It's been quite a few years since I've walked the halls of a school building, but the olfactory memory of hope and desperation, mixed with dilapidation and stress, still smells the same. Like the ingrained memory of the stench of a rubbed-worn eraser and the staleness of decades-old books, I feel like I am actually standing there with the characters of ABC's new series, Abbott Elementary.

I may work in communications now, but I spent the first few months after my college graduation as a substitute teacher in Louisiana's public schools — a job that would enter in and out of my life over several years. Later, I found my footing as a teaching artist and mentor coordinator. These roles would also find me spending my days throughout public schools. These experiences allow me to watch Quinta Brunson's new show through a much different lens. It is not simply comedy to the trained eye. It's as if I am watching the pages of my past life turn while laughing at the funny, yet truthful storylines each week.

Here's how Abbott Elementary reminds me of every school where I've ever worked.

Mockumentary

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