S03.E07: Librarian

[DanaK]

Quote

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13 9:00-9:32 p.m. EDT

Janine spearheads a pilot program that brings a librarian to Abbott; however, when friction arises with one of the teachers, it strains Janine's relationships with both parties. Meanwhile, both Melissa and Jacob deal with some big changes at home.

 

[Galileo908]

As soon as I read that description, I knew that Jacob was gonna be moving in with Melissa. But I LOVE that they became best friends real quick. And because this show is this show, their friendship threw off the work dynamic, leading to Ava making Mr. Johnson cry (OMG), so he couldn't clean up the mud the kids tracked in. I also liked that it didn't reset at the end! The friendship is here to stay!

"You two are FRIENDS!" Loved Mr. Johnson being so offended at that. And flew a government plane in the 70s. And somehow played in the Negro League.

LOVE that Gregory is so enamored by the new organization in the library, while Barbara absolutely didn't. That was Cree Summer as the librarian, to boot! (She's mostly known as a voice actor since her stint on A Different World, but she's been getting onscreen work in the past few years). Yeah, Barbara was pretty terrible and bratty in this, but it was for Janine to finally learn to stand up to her.

[irisheyes]

This is the first episode I actively disliked Barbara. Why did she think that her opinion was the only one that counted?  I wish we would have seen her apologize to Janine. 

[Annber03]

Whew, yeah, that scene with Barbara and Janine... I could totally sympathize with Janine's nervousness about going up against Barbara as she did, and her anxiousness over reading her review later. I would've been the same way. 

But I do like that she stuck to her guns regarding her stance, and her reaction at the end when she saw the review Barbara did give was touching :). Gregory was definitely right that Barbara's struggle to deal with change was kicking in big time. That being said, I could also understand where she was coming from with some of her issues, so hopefully, now she and Janine have kinda cleared the air as they have, they can address those issues together going forward. 

Also, the woman playing the librarian looked really familiar to me. I wonder how long she'll stick around, I could see her fitting into this oddball group going forward if she does. 

I love Melissa and Jacob becoming roommates and closer friends :D. However long this setup will last, who knows, but for now I like the idea of them kinda being a shoulder to lean on/distraction from their recent breakups. LOL at them thinking their friendship was messing with the group dynamic, though. I also liked Jacob's realization that putting "great hugger" in his "About Me" section...wasn't going to necessarily help him find the right kinds of people he was looking for here :p. 

5 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

That was Cree Summer as the librarian, to boot! (She's mostly known as a voice actor since her stint on A Different World, but she's been getting onscreen work in the past few years). 

THAT'S who that was, thank you! The name was starting to come to me after I made my post, actually, so nice to have it confirmed :D. Yeah, she voiced quite a few characters in TV shows and movies that I used to watch as a kid :). 

[kathyk2]

Best episode of the season. The friendship between Jacob and Melissa was wonderful. I loved that Barbara was put in her place I've been waiting for that since Sick Day.

[Brown44]

In the beginning I thought the librarian was Essence Atkins till she started talking and realized it was Cree Summer.

[DanaK]

I don’t understand how the school system doesn’t have a librarian program? Isn’t that a standard thing for schools?

[incandescent]

God, Barbara was a brat this episode. You teach Kindergarteners, don't be one yourself!

[Galileo908]

The thing about Barbara is that she is stubborn, and she has a system, and she didn't like all the sudden changes. Sure, Gregory might've loved the overhaul...but she didn't.

[Blakeston]

I’ll defend Barbara on one point. It was ridiculous that a teacher couldn’t bring more than three books at once into her classroom for a reading lesson.

[txhorns79]

53 minutes ago, DanaK said:

I don’t understand how the school system doesn’t have a librarian program? Isn’t that a standard thing for schools?

The school district where I grew up just fired all its librarians as a money saving endeavor and is replacing them with "media center assistants."  (Essentially, low paid staff members who aren't teachers and don't have librarian credentials.)  I think people really don't think of librarians as educators, and when money is tight, it's easier to fire a librarian than a classroom teacher.    

 

17 minutes ago, Blakeston said:

I’ll defend Barbara on one point. It was ridiculous that a teacher couldn’t bring more than three books at once into her classroom for a reading lesson.

I kind of understood the rule.  If it's a school where they don't have multiple copies of the more popular books, you want to try to make things as available as possible for everyone, and that means putting a limit on how many books can be checked out at once.

I didn't really understand the school district person acting like the pilot would only be successful if Barbara liked it.  I'm all for giving senior teachers a voice, but it would be kind of ridiculous if one teacher could wreck the program for everyone else.   

[Annber03]

4 minutes ago, txhorns79 said:

The school district where I grew up just fired all its librarians as a money saving endeavor and is replacing them with "media center assistants."  (Essentially, low paid staff members who aren't teachers and don't have librarian credentials.)  I think people really don't think of librarians as educators, and when money is tight, it's easier to fire a librarian than a classroom teacher.   

There's also some school districts where librarians and school libraries are under intense scrutiny because some people are freaking out that kids might be reading things that are "too woke" or some such BS like that, and they're trying to crack down on what libraries/librarians are allowed to do or what books they can carry or whatever. 

[Blakeston]

17 minutes ago, txhorns79 said:

I kind of understood the rule.  If it's a school where they don't have multiple copies of the more popular books, you want to try to make things as available as possible for everyone, and that means putting a limit on how many books can be checked out at once.

I understand putting limits on how many books a student can take out. But I had the impression that Barbara just wanted to bring some books to her class for an hour or so and bring them back. She should be able to have more than three books for her class to choose from.

[Boofish]

I love catching little hidden gems within the episodes. I watched Janine do the Van Van Shuffle out of Barbara's classroom 3 times. What a sweet nod to that little girl. If you are unfamiliar with Van Van please look her up on Instagram. She is adorable.

[libgirl2]

Loved this episode, especially since I have worked at a library for almost 30 years. I don't have a Masters in Library Science but I was hired. I did reference work, suggested books, programming, ran a book club... Not everyone has a degree, but many of us do the work anyway. 

Barbara should have been able to take out more than 3 books. I did understand the librarian wanting her to schedule her visit. It isn't a big place and you want to give all the children opportunity to use it. 

Loved seeing Cree Summer! I knew right away who she was. She was in What We Do in the Shadows not that long ago. Good to see her again. 

[Empress1]

11 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

Ava making Mr. Johnson cry (OMG)

I was like “WHAT IS THIS?” They better not mess with my Mr. Johnson!

That friendship was delightful though. Them talking Real Housewives was hilarious.

My grandmother was a school librarian in an under-resourced school in Philly (and she went back to school in her 40s, after her kids were grown) so this was near to my heart. I did think it was odd that Barbara would have so much sway, and I liked seeing Janine stand up for herself and her work. Working for the district has been good for her.

[peeayebee]

9 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

I didn't really understand the school district person acting like the pilot would only be successful if Barbara liked it.  I'm all for giving senior teachers a voice, but it would be kind of ridiculous if one teacher could wreck the program for everyone else.   

I don't think the show meant to create this comparison, but when Manny was saying this, I immediately thought about books being removed from libraries because ONE person objected to it.

Not sure I liked this ep all that much, probably because Barbara's attitude bothered me from the very beginning. I knew she would come around at the end, but her selfishness -- not wanting to change, not wanting to do a simple thing like signing up for library times -- annoyed me too much.

I've decided one of my favorite parts of this show is seeing Jacob's face when he looks at the camera. It's always amusing when anyone does it, but I think he has the best takes.

[MicheleinPhilly]

13 hours ago, DanaK said:

I don’t understand how the school system doesn’t have a librarian program? Isn’t that a standard thing for schools?

Ready for a stat to make steam blow out of your ears? We have 217 public schools and 4 certified school librarians. 4. For the whole district. I told you our school district is a cluster****. 😡

I adored this episode for so many reasons. Watching children get excited about books and reading always makes me giddy. And that little boy shading Ms. Barbara's reading aloud skills?? 🤣

Melissa announcing that she only knows how to cook for 12 made me cackle. So Italian. 

I'm so happy that Janine stuck up for herself and that for once, Melissa and Barbara didn't team up to tear down her ideas. Mrs. Howard, you may be older and wiser but you aren't in fact, always right. 

[Night Cheese]

The Jacob/Melissa friendship storyline saved this episode for me. The librarian storyline got me a little worked up in how poorly everything was handled. 

If the district was piloting a librarian/library program, there should have been training for the teachers well before it kicked off. The teachers should have been introduced to the new librarian and the new policies and procedures ahead of time. Someone should have been there to ensure all the teachers know how to request books, library, etc. (Google docs or anything else) beforehand as well. As the pilot program progressed, they'd be collecting feedback from all the teachers and making changes and improvements as needed. *Or*, based on feedback, determine that the librarian program won't work, and squash it.

Nothing the librarian implemented seemed unreasonable to me, but if it had all been introduced ahead of time, it would have given the teachers the opportunity to learn the changes and ask questions. I thought applying the three book max to Barabara who only wanted the books for a short time and wouldn't be leaving the building with them seemed a bit much, but why not bring the kids to the library for independent reading time? That way no books have to leave the library and every kid could still pick a book of their choosing (or from a selection curated by Barabara).

The tension/conflict of that storyline just had me rolling my eyes, but once the other district guy basically implied that if Barbara's not on board, the program is not going to continue, I was like "oh hell no!" 

That led me to think that the moral of this story was going to be something like, "sometimes you have to realize that doing things the tried and true way is better than trying to change too much, too quickly." With a wholesome montage of Barbara just doing whatever she wants because she's Barbara and no one can tell her otherwise.  

Typing all this out, I realize I shouldn't get so worked up over this, but mannnn it was annoying. I love Barbara and she truly reminds me of my own kindergarten teacher (who has been teaching for over 50 years now!!), but sometimes she needs to learn to be a little flexible and willing to adapt.

That all said, I really hope Cree Summer sticks around! She's great! I also loved the Rita's reference!

[DanaK]

23 minutes ago, MicheleinPhilly said:

Ready for a stat to make steam blow out of your ears? We have 217 public schools and 4 certified school librarians. 4. For the whole district. I told you our school district is a cluster****. 😡

I adored this episode for so many reasons. Watching children get excited about books and reading always makes me giddy. And that little boy shading Ms. Barbara's reading aloud skills?? 🤣

Melissa announcing that she only knows how to cook for 12 made me cackle. So Italian. 

I'm so happy that Janine stuck up for herself and that for once, Melissa and Barbara didn't team up to tear down her ideas. Mrs. Howard, you may be older and wiser but you aren't in fact, always right. 

Well, I mean I get librarians and library programs can get cut due to budget cuts and lack of vision, but referencing a "pilot program" suggests the school system never had a librarian in the first place, which is what seems odd to me. But if I'm recalling correctly the library lady in the episode wasn't a fully credentialed librarian but instead more of a library grad student or something? If so, that may be what they were piloting because of the budget cuts

Edited March 14 by DanaK

[MicheleinPhilly]

6 minutes ago, DanaK said:

Well, I mean I get librarians and library programs can get cut due to budget cuts and lack of vision, but referencing a "pilot program" suggests the school system never had a librarian in the first place, which is what seems odd to me. But if I'm recalling correctly the library lady in the episode wasn't a fully credentialed librarian but instead more of a library grad student or something? If so, that may be what they were piloting because of the budget cuts

Correct. So it was a way for the student to gain work experience while the school had someone who, at least ostensibly, knows what they're doing and has a passion for. 

Sadly, the defunding of school libraries is not a recent phenomenon here. 😔

[libgirl2]

2 hours ago, MicheleinPhilly said:

Correct. So it was a way for the student to gain work experience while the school had someone who, at least ostensibly, knows what they're doing and has a passion for. 

Sadly, the defunding of school libraries is not a recent phenomenon here. 😔

I went to a tiny Catholic school in the 70s. Our school library was in a room that was the same size as out classrooms. We had a librarian. It was super tiny. We also had the town's library pretty much in our parking lot. They used the basement of the old church right in front of the school. Often, classes would walk across the parking lot to it. It was also SUPER tiny but not quite as small as the school one. Gosh, at the time, it seemed huge. 

[chitowngirl]

3 hours ago, Night Cheese said:

I also loved the Rita's reference!

First Day of Spring=Free Rita’s!

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, chitowngirl said:

First Day of Spring=Free Rita’s!

Rita’s opens in February now! My brother and I always talk about how we saw a Rita’s open on our way from our grandmother’s funeral in February (not last month, this was years ago). There was snow on the ground.

(For those who don’t know: Rita’s is a local water ice chain. Water ice is a frozen confection, kind of a cross between a Slurpee and a snow cone.)

Edited March 14 by Empress1

[Mountainair]

The K-12 Charter school I work at doesn’t even have a library. Only books in the classroom. I teach Kindergarten so my kids aren’t completely reading all the way yet. My 2nd grader is allowed to take books home from her classroom as are my middle school kids. I thought it was so weird when they built this new school in 2020 with no library or cafeteria. The kids eat lunch in the classroom or grades 5-12 eat lunch outside if the weather is nice. 

[Crashcourse]

My one nitpick with this show is that if you're not from Philly, you miss a lot of the references to places, phrases, etc.  Sometimes it's just too Philly-centric (and I was born/raised in a small town near Pittsburgh, so I'm a yinzer.  LOL).  

[shapeshifter]

6 minutes ago, Night Cheese said:

…The teachers should have been introduced to the new librarian and the new policies and procedures ahead of time…to ensure all the teachers know how to request books, library, etc. (Google docs or anything else) beforehand…

3 hours ago, DanaK said:

…the library lady in the episode wasn't a fully credentialed librarian but instead more of a library grad student…

Retired librarian here, including 4 years as a school librarian:
I will give the 😒writers the benefit of the doubt🙄 that stating that the "Librarian" was still a student and this was an internship was supposed to cover the multitude of mistakes made by the "librarian" (writers).

That said, Cree Summer as library student Miss Inez was excellent. She reminded me of a professional storyteller who visited my Children's Lit class.
And many library students are mature, career-pivot professionals from related fields.

So they got enough right that it worked, IMO, which is why this show wins the awards.

 

16 hours ago, DanaK said:

I don’t understand how the school system doesn’t have a librarian program? Isn’t that a standard thing for schools?

Many MLS (Master of Library Science) or MLIS (Master of Library and Information Science) students and PhD candidates have written literally volumes on this topic.
But for here and now, from a Pennsylvania newspaper:

• "In the School District of Philadelphia, the number of school librarians has declined over the past decade, from about 57 in the 2012-2013 school year to just one in the 2023-2024 school year."
  penncapital-star.com/education/many-philadelphia-students-navigate-school-without-access-to-school-libraries

@Mountainair's library-less schools are the norm in many places now across the US. 

[possibilities]

Abbott doesn't seem to have a school nurse, either. I am not sure how they can make an episode about that without it becoming a horror show, but if anyone can do it, it's these people. 

[irisheyes]

7 hours ago, Night Cheese said:

If the district was piloting a librarian/library program, there should have been training for the teachers well before it kicked off. The teachers should have been introduced to the new librarian and the new policies and procedures ahead of time. Someone should have been there to ensure all the teachers know how to request books, library, etc. (Google docs or anything else) beforehand as well.

If that all happened, it wouldn’t be a public event education initiative. 🤣🤣

Usually, we get told something is happening and we’ll get training “soon.”

[kaygeeret]

I actually thought that Barbara's reaction was ok.  All of us have had moments where we just got "stuck" in one spot and needed to get unstuck.

Barbara has her ways, she is a senior teacher and is used to a certain respect because of her experience.

I can see that the experiment needed Barbara on board.  She is experienced and respected and if she wrote a scathing review, the district might have had second thoughts.

Meanwhile, it is a pretty neat idea so that schools have functioning libraries and the seniors in Library Science get some real life experience.  I call that a win - win.

OMG, Jacob and Melissa - comedy gold!!!!!!!!!

 

And Mr. Johnson - priceless.

[SoMuchTV]

I was all set to come here and harrumph about how unrealistic this was - what school doesn’t have a librarian, or at least a library aide to keep things running?! - but  several of y’all have preemptively set me straight.  

I do still wonder how they had a fully stocked library, and a functional checkout system (napkin-based, but still), and when the new librarian came in, every teacher except Barbara seemed to be on board with the system of reserving a time slot for their class… I guess it’s as simple as, Barbara doesn’t read her email. 

Edited March 15 by SoMuchTV

[DearEvette]

I really, really loved Gregory and Janine's interactions in this episode.  The various scenes of his support and his advice were so well done!

Jacob and Melissa's roomate-situationship is the comedy team up I did not know I needed.  I love that they have so much in common including the recent break ups.

I thought the portrayal of Barbara in this episode was spot on 100%.  It was frustrating to watch, but it was very real.  The system has always worked for her and she got hidebound in her thinking.  I can't tell you how many long-time tenured professors who are told something is changing act out just like Barb did. 

When the University  I worked at moved to a new student information system  there was a year and half of emails, demos, trainings, and build up.  I remember one professor storming into the Registrar's office (my office shares a suite with the University Registrar) , hot as lava mad.  Yelling about how the new system was stupid and hard to navigate etc.  And I remember this one English professor who was nice as pie all the time, but she was in near tears because she had no clue how to put in her grades and one of the Reg staff very patiently walked her through it.  She was in her early sixties and just seemed so overwhelmed with having to learn a new technology.

And yeah, I just continue to love Janine's glow up!!

I kinda wish we had gotten to hear more of Cree Summer's voice work as she was reading to the kids.  One of my absolute favorites she does is Elmyra Duff from Tiny Toon Adventures.

[EyewatchTV211]

3 hours ago, possibilities said:

Abbott doesn't seem to have a school nurse, either. I am not sure how they can make an episode about that without it becoming a horror show, but if anyone can do it, it's these people. 

Do we know if they have a health room aide at least? I work in a large school district that is considered to have a lot of resources. But the school nurses come from the county health department and are assigned to a million schools and aren't in one building full time, so these health room aides are there. 

[possibilities]

I don't think they've said.

When I was in school in the 1970s, we had a nurse's office that was staffed at all times with at least 1 and sometimes 2 nurses. The school had about 1500 students-- not sure what the size of Abbott is, but either way, it's clear that things have changed. We also had a school librarian.

Kids got sent to the nurse's office all the time-- kids who puked, kids who got injured, kids who didn't feel well, kids who needed to take medication (not allowed to have it with you, you had to leave it at the nurse's office), etc. It was heavily trafficked!

[Annber03]

2 hours ago, DearEvette said:

.And yeah, I just continue to love Janine's glow up!!

I loved her red sweater with the stripes she had on later on in the episode. I woudl love to have one of those for myself!

[kathyk2]

4 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

I was all set to come here and harrumph about how unrealistic this was - what school doesn’t have a librarian, or at least a library aide to keep things running?! - but  several of y’all have preemptively set me straight.  

I do still wonder how they had a fully stocked library, and a functional checkout system (napkin-based, but still), and when the new librarian came in, every teacher except Barbara seemed to be on board with the system of reserving a time slot for their class… I guess it’s as simple as, Barbara doesn’t read her email. 

I think Barbara was the only teacher who liked the old system even Melissa disagreed with her. Is she the only kindergarten teacher? If I were the other teacher I would be upset if Barbara took all the books for her class.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

6 hours ago, kathyk2 said:

I think Barbara was the only teacher who liked the old system even Melissa disagreed with her. Is she the only kindergarten teacher? If I were the other teacher I would be upset if Barbara took all the books for her class.

Yes, I wonder what other class would want a potty book.  Even kindergarten seems old for it, but perhaps they think it is funny.

[HyeChaps]

Barbara’s review was the apology to Janine 

[tennisgurl]

It took me a minute to figure out who the librarian was, so fun to see Cree Summer in the flesh! She's a voice acting legend, and they even found a way to let her do some voices here! I loved her and her giant hats, I hope that she sticks around even if she isn't a regular. 

Barbara was being frustratingly stubborn but it was very in character. Barbara might be an experienced classy fountain of wisdom but she is also very set in her ways and her experience can lead to her thinking she knows better than everyone, this upsetting her routine was definitely going to set her off. Some of her complaints made some sense at first, not being able to take all of the books she wanted would certainly be frustrating, but pretty soon it was clear that she was just being obstinate. I loved seeing Janine standing up to her and sticking up for her program, her glow up hasn't just been her wardrobe! Gregory gave her good advice, just because Barbara is wise doesn't mean she's always right. 

I knew Janine would crush her talk with Barbara as soon as I saw her shoes. Those are crushing it shoes!

Gregory practically being in tears of happiness at how organized the library has become was great, as was the whole plot where Melissa and Jacob became roommates. Who wouldn't want want a friend to dish about housewives with? 

[shapeshifter]

15 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

I do still wonder how they had a fully stocked library, and a functional checkout system (napkin-based, but still),

TV magic. 
Don't get me (retired librarian) started. 😉

 

 

14 hours ago, DearEvette said:

I can't tell you how many long-time tenured professors who are told something is changing act out just like Barb did. 

When the University  I worked at moved to a new student information system  there was a year and half of emails, demos, trainings, and build up.  I remember one professor storming into the Registrar's office (my office shares a suite with the University Registrar) , hot as lava mad.  Yelling about how the new system was stupid and hard to navigate etc.  And I remember this one English professor who was nice as pie all the time, but she was in near tears because she had no clue how to put in her grades and one of the Reg staff very patiently walked her through it.  She was in her early sixties and just seemed so overwhelmed with having to learn a new technology.

And don't get me (20+ years working in college libraries) started telling the tales of failed efforts and expectations to get users on board with a constant flow of new technologies and systems.

I'm so glad this show wrapped it up in 20 minutes.

Barbara's concerns represented those of multitudes who have had their worlds up-ended with every sea change of inventions. 

But infinite kudos to the writers for warming our hearts with the side plots:

14 hours ago, DearEvette said:

I really, really loved Gregory and Janine's interactions in this episode.  The various scenes of his support and his advice were so well done!

Jacob and Melissa's roomate-situationship is the comedy team up I did not know I needed.  I love that they have so much in common including the recent break ups.

 

[BAForever]

On 3/14/2024 at 11:20 AM, Night Cheese said:

The Jacob/Melissa friendship storyline saved this episode for me. The librarian storyline got me a little worked up in how poorly everything was handled. 

If the district was piloting a librarian/library program, there should have been training for the teachers well before it kicked off. 

Typing all this out, I realize I shouldn't get so worked up.

Highlighted some of your awesome post @Night Cheese. You sound like an experienced educator. Agree with so much. 

The media center needs of K students compared to 7th graders is huge. Why are there 7th graders at an elementary school?

Barbara was very wrong as was Janine in pushing through a new initiative without teacher support, knowledge and input.

And 7th graders are going to be on iPads or chromebooks. Reference books are out of date pretty much as soon as published in certain subjects. 

And SlaughterHouse 5 wouldn't be in an elementary school library.

[chitowngirl]

26 minutes ago, BAForever said:

Why are there 7th graders at an elementary school?

Abbott is a K-8th grade school.

[libgirl2]

1 hour ago, chitowngirl said:

Abbott is a K-8th grade school.

When I was in Catholic school, our school was K-8th. 

[possibilities]

My 7th grade was moved to the elementary school because of over-crowding at the junior high building. I have no trouble believing Abbott is k-8.

It occurs to me that people who live in well-funded districts have no idea how the majority of the country lives.

[buckboard]

On 3/13/2024 at 8:04 PM, DanaK said:

I don’t understand how the school system doesn’t have a librarian program? Isn’t that a standard thing for schools?

Sadly, librarians are one of the first positions to go when schools have financial problems.  

[Badsamaritan]

This was a great episode for me, all the plots were clicking. Melissa and Jacob becoming besties...Who knew? Like, that is a relationship we didn't know we needed. And I hope all the now off-kilter dynamics continue. Except, Mr. Johnson crying. We just not gonna stand for that, hands will be thrown. 

I'm so proud of Janine. She stood up to the person who is basically everything she ever wanted as a mom, and got the praise she deserved.

And, ok Quinta, ha ha all the tender Janine/Gregory scenes, I see you. You can stop being cute now and let's get to the sexy times, ok? This slow-walking is some bullshit. 😒

[roseslg]

Our local public school is k-8 so that wasn't a surprise. My kid is at a charter school now,  but there isnt a library, just books in the classroom that you can read, but not borrow. She was previously in a private school that had a library and a librarian and she was allowed to bring home books.  I miss it. 

 

[ridethemaverick]

Amazing episode. 

Barbara was extremely frustrating to watch, but as pointed out, very much in character. I loved Gregory's matter of fact advice to and support of Janine, and Jacob/Melissa were everything. 

Final thought from an educator... it's a crying shame that we as a nation can find money to shell out for war and other things but not for our schools. It's absolutely shameful. 

[possibilities]

Jacob seems to be thriving as a friend with everyone-- first of course he and Janine were always close. Then this season he and Gregory seemed to be hanging out a lot and getting closer. And now he and Melissa. 

I don't foresee him and Ava or Barbara getting close, but I never would have imagined he and Melissa would hit it off, either.

Strangely, I do think he might have it in him to bond with mr Johnson. The two of them have just the right amount of weirdness to find common ground,

[mojito]

Will Gregory soon start feeling left out now that Jacob and Melissa are pals and have so much in common? He would have a hard time admitting that he missed Jacob. Guess he'll gravitate to the other odd man out, Mr. Johnson.