In this clip, the teachers at an underfunded Philadelphia public elementary school are debating the pros and cons of having a “gifted” program that only serves a small portion of the student population. Their conversation sparks a discussion about Utilitarianism, and whether we should focus on the success and happiness of a select few, or the (relatively lower) success and happiness of the many.
Utilitarianism is a branch of ethics where the primary rule for action is to do what creates the most happiness (or pleasure, depending on the specific text), and to minimize unhappiness (or pain). Seems simple, right? Well, it becomes increasingly difficult to decide whose happiness is the most important, especially when it comes to children.
This short clip from season one of Abbott Elementary helps us to navigate this tricky terrain.
In the episode, a couple of the hardworking and well-meaning teachers take advantage of a small bit of money to come up with a plan to create a “gifted program” for a select few students who show more potential than the average student. This is indeed a huge “gift” to these students, as most of the children come from low-income backgrounds, and this school, like all too many real-life schools, notoriously lacks funding and resources. However, the result is that the rest of the “average” or “ungifted” students, as Ms. Teagues ineloquently refers to them, rightly feel left out and left behind. Their experience of inclusion and respect, and ultimately their success and happiness, are severely negatively impacted by this program, while the gifted children experience the benefits.
Utilitarianism is a useful guide for our moral decision-making, but oftentimes students see it as a black-and-white answer to any moral quandary. This example helps students work through the complexities of Utilitarianism, while also understanding how it applies to real-life problems in our education system. This can also then open up conversations about inequity, class division, systemic racism, and of course, other branches of ethics.
I show this video to the class after discussing the basic tenets of Utilitarianism in an Intro Philosophy or an Intro to Ethics class. I provide a handout for the students including questions such as:
Are some people’s welfare more important than others, and why or why not?
Is it harder to apply Utilitarianism to children or adults—why or why not?
John Stuart Mill argues that intellectual pleasures are better in kind than other sorts of pleasures—what could this mean, and do you agree?
As a class, we would then discuss what solutions students can come up with for the problem of inequity this clip demonstrates.
As a follow-up, I would show a clip from the middle of the episode, when another teacher confronts Ms. Teagues to explain why treating some students as gifted is inherently flawed, and creates a self-fulfilling prophecy wherein the “ungifted” students start to believe they do not deserve any better.
This could spark a debate in class about services like gifted programs, AP classes, magnet classes, and even college—do they improve the many, or do they serve the few and perpetuate inequity for the rest?
Suggested Readings (I would use excerpts of the books in an Intro Philosophy or Intro Ethics course):
Bentham, Jeremy, 1789 [PML]. An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation., Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1907.
Bentham, Jeremy. 1785. “Offences Against Oneself.” Louis Compton (ed.), The Journal of Homosexuality, 3(4) (1978): 389–406, 4(1): 91–107.
Mill, John Stuart. 1861. Utilitarianism, Roger Crisp (ed.), Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.
Moore, G. E., 1903 [PE]. Principia Ethica, Amherst, New York: Prometheus Books, 1988.
The Teaching and Learning Video Series is designed to share pedagogical approaches to using humorous video clips for teaching philosophy. Humor, when used appropriately, has empirically been shown to correlate with higher retention rates. If you are interested in contributing to this series, please email the Series Editor, William A. B. Parkhurst at parkhurw@gvsu.edu
Isadora Hefner
Dr. Isadora Hefner is a full-time Instructor of Critical Thinking and Philosophy at Savannah State University in Savannah, Georgia. Her teaching and research interests include ethics, the philosophy of emotion, and race and feminist issues. She also enjoys cooking, yoga (with and without her baby), and walking her two dogs.
