Unforgetting and ReImagining: Exploring Abbott Elementary’s Impact on a Black Woman Pre-Service Teacher’s Developing Identity

• In Event: Purpose and Power: Black Women Educators' Legacies, Resistance, and Futures

Abstract

This qualitative case study investigates how a Black woman pre-service teacher engaged with Abbott Elementary (Abbott) as a curricular text. Drawing on Culturally Relevant Pedagogy and Black Feminist Thought, this study positions the show as a tool to disrupt harmful “white savior” narratives common in media. The seminar blended scholarly texts with Abbott episodes, centering Black women’s perspectives and addressing complex issues. Using a single case study design, findings suggest that Abbott was a powerful pedagogical tool, supporting the participant’s academic success, cultural competence, and critical consciousness and fostering her developing teacher identity. The show provided mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors that allowed her to challenge deficit-based narratives and gain a more nuanced understanding of her professional identity.

Authors

• Sara Ann Jones, Illinois State University

• Mariah D. Harmon, Pennsylvania State University