PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Philadelphia school principals union is honoring the real-life inspiration for the television show “Abbott Elementary” Tuesday night.
As nearly every Philadelphian with a television or Hulu subscription knows by now, Joyce Abbott is the Philly teacher who had such an impact on sixth-grader Quinta Brunson that, two decades later, Brunson wrote a sitcom about a group of teachers doing the best they can in the Philadelphia public school system and named their school — and the show itself — after her.
Abbott is being recognized at the Legends Ball, staged by the Commonwealth Association of School Administrators, Teamsters Local 502. The recently retired Abbott taught at Andrew Hamilton Elementary School in West Philadelphia for more than 25 years, finishing her career as the school’s climate manager.
“Who would know that, when this child that she had for one year, when she became an adult, that she would name her TV show after this teacher who impacted her life?” said CASA President Robin Cooper.
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Abbott made a difference well beyond Brunson’s classroom, Cooper said.
“She was an impactful educator. She was an impactful climate manager. And we just wanted to show her that we recognize that she is a true asset, and has been an asset, to the children and the young adults of Philadelphia.”
The Legends Ball, at The Met on North Broad Street, serves as a fundraiser for the union’s scholarship program.
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