering when the charter school storyline was going to come back into play. Great to see the Schemmenti sisters in action! And a glimpse at Sea Barbara! What a spoil of riches this episode was. I once again really enjoyed all the SEPA shoutouts and references. I can only ever remember going to Allentown for Dorney Park as a kid (is that even in Allentown? I'm not even sure, it's been like 25 years), but I still giggled when Janine and Jacob got all excited about going to the conference in "sexy" Allentown. Also pounding kombucha since Conshohocken. 🤣 Was there also a Hershey Park reference or am I making that up?

I'm at best indifferent to Janine and Gregory and at worst completely disinterested in them. I think there is still so much to write about if Abbott Elementary is just a workplace comedy and not a will they-won't they romance thing. But I imagine the ABC execs want that romance element so if it keeps AE on the air, I'll take it.

[JeanJean]

20 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

Splurge?  They aren't luxe.  I would guess teachers pay for it. In order to maintain a license, teachers are required to do continuing ed.  The conference is an easy way to get some continuing ed.

 

I was thinking about putting all those teachers up at a hotel, and all the money spent on liquor. I didn't know if they would spend all that money on teachers, even though they should.

[Empress1]

4 hours ago, Annber03 said:

Hee, yeah, I liked that moment, too :D. 

Me too. A little heat!

[BAForever]

30 minutes ago, JeanJean said:

I was thinking about putting all those teachers up at a hotel, and all the money spent on liquor. I didn't know if they would spend all that money on teachers, even though they should.

All public schools I've worked for (large suburban) have Professional Development funds which can only be used for PD. One year our site didn't spend our allocation (Ava-like principal) and it had to be spent by July 1, so a lot of us went to conferences last minute. Got $75 per day, receipts needed, (no alcohol paid for) along with conference registration, hotel and travel expenses.

Edited February 23, 2023 by BAForever

[Ilovepie]

I am on the fence about  Gregory and Janine - they do seem like soul mates, but the fact that they are coworkers is cringe to me.  HR nightmare. Still, it was a cute moment.

Barbara and Melissa were the best. Their glee at sitting next to the school supply lady was awesome. Melissa's digs at her sister, and the two of them roasting that woman. Epic. "We still got it". "I forgot my shoes". Ha!

Can someone tell me who Ava was talking about at the end of the episode? It cut off before we could hear who she was talking about.

[dmmetler]

The last one I went to was 3 days in an Embassy Suites conference center. :)

 

I remember one PD where the  day before a break, the district brought in a guest presenter for all the elementary music teachers in the district. It was awesome! Not only did we get to hang out with other folks who do the same thing we do,but we got out of the party zone of overstimulated kids for the day. (I think my principal replaced me with a teacher's aide and a VCR...)

[JeanJean]

12 minutes ago, Ilovepie said:

 

Can someone tell me who Ava was talking about at the end of the episode? It cut off before we could hear who she was talking about.

It was that shallow teacher from the other school (Addison?) that Jacob had been hanging out with.  She spent the night with another teacher.

[kwnyc]

2 hours ago, Lovecat said:

As a native of Bethlehem, Allentown's much classier neighboring city (I said what I said),

Truth. At least Allentown has Dorney Park, but that's closed in the winter! ;-)

[rollacoaster]

13 hours ago, Blakeston said:

Gregory's complete inability to compromise for Amber, or even try to understand her, is a very bad sign. And Janine is in a constant state of denial, not just regarding her feelings for Gregory, but about everything. As a couple they would communicate horribly.

I think this has been mentioned before that Gregory might be on the autism spectrum? 

Some of his behaviors - need for routine, resistance to change and trying new things, the limited diet, challenges picking up emotional cues - remind me of my autistic daughter. 

Edited February 23, 2023 by rollacoaster

[tennisgurl]

I was at a conference not too long ago so this one really cracked me up. You definitely have the people who are super excited for the panels and some people just there to see local sights or take a vacation, the alcohol heavy parties at night, the big rooms with endless round tables, the ever present lanyards, running into the same people at every conference, the venders, its all too real. 

The "damn" running gag was great, especially the students. Looks like that's one false romantic love interest down, one to go. Speaking of damn...

Janine really for that kiss, look at her pulling at that lanyard. The spice! The heat! The kiss! Looks like we are getting closer and closer to them finally getting together, hopefully Janine will break up with Maurice soon and they can finally get it together. I love a good will they/wont they story as much as anyone, but not when it takes too long, we are in prime time in the show for them to get together in time for the third season. Also, Janine looked great in her dress and boots, those boots were absolutely VIP worthy. 

Ouch, Jacob was so excited to make a new teacher friend, but turns out she's not so great after all. Despite talking about fighting for equality and being an ally, for her its only some kids she wants to fight for, the ones who will "make it out" instead of all underprivileged kids. I did like seeing that hit mess teacher who attacked a student again, she always cracks me up.

Looks like we got a glimpse of Sea Barbara! 

Thanks to Carmen Sandiego, who is clearly not Melissa's sister, now we know that the charter guy has his eye on Abbot, which should make things very interesting. 

[ribboninthesky1]

5 hours ago, Badsamaritan said:

THE. KISS!!!! Grab your man's lanyard, Janine, get it gurl!!

Right? I thought it was an intense yet quiet crescendo to the build up of their mutual crush.  I'd also forgotten about Maurice until Janine brought him up.  

2 hours ago, DearEvette said:

The photographer who was so over it  and his sarcastic asides “No one’s ever done that.” said in thee most deadpan voice.

I sure hope he was able to imbibe later, because he was over it, ha!

2 hours ago, DearEvette said:

Kristin showing up on the down low in her Inspector Gadget/Carmen San Diego get up with her spy vs. spy whispers only to have Janine loudly blow her cover by saying her full government name loudly several times. HA!

That final "Bye, KRISTIN" that echoed behind her as she was just trying to make her escape took me down. Janine, please!

About Janine's wardrobe...I've noticed the show's subtlety in moving away from her...dated style this season. She'll backslide occasionally, but it's an interesting metaphor for her budding maturity all the same.  

[meep.meep]

21 minutes ago, JeanJean said:

It was that shallow teacher from the other school (Addison?) that Jacob had been hanging out with.  She spent the night with another teacher.

No - she hooked up with the front desk clerk.

Regarding the kiss - I've been figuring that the writers were going to make Gregory principal (Ava breaks her leg?) and then he and Jeannine can't get together because he is her boss.

[DearEvette]

1 hour ago, JeanJean said:

I was thinking about putting all those teachers up at a hotel, and all the money spent on liquor. I didn't know if they would spend all that money on teachers, even though they should.

There are quite a few Federal and State funds available for public schools for the sole purpose of professional development.  And the CARES act allotted quite a bit of money for educators to use to help with development, especially as so many schools had to close due to Covid and educators had to learn how to use alternative teaching strategies.

Also, remember Abbott got a big grant at the end of last season and Barbara helped Ava allocate that money so that could be a possible extra source. And it looked like Ava was a presenter at one of the sessions, so her costs were probably comped by the organization.  When I would present at conferences the conference organizers always footed my entire bill including travel and food.

It sounds like from what Janine and Jacob were saying, they had to fund their own transportation costs and probably had a per diem for food.  Alcohol is usually not included or it might have been something the organization itself negotiated with the conference center/hotel as an inclusive price with the room as a way to keep the conference goers at the hotel and using all their amenities as opposed to going out to bars.

I thought it felt about right for a local public school conference.  I never worked in public schools but I'd go to a lot of conferences in my role as an IT person in the college and Universities I worked for.  And also when I was an education software consultant for a big software consulting company.  In my heyday of conference going I'd go to about three or four a year.  One was given by our accrediting agency of which I was a member, that was usually in Lancaster, PA or Atlantic City.  One was given by my national professional organization and would hit some bigger East Coast cities like NYC, Chicago, Boston.  The best one though, was the one sponsored by the big software vendor we used for our student system.  That was Hawaii, Vegas, Los Angeles, Florida, New Orleans etc.  My expense account for those was great an I was able to drag the husband and kids along so they could sightsee while I sat in sessions or presented.

Anyways, I liked seeing them outside the school.  This was nice because even though they were outside of school it was still very much work related and therefore it very much still felt like a workplace comedy.   One of my favorite episodes of the season.

[kathyk24]

Janine and Gregory understand each other so I have no problem with them dating. Gregory hasn't been serious with his other girlfriends so he can be with Janine. I liked the charter school teacher admitting they take the best students. I would have been delighted with all the flowers just like Janine.

[Empress1]

2 hours ago, Ilovepie said:

the fact that they are coworkers is cringe to me.  HR nightmare.

I feel like this is less of an issue in a school, maybe? I know of two teacher couples at my alma mater (the wife in one is now deceased; the other has been married like 20+ years, they met when they were around Janine & Gregory’s ages. They still work there!), and my friend is a teacher and there are three couples where she works (all 20somethings). Since neither reports to the other, I don’t think it’s any worse than, like, someone in accounting dating someone in marketing in the corporate world - different departments, nobody’s managing their SO. A lot of couples meet at work.

[sistermagpie]

 

2 hours ago, JeanJean said:

It was that shallow teacher from the other school (Addison?) that Jacob had been hanging out with.  She spent the night with another teacher.

 

2 hours ago, meep.meep said:

No - she hooked up with the front desk clerk.

 

And it was the sloppy charter school teacher, not the one Jacob was hanging out with the most, the one who also went to Oberlin.

24 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

I feel like this is less of an issue in a school, maybe? I know of two teacher couples at my alma mater (the wife in one is now deceased; the other has been married like 20+ years, they met when they were around Janine & Gregory’s ages. They still work there!), and my friend is a teacher and there are three couples where she works (all 20somethings). Since neither reports to the other, I don’t think it’s any worse than, like, someone in accounting dating someone in marketing in the corporate world - different departments, nobody’s managing their SO. A lot of couples meet at work.

That's my impression too, that it doesn't seem strange for two teachers to be dating. There were married teachers at my elementary school--I mean, teachers who married each other.

I figure it was probably just easier for Gregory and Amber not to be compromising because she obviously isn't interested in who he really is and he's not interested in her either. I mean, he was having to make up for giving her a gift that he put thought into and even checked with someone else on, and she just didn't get why anybody would think it was a nice gift. They were never going to really work, so she was right to just call it quits. Not that he shouldn't be compromising on things, but better not to drag it out. 

Of course Janine's going to take longer because she's the kind of person who's going to try to appreciate Maurice's gift for the thought behind it, even if she can't really appreciate it.

Loved the podcast name. What was it? "White fears, white fears: How white Uganda saved white me?"

Also, great writing with that "kids who are going to make it out" charter teacher line. Really chilling, especially when you've spent even a few seconds in the classrooms with these kids.

[Sarahsmile416]

5 hours ago, Lovecat said:

As a native of Bethlehem, Allentown's much classier neighboring city (I said what I said), I 'bout fell out of my chair laughing at Janine's "Allentown...*sexy* city, whew..."  I mean, that was indeed Quite A Kiss, so I can understand girlfriend's brains were still a little scrambled, but Allentown is many things, and sexy ain't one of them 😀   

I do love all of the Philly (and now SEPA) shoutouts on this show, and especially appreciate the accuracy.  Allentown's lack of sexiness aside 😉 it would not have been a surprising selection for a SEPA teacher's conference.  Quinta and the writers really do a good job keeping it real [Unlike the team at This Is Us, where Rebecca got disoriented in a small town in the Poconos and was brought home by the Bethlehem Township police (a 40-minute DRIVE away).  Did she teleport?  I am still chapped about that one.]

Billy Joel would concur 🤣🤪

[Crashcourse]

I don't know and I could be dead wrong, but I saw more passion from Janine kissing Gregory than the same level of passion from him.  Sure, he likes her, but just like that kid in the last episode who wanted a WOMAN, Gregory does, too, and I think he'll tire of cutesy Janine.   

[Empress1]

14 minutes ago, sistermagpie said:

That's my impression too, that it doesn't seem strange for two teachers to be dating. There were married teachers at my elementary school--I mean, teachers who married each other.

I just remembered another pair, though they came in married already. I bet there are more I’m not thinking of.

I think certainly, Ava can’t date any of her subordinates and if there were department heads, they couldn’t date people below them in the department, but a second grade teacher and a … I forget what Gregory teaches … doesn’t seem like a problem to me. The kids would probably love it!

[Sarahsmile416]

Janine and Gregory give me very Ben/Leslie vibes from Parks & Rec…down to the love of the flower classroom (Ben and Leslie’s flower mural) and the nerd meets nerd vibe.   If they can get these two right the way they got Ben and Leslie right, I will be happy.  

Though this is not a Mike Schur show so that dims my confidence a bit.  

[JeanJean]

41 minutes ago, sistermagpie said:

 

 

And it was the sloppy charter school teacher, not the one Jacob was hanging out with the most, the one who also went to Oberlin.

.

Whups. Well, I tried.  :) Thanks for clearing it up.