Upamanyu Biswas
FX’s ‘English Teacher‘ follows Evan Marquez, a gay English teacher at the Morrison-Hensley High School, who has to navigate a whole series of political, social, and personal challenges while also acting as a guide to his young students. However, complications arise whenever he has to tackle hot-button issues that often leave him in a precarious position with the school’s authorities. The misunderstandings only add flavor to the comedy show as Evan treads uncomfortable grounds as an enthusiastic high school teacher in Austin, Texas. Naturally, Morrison-Hensley High School plays a major part in illustrating the complex environment of educating young kids, both on an academic and social level! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Morrison-Hensley: A Fictional High School Plagued By Hot-Button Topics
Morrison Hensley High School, the primary setting of ‘English Teacher,’ is a fictional establishment conceived by Brian Jordan Alvarez. As the story blends humor with controversial topics, the school plays an ideal setting for the confluence of all sorts of ideas and people. Each episode deals with Evan facing new hot-button topics revolving around issues like sexuality, drag, guns, and many more in the delicate interiors of Morrison-Hensley. The teachers often have to tiptoe around these problematic conversations or own up to them, highlighting the environment fostered within the halls of the school, where every idea is open for discussion.
In an interview with The New York Times, Alvarez said, “This particular environment is such a good opportunity to put people together who normally wouldn’t choose to interact. People from every different part of life are forced to come together — and not just come together, but come together for a common purpose of educating these kids.” Additionally, the school’s placement in the heart of Texas makes it even more tense and awkward whenever a polemic idea rolls through the doors. Still, Evan is brave enough to face the pressures of his job and live up to his duty as an educator within Morrison-Hensley.
Despite being set in the suburbs of Austin, ‘English Teacher’ is filmed in the state of Georgia, specifically in Atlanta. The scenes featuring Morrison-Hensley High School are shot in The Big Peach, where the warmth and personality of the show come to life through detailed and intricate constructions. Although the school is a fictional place, it offers an unlikely marriage between a light-hearted teacher drama and a serious environment full of contentious topics. It is a unique setting that captures the zeitgeist and climate of modern schooling, even though it does not exist in real life.
Evan Marquez is a High School Teacher With No Ties to Reality
Evan Marquez in ‘English Teacher’ is a fictional character who was crafted by Brian Alvarez Jordan. In many ways, the character can be seen as an extension of Jordan himself, who shares some aspects with his character, like the need to crack a joke or make light of a situation. However, the similarities end there as Evan is mostly untethered to reality and serves a specific purpose in the narrative as the relatable lead through whom the audience experiences the contentious hot-button topics of Morrison-Hensley school. He has an inherent drive to make a difference socially and culturally by educating his students on a range of issues, no matter how precarious a position it puts him under.
Just like the show’s creator, Evan is also gay. The show’s first episode deals with a complaint from one of the parents of Evan’s students, who are unhappy about the English teacher kissing his boyfriend on school premises, causing major difficulties down the line. For Jordan, tapping into those aspects of Evan’s gay identity and the struggles that stem from it was something close to his own, allowing him to bring it to life as authentically as possible. “What I love about that is it allows us to write from this insider perspective, and we get to make jokes that really only make sense from that angle. So people can sense authenticity,” he said.
As reflected by the show’s tagline – “Can you really be your whole self at work?” – Evan’s journey throughout the show consists of walking the tightrope between his real-life identity and the side he has to present in front of his students, their parents, and the principal. The tension between all those exterior facades allows ‘English Teacher’ to dive into the nuances and responsibilities of an educator in today’s world and the challenges people face in preserving their authentic selves. However, the character of Evan, in and of himself, is a fictional teacher and cannot be traced to reality.
Read More: FX’s English Teacher: Exploring All Filming Locations
