Entertainment icon and ABC’s "Abbott Elementary" star Sheryl Lee Ralph has a unique opportunity to use her role as Mrs. Howard to both highlight the role education has played in her upbringing and shed a light on our nation's real MVPs, public school teachers.
“She's a lifelong learner,” Ralph said of her character Mrs. Howard during our conversation for "Salon Talks." “She represents so many teachers in my lifetime. My dad, a lifelong learner, an educator. My mom, an educator in fashion. My Auntie Carolyn, a Blue-Ribbon teacher turned principal. I'm surrounded by them. They've been a part of who I am.”
On "Abbott," now in its fourth season, Ralph stars as Mrs. Barbara Howard in the mockumentary sitcom created by Quinta Brunson. She is a veteran kindergarten teacher who is sharp enough to train a new generation of educators, but also wise enough to know that she can learn from them as well.
I had plenty of teachers like Mrs. Howard during my formative years growing up in East Baltimore. I think of teachers like my 10th grade social studies teacher Mrs. Tarter. My friends and I had developed a reputation at the school for dismantling any form of classroom structure. Mrs. Tarter knew this and still welcomed us with open arms because she knew we were no match for her.
We came into her world of structure ready to play around and she instantly separated us and promised to remove those of us who wouldn’t comply. This went on for a week or so. Some of us, including me, were booted and came back, only to be booted again. We still had some play in us by the end of week two, which is when she broke out her master-veteran-teacher experience — what I'll call her inner Mrs. Howard.
“Mr. Watkins, don’t leave,” Mrs. Tarter said, separating me from my rambunctious friend group who continued down the hall, “You know the work. You are smart, you are a leader. I can’t say the same for the company you keep. I don’t understand why you are risking your future on meaningless jokes, but hey, it’s your life.” She didn’t scold me, belittle me or force me to pick sides. Mrs. Tarter simply spotted my insecurity, my need to fit in, and asked if it was worth it. It wasn’t, so I listened to her, got serious about my work and have been carving out my own path, my own way, ever since.
Ralph understands the long-held importance of teachers like Mrs. Tarter and their ability to inspire. "She's always existed in our community, in our life, in our church." Ralph said. "It used to be, 'What were Black people going to do in order to get ahead?' You were going to either really push the limits and become a doctor, you were really going to push the limits and become a lawyer, or you were going to push the limits to become an educator. That was the way into their excellence."
Ralph found her way into excellence through theater, where she earned a Tony nomination for best actress in a musical for her role as Deena Jones in the original "Dreamgirls" on Broadway and as Madame Morrible in "Wicked." She has also won an Emmy for her work on "Abbott" and was key to the show winning a Peabody Award.
Watch my "Salon Talks" episode with Sheryl Lee Ralph here or read a Q&A of our conversation below to hear more about her love for producing and classic movies, her best parenting tip and what's next on "Abbott Elementary."
The following conversation has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Everyone's excited about the fourth season of “Abbott Elementary.” With all of the show’s success, are you used to the praise now or does it still feel fresh?
It's always fresh for me. People don't have to praise you. People don't have to give you accolades. When we continue to get it, it is because we continue to give our audience the best that we have. Our writers are outstanding, our producers are outstanding. Our creator of the show, Quinta Brunson,........