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21 Times "Recess" Was Basically The Most Progressive Cartoon Ever

Keeping it real on the playground and off.

1. When Miss Grotke put a spin on some classic lit.

2. When Gretchen was having none of this "nice guy" bullshit and called out her would-be suitor.

3. When Miss Grotke gave students the real scoop on Thanksgiving.

4. When Vince basically just decided to say "fuck you" to gender norms.

5. And when Mikey wasn't going to let notions of "conventional masculinity" keep him from expressing his feelings.

6. When Miss Grotke didn't fuck around pretending that common historical narratives are actually pure and objective.

7. When TJ angrily decried subjective systems that place more social value on some people than others.

8. When Miss Grotke wasn't afraid to call out the leaders of the American Revolution...

9. ...and was NOT here for the misogyny of the Founding Fathers.

10. When Mikey called out the exploitation of people based on subjective categorizations that claim to represent a person's worth.

11. When the admissions counselor from a school Gretchen almost attended basically shut down narrow-minded understandings of learning and education.

12. When Miss Grotke explained the best ways to use satire.

13. When none of the guys in the gang gave a fuck about gendered naming conventions.

14. When Miss Grotke taught her students about the beauty of humanity.

15. When the school superintendent was all about supporting freedom of expression rather than controlling young people.

16. When everyone learned the power of non-violent political protest.

17. When TJ made known his feelings about the commercialization of such an intimate thing as love.

18. When Miss Grotke worked to give her class feminist heroes to look up to.

19. When Gretchen spread the truth about real leadership to King Bob.

20. When Spinelli said a big "fuck you" to the way that gender norms affect kids.

21. And when Miss Grokte reminded her students of what's always most important.