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Janine Teagues
Played by Quinta Brunson
"I don’t want to wait until somebody gets to it. You know, our children have needs that deserve to be met. And I’m going to fix this. And nothing is going to get in my way."
"Barbara makes do with so little. It's pride, I think. My psych professor used to say that pride and stubbornness share a fence. Barbara's sitting on that fence. I'm gonna help her off. Sometimes Robin has to look out for Batman. Too many metaphors."
An optimistic, idealistic young teacher who serves as the main character. Along with Melissa, she teaches second grade.
- Abusive Parents: Her mother is very emotionally abusive towards her, being generally emotionally distant throughout Janine's childhood and ignoring any of Janine's attempts to reach out to her unless she needs something from her. Janine frequently had to be the responsible one even as a child due to her mother being incredibly irresponsible. And when Vanetta does show up to meet Janine, it's purely to emotionally manipulate her into paying for her phone bills. A lot of Janine's clinginess and people-pleasing nature stems from growing up with her mom's emotional abuse.
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other:
- Although she and her sister Ayesha have a brief argument, they do love and care about each other.
- Despite having had a neglected relationship with her mother, she does care about her as she was willing to help her with her phone, due to it having the battery dead.
- All-Loving Hero: Tries her hardest to see the best in everyone, including her boyfriend Tariq who most agree is wrong for her. Even Ava, who comes the closest to being the one person she starts to actively dislike, is invited to her "work family" exercise.
- Butt-Monkey: Janine constantly finds herself the butt of the joke. Some of the most memorable things she's been harped on include her eccentric fashion sense, her excessive optimism, constantly being out of breath, her height (or lack thereof), and the fact she's only been with one man since the 8th grade.
- Chronic Hero Syndrome: If Janine sees a problem and sees even the slightest possibility that she can change it, there's absolutely nothing you or anyone else can say to dissuade her.
- Detrimental Determination: Janine never gives up. This is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it's the only way anyone at Abbott can hope to get anything done. On the other, Janine will run herself into the ground and burn herself out before she admits something won't work, and she hates admitting failure or asking for help. The others, especially Gregory and Barbara, point out that this really isn't healthy or practical.
- Enthusiastic Newbie Teacher: She's only been teaching at Abbott for a year when the series starts, and she's very passionate about teaching and giving her students a good educational experience. Her idealistic approach to her job tends to clash with Barbara and Melissa, who are more experienced and cynical due to how often the public school system has let them down.
- Fatal Flaw: Janine’s is her attempts to please everyone at her expense of herself and her feelings.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: She is the responsible and educated to Ayesha's foolishness.
- Freudian Excuse: Her desperate need to make people happy and always succeed at whatever she sets her mind to stems from a very unhappy childhood, with a distant mother and bullies at school. She's also implied to have not had many friends growing up, which explains why she put up with Tariq for so long and tries way too hard with her coworkers.
- Freudian Slip: Janine calls Barbara "Mom" by accident, which may be an insight into why she's so eager for Barbara's approval.
- Friend to All Children: Janine really does have an uncanny ability to relate to children, and is shown to be very good at dealing with them.
- Go-Getter Girl: Endlessly strives uphill against the system to affect positive change in the school. No matter how many setbacks and naysayers she comes against. She is implied to have been like this as a child and teenager, too, considering how she is recalled as being an earnest suck-up who was also Wise Beyond Their Years.
- Height Angst: Janine is very short, standing at only around five feet tall, and while she doesn't seem very insecure about it, other characters will occasionally bring it up to mock her, mainly Ava who refers to her as "Lollipop Guild".
- Hidden Depths: A lot of Janine's personality is rooted in having grown up in an emotionally abusive home and having little to no lasting connection to her family. Much of what makes her "annoying" is her trying too hard to develop new relationships to replace the ones she never had.
- Ivy League for Everyone: Janine attended U Penn, impliedly via an academic scholarship. This largely serves as a shorthand for "smart kid from Philly".
- Lethal Chef: She's terrible in the kitchen—in one episode, her lunch consists of ramen noodles with peanut butter. Janine then explains that her mother never taught her how to cook, and Tariq, who she's finally broken up with, prepared all of their meals when they were together, so she never learned how.
- Light Feminine and Dark Feminine: Janine is the Light Feminine to Barbara's Dark Feminine. She's chipper, idealistic, always smiling, and downright hyperactive in contrast to the calm and collected Barbara.
- Motor Mouth: Oftentimes when Janine starts talking, it's impossible for her to be stopped. Even while Barbara is having an argument with her daughter, Janine continually tries to have a conversation with them.
- Naïve Newcomer: Janine is one of the newer teachers and is also optimistic compared to the senior teachers; however, this also bites her back when her hopes get dashed. Barbara and Melissa also point out explicitly that Janine is very naive and that it is one of her more "annoying" traits.
- Nice Girl: Easily the nicest character in the series and tries her hardest to see the best in every situation and every person. Gregory's first comment about her is, "She seems nice."
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Her constant meddling almost always backfires, usually due to her naivete and inexperience. "Juice" highlights this, pitting Barbara's "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality against Janine's desire to constantly try to improve things without thinking through the consequences.
- Older Than They Look: Janine is 25 years old, but her short height results in a lot of mockery about her age.
- Perpetual Smiler: She can almost always be seen with a hopeful grin on her face.
- Plucky Girl: Janine, whose relentless optimism sometimes irks her co-workers as she's prone to doing things outside of her capabilities to provide for her students.
- The Pollyanna: Janine is optimistic and often spends most of the plot hoping that her plans will eventually work out.
- She Cleans Up Nicely:
- She's a naturally pretty woman, but generally wears comfy, simple clothes that don't emphasize her looks that much, which makes sense because she's running after kids and working all day. When she dresses up as Marilyn Monroe's character from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Gregory has to pick his jaw up off the floor.
- When she dressed up to go clubbing with Erika, Gregory was not only reduced to stuttering, but Ava, who usually makes fun of Janine's style, told Janine she looked good.
- Stepford Smiler: In the Season 2 premiere, she's even more upbeat and energetic than usual. This turns out to be her being in denial about how much she misses Tariq and how much ending their relationship has disrupted her life. She continues to spiral with a smile on her face until she has a nervous breakdown and admits she needs help.
- Too Much Information: She compulsively overshares, which is probably a symptom of being a Motor Mouth.
- Wacky Parent, Serious Child: Janine is the serious, responsible child to her mother's wacky, rude, and irresponsible, and has been like that since she was an actual child.
- "Well Done, Daughter!" Girl: She has a difficult relationship with her mother, as alluded to in several episodes, including one in which she texts her mother repeatedly only to be ignored each time. As a result, she latches on to Barbara instead as a surrogate for her mother, even calling her "Mom" by accident in one episode.
- Western Zodiac: In the Pilot, Janine mentions that she is a Sagittarius. She has the impulsive, enthusiastic, versatile, and idealistic personality often ascribed to the sign.
- What Does She See in Him?: Nobody understands why a motivated and intelligent woman like Janine has stayed with a loser Manchild like Tariq for so long. After episode 8 of season one, however, it's clear that she's starting to question what she does, in fact, see in him. In the season one finale, she breaks up with him.
- Wide-Eyed Idealist:
- Janine is a very passionate teacher determined to do the best for her students. She is prone to big ideas that will help the school, even when more experienced teachers Barbara and Melissa (who are more cynical due to years of underfunding and lack of support) try to convince her otherwise.
- She also tends to see the best in people to her detriment. Janine pulls strings to hire a former "college friend" who was actually a self-absorbed jerk that viewed Janine as a token friend and who destroyed supplies that Melissa bought with her own money. Janine also stays in a relationship with an absolute loser of a boyfriend in Tariq.
Barbara Howard
Played by Sheryl Lee Ralph
"Janine, teachers at a school like Abbott... we have to be able to do it all. We are admin. We are social workers. We are therapists. We are second parents. Hell, sometimes, we're even first."
"I'm Barbara Howard, woman of God. I do my work, I go home. I get my nails done every week. And... I love teaching."
The oldest, most experienced teacher at Abbott, who leads a kindergarten class. Janine idolizes Barbara and looks to her as a mother figure, but she's almost universally beloved (and respected, and feared) across the neighborhood.
- Brutally Honest: Barbara doesn't mince words, as shown in the pilot.Ava: [In reference to Barbara never complaining or asking for things] What is your secret, Barb?
Barbara: Knowing there's not much you can do, Ava. -
The Cast Showoff: She's been given a few chances to sing, showing off Sheryl's impressive singing skills. Dipped into Self-Deprecation in one episode, where her extravagant, drawn-out version of "Happy Birthday" frustrated the students who wanted to get to the cake. - Cool Old Lady: Her age hasn't slowed her down one bit.
- Cool Teacher: Even in a school as dysfunctional as Abbott, she effectively commands the respect and attention of her students while still showing them the proper warmth a teacher should.
- Happily Married: In contrast to Melissa (who is divorced) and Janine (who has long outgrown the guy she's been dating since middle school), Barbara and her husband adore each other.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Melissa. The two have been teaching at Abbott the longest and have quite the bond, with the normally guarded Barbara weighing in on her personal life and Melissa saying Barbara is the one person at Abbott she'd kill for.
- Holier Than Thou: Barbara is very proud of her faith and strives to be a good Christian. She's a genuinely kindhearted and well-meaning person, but she can also be self-righteous and judgmental, and is almost always convinced she knows best. In "Egg Drop," she jumps to all kinds of wrong conclusions about a student's mother because she's heavily tattooed, casual about cursing, and wears revealing clothing. Ava of all people has to set her straight and remind Barbara that it's really none of her business. While she's not wrong to ask the mother to cover up the "BITCH" tattoo when she's in the classroom (something the mother herself concedes is fair), so long as the kid is safe and doing well in school, who cares what Mom does on her own time?
- Jade-Colored Glasses: In stark contrast to Janine, Barbara is unflinchingly cynical about the state of Abbott and the entire school system, and is focused on trying to make the most of what she has to work with rather than trying to fight against the tide.
- Light Feminine and Dark Feminine: Barbara is the Dark Feminine to Janine's Light Feminine. She's composed, cynical, serious, and elegant in contrast to Janine's Genki Girl personality.
- Mentor in Sour Armor: Reluctantly serves as Janine's mentor but does so with realism and the jaded POV that comes from a long career in the public school system.
- My Beloved Smother: Barbara generally has a good relationship with her daughter, Taylor, but she heavily disapproves of her career.
- Not So Above It All:
- She tries to live as righteously as possible, but years of funding rejections lead her to try Melissa's more backhanded methods. Turns out she's pretty good at it.
- She is a very prim-and-proper lady. But when attending out-of-town conferences, she prefers to blow off the actual events and spend the time boozing it up and lounging by the pool with Melissa.
- Parental Substitute: Janine would very much like her to be one, even outright admitting she envies Barbara's daughter for having been raised by her.
- Parents as People: Though she disagrees with her daughter's career, she still respects and loves her dearly.
- Pet the Dog: She's often exasperated by Janine looking to her as a surrogate mother, but she clearly cares for her, and when she realizes Janine has a terrible relationship with her actual mom, she becomes more accepting of the idea.
- Proper Lady: Barbara is a classical woman who sticks with the tried-and-true methods of teaching. She speaks in an elegant but firm voice, demanding the respect of her students and her classmates. She highly maintains her physical appearance and dresses in a striking but prim manner.
- Stern Teacher: She's strict, but fair. Her students respect her and don't dare misbehave in her presence, but she very clearly cares about them and looks out for their best interests.
- Technologically Blind Elders: Played with. She's old-school, and resents Ava pushing tech into her classroom. However, she's also insecure about seeming behind the times or incompetent, and doesn't admit to it when the new software completely baffles her. When she's caught, she's embarrassed until Janine points out that everyone is struggling with it.
- Token Religious Teammate: In her first appearance she calls herself a "woman of God" and is often shown to be the most devout of all the characters, by far the most likely to invoke her religion in decisionmaking. Several other characters show religious affiliations, but none come close to showing the same level of concern about it as her. Barbara is not particularly preachy, however, and she is very tolerant of Jacob being gay.
- Tranquil Fury: Barbara may have been put-together when she scolds Janine and Gregory for using her classroom's private bathroom, but you can tell by her voice that she is fuming.
- The Un-Smile: In "Juice", Barbara is furious upon finding Janine and Gregory using her classroom's private bathroom without permission that she demands they get out, all while smiling as she scolds them.
Melissa Schemmenti
Played by Lisa Ann Walter
"You Sicilian? Italian? You from South? Okay, you guys workin' with the cops? 'Cause you gotta tell me."
"I haven't spoken to my blackmailer in two years. Do I miss my sister? Yeah, every day."
A street-smart teacher from South Philly who has some unorthodox methods. She is the senior second grade teacher, which becomes a combined third and second grade in the second season.
- Actor Allusion: Scenes of her at home are heavily influenced by Lisa Ann Walter's role in The Parent Trap (1998), from the passion for cooking down to the outfit she's wearing.
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Despite their bitter relationship, Melissa and her sister Kristin still care deeply about each other.
- Batter Up!: She keeps a baseball bat duct-taped underneath her desk for emergencies.
- Berserk Button:
- Don't ask too many questions!
- Making ingredient substitutions in her family recipes really pisses her off.
- She loves the Peter Rabbit project she puts on every year, and Janine's friend Sahar ruining it very nearly drives Melissa to violence.Melissa: [holding a Doorstopper] Yeah, that'll work.
Janine: For what?
Melissa: To brutally bludgeon your friend.
- Deadpan Snarker: Melissa's very prone to dry and snarky remarks.Janine: Ava has a... unique approach to her job.
[Cut to an interview with Melissa.]
Melissa: She's bad at her job. What's unique about her is that she's bad at her job. - Everyone Has Standards: Melissa is a Stern Teacher who has no problem putting the fear of God into unruly students, but she clearly loves them and wants to do right by them. She's shocked when another teacher at Abbott actually kicks a student.Melissa: You do not hit a kid. It's, like, the one thing you don't do. You could threaten them. You can yell at them. Threaten the parents. Mildly embarrass them. I threatened a grandfather once... You just don't kick a kid.
- Experience Entitlement: Justified to some extent, as Abbott's high turnover rate means having some level of disdain for new teachers who, on average, don't stick it out for more than a year or two is to be expected. She even refuses to learn Gregory's name until she's convinced that he plans to stick around.
- Fiery Redhead: She has dark red hair and a passionate, hot-tempered personality.
- Friend in the Black Market: She has a guy for everything. At least some of them are actually her relatives.
- The Glorious War of Sisterly Rivalry: Season Two reveals that she has an estranged sister named Kristin Marie; they're actually both teachers and live very close to each other, but refuse to connect because of how Kristin acted when their grandmother was dying. "The Principal's Office" has Janine try to arrange a surprise reunion, and the two spend the entire time slinging insults at each other before Kristin storms out. After she leaves, Melissa remarks that she actually enjoyed the fighting, since it's her and Kristin's way of having fun.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Barb. The two have been teaching at Abbott the longest and have quite the bond, with the normally guarded Barbara weighing in on her personal life and Melissa saying Barbara is the one person at Abbott she'd kill for.
- Hidden Depths:
- She knows a lot about wine and is a surprisingly skilled cook, with a particular talent for making long-lasting meals on a budget. Her Italian heritage might explain it.
- "Fire" reveals that she is deeply obsessed with fire trucks, to the point where she derails her class so she can go outside and play on one. We learn this is because she has firefighters in her family and actually wanted to be one when she was little.
- Historical Character's Fictional Relative: Vin Diesel is her cousin. Being very Italian-American, she calls him "My Cousin Vinny" when Janine points it out.
- Knows a Guy Who Knows a Guy: She has a slew of back-channel sources to get things for Abbott. Many are goods that Fell Off the Back of a Truck.Melissa: I got a guy named Snake for chicken eggs, and a guy named Chicken for snake eggs.
- "L" Is for "Dyslexia": Season 2 reveals that she's mildly dyslexic and needs to highlight words and letters so she can anchor them to the page. She also mentions needing to read through things at least twice to make sure she properly understands the text.
- Lovable Rogue: Melissa always uses her back channel connections for good—usually to get supplies that the school doesn't have enough money for—and despite her short temper, she's a very caring person.
- Rambunctious Italian: She's an Italian-American who grew up in South Philly. Naturally, she's Hot-Blooded, a skilled cook, and has connections to the city's unions and The Mafia.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: A heroic example. Budget cuts and byzantine rules make it tough for teachers to get the resources they need to teach effectively, so she utilizes a network of connections outside of approved channels to obtain things like new rugs and school supplies.
- Serious Business: Cooking. She's extremely particular about the ingredients she uses in her dishes and won't permit any substitutions. It seemingly led to a bitter falling out with her sister Kristin Marie when the latter used the wrong potatoes in their grandmother's gnocchi recipe at said grandmother's wake (although it's revealed that the gnocchi was just the Last Straw for her: she was actually angry about how Kristin Marie abandoned the family while Nana Schemmenti was dying).
- Stern Teacher: She's a little scary, but she'll go to bat for her students any day, and would never cross the line into actual harm.
- Token Evil Teammate: Downplayed as she is definitely a good person but she tends to use some borderline criminal methods to solve problems.
- Vague Age: Invoked. She declines to reveal her age, simply calling herself a "divorced, none-of-your-business-year-old woman."
Gregory Eddie
Portrayed by Tyler James Williams
"Maybe the best thing for the school, in the long run, is for her to fail and they get a new principal. Not necessarily me. Just a new one. Who... is like me."
"It's like my dad always said. 'A real man doesn't ignore the root of the problem. Now pick that hoe up!' I hate gardening so much."
A substitute teacher was brought in as a temporary replacement for a teacher who kicked a student. He initially views his role as just a stepping stone to becoming principal and tries to remain detached from the goings on at Abbott. At the end of Season One, after growing to love the school and its students, he is hired as a full-time first-grade teacher.
- Aesop Amnesia: Gregory has to be reminded to lighten up regularly. Even after the season one finale where the lesson finally seems to stick, he still reverts to what he knows when faced with a new challenge.
- Almighty Janitor: As a long-term sub, Gregory isn't even a full employee of Abbott Elementary. However, he was initially hired as the school's principal for a very good reason. When he has to help Ava do her job to secure funding for the school, he manages to do more in a single afternoon than she has done all year.
- Aside Glance: A MASTER at these, especially given the Mockumentary format of the show.
- Audience Surrogate: Serves as the "new guy" and we see some of the worst of Abbott through his eyes.
- Caring Gardener: Due to being forced to work for his family business through his entire childhood, Gregory is an extremely knowledgeable gardener, but absolutely hates gardening. Even so, he's more than willing to secretly tend to Barbara and Jacob's garden when it's clear that they have no idea what they're doing.
- Character Development: In Season 1, he positively despises gardening, due to his childhood experiences, but secretly takes care of the school garden because he doesn't want his colleagues to fail at it. He slowly becomes increasingly passionate about it over the following two seasons, and even develops some of his own techniques, which impresses his father. When his father invites him to work at the landscaping business voluntarily over the summer, in a less-subservient role, he takes the job, and it's implied they bond over the experience. By Season 3, he's actually excited by gardening, and is thrilled to have a botanist in his class for Career Day.
- Chick Magnet: Aside from Ava, Gregory also gets hit on by one of the mothers of his students after he convinces her to bring him to school on time. He also begins dating Barbara's daughter, Taylor, midway through the first season. It also becomes increasingly clear that Janine has started to return his feelings as well.
- Cool Teacher: After spending some time at Abbott, his students start to see him as this. The turning point comes when Janine helps him realize the kids are drawing pictures of him because they like him.
- Crazy-Prepared: Deconstructed. He over-prepares for his first semester as a full-time teacher, scheduling every last second of the day, until Barbara points out to him how easily this can go awry from the most minor unexpected event. He has a minor Freak Out about this until he's reminded that he's working at an elementary school; dealing with the unexpected is his job.
- Deadpan Snarker: His ability to throw sarcasm and shade without changing his expression or tone makes him great at messing with his more high-strung co-workers. Especially Jacob.
- Defrosting Ice King: Gregory is initially emotionally detached from the rest of the teaching staff. This is mostly because he was hired as a long-term substitute teacher and expects that he will eventually leave the school. Throughout the first season, he starts warming up to the other teachers and his students (though he still keeps a distance and gives an Aside Glance whenever anything awkward happens). This is especially prominent towards Janine, who is one of the main reasons why he ultimately ends up staying with the school.
- Does Not Like Spam: Gregory doesn't like pizza, or pie ("Fruit should not be hot."), or ribs. Ironically, he's willing to take up a pizza date if it means spending more time with Janine.
- Enemy Mine: When Ava needs to make a plea to the school board for more funds he (through gritted teeth) reluctantly helps her despite her stealing his position (and constantly making him feel uncomfortable) for the greater good. Even withstanding the Superintendent's veiled promises to promote him to principal should Ava fail.
- Follow in My Footsteps: His father wants him to join the Family Business, landscaping, and derides Gregory's dream to become a principal.
- Freudian Excuse: In the Season Two episode "The Principal's Office," it's revealed that he was essentially browbeaten into being utterly serious and disciplined by his strict, controlling father. Gregory mentions that he was punished every time he did anything remotely childlike—such as making noise or having fun—and has become humorless and uptight as a result. Thankfully, his experience at Abbott seems to be loosening him up and showing him that the discipline he received did more harm than good.
- Green-Eyed Monster: He refuses to admit it, but when his friend Maurice starts dating Janine, he's clearly jealous.
- Heroic BSoD: Gregory goes into a major slump and begins questioning his career choices near the end of season 1 when he finds out Ava blackmailing Superintendent Collins is the real reason why he didn't get the principal job that he studied, trained, and was even hired for. He begins looking disheveled and acting unprofessionally (but only briefly).
- Hidden Depths:
- He opens up about having not done well in school, and not having felt very good about himself as a result.
- It turns out that, because of his father's business, Gregory is a really good gardener, but absolutely hates gardening because of how long and hard his father made him work.
- Now Allowed to Hug: From the start of the series, the emotive and enthusiastic Jacob attempts to befriend the more serious and reserved Gregory, with Gregory being reluctant partially out of professionalism and partially due to finding Jacob weird. However, over the course of the series, after getting to know each other better and working together the two get genuinely closer. In the season two finale, after Gregory talks to Jacob about his feelings for Janine and confides the fact they kissed at Pexa weekend, with Jacob encouraging him to tell her how he feels, the two share a brief "bro hug" as a sign of how far they've come.
- Picky Eater: The staff is shocked that Gregory doesn't like pizza. He doesn't like much of anything, and will only eat a very small, specific handful of meals.
- Plain Palate: He's already very picky about food, and the foods he does like are very plain (like boiled chicken). According to him, he doesn't like pizza because he hates the feeling of multiple different flavors in his mouth, and he dislikes pie because "fruit should not be hot". He also gets very excited about radishes, citing them as his favorite food because they are "bitter and dry".
- Ship Tease: With Janine. It's implied she's part of the reason he's stayed at Abbott so long and he's awkwardly tried to ask her out at least once, even though she didn't pick up on it.
- The Starscream:
- Hinted at least that he's heading in that direction; he's very much not pleased by Ava's leadership, or the circumstances that led to her being hired over him, and when the superintendent implies that he could take Ava's job, a sinister expression seems to fall over his face. In "The Principal's Office," the last scene of the episode has him sitting in Ava's chair and smiling, clearly imagining himself taking over the desk.
- In "Fire" he appoints himself interim principal when Ava runs off, despite several people reminding him he does not have the power to do so.
- Stern Teacher: Gregory has a highly-regimented, borderline militaristic approach to teaching. This is deconstructed, as his initial refusal to let loose or be emotionally available to his students actually makes him a less effective teacher, and is partially a result of the mismatch between his education/training and his current job. He only becomes good at his job when he learns to lighten up a bit.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: He's this almost despite himself. Even though he chose his career in education in direct opposition to his father's wishes, his overall demeanor and even the way he teaches are rooted in wanting his father to be proud of him. The fact that his father actually does become proud of him for going his own way while also excelling at gardening leads to their relationship warming considerably.
- When He Smiles: Not so much as "smile", but Jacob and Janine have a similar reaction to the trope when they see Gregory dance with his students at the F.A.D.E. presentation.Jacob: I don't think I've ever seen him experience joy before. It's... it's weird.
Jacob Hill
Portrayed by Chris Perfetti
"My boyfriend, Zach, calls me 'lovingly over-passionate'."'
"It's nice to see another male teacher in here. There's not a lot of us. Hey, now I got somebody to talk sports with. You like women's tennis? Or, as I call it, you know, regular tennis."
An idealistic young middle school history teacher hired at the same time as Janine.
- Birds of a Feather: He and Janine are both newer, younger teachers who have very similar enthusiastic and upbeat personalities especially when it comes to teaching and they both have intentions to make school a better experience for kids. Naturally, they get along very well and humorously enough they tend to annoy the older staff.
- The Bore: Downplayed in that he's actually very upbeat and energetic, but still manages to go on tangents the other teachers have no interest in. A frequent gag is for Jacob to reference something or start telling a story only for another character to cut him off, ignoring him.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: He's often awkward, naive, and overbearing, but Jacob is a good teacher and his students do like his class. Ava even ends up extending an audit of his class during Black History Month just so she can learn more from him.
- As gross as his "carrot cookies" seem, when Melissa actually tries one, she admits it's delicious.
- Butt-Monkey: Jacob's natural awkwardness often puts him at the butt of the jokes. One example is when Janine accidentally ends up hatching and setting free snakes in her classroom, the last two snakes are found in his jacket.
- Cool Teacher: He aspires to emulate "Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society and Robin Williams in Patch Adams" by becoming a fun and great teacher to the kids. He jumps at the chance to teach a gifted program and is enthusiastic about coming up with ideas. However, Jacob's attempts at being cool often fail through a combination of his awkwardness, his willingness to let the students make fun of him, and the school's various rules and policies. That said, while his students don't find him "cool", they do appreciate him because they know he cares about them and enjoy his lessons.
- A Day in the Limelight: "Story Samurai" reveals a little more about his background and shows him coming to accept himself and how corny he is.
- Deconstructed Character Archetype: Of the Mighty Whitey teacher in a Save Our Students film. He's firmly aware of all of the associated tropes, and as a result, has some strong White Guilt and a general fear of coming across as insensitive or messianic. At the same time, though, he struggles to resist his Wide-Eyed Idealist nature motivating him to help the students and be as cool as possible.
- Decon-Recon Switch: "Story Samurai" directly addresses Jacob's lack of self-awareness and subtle white savior complex, with Janine even outright comparing him to "Hilary Swank in Freedom Writers" and "Michelle Pfeiffer in Dangerous Minds".note However, it ultimately ends on a positive note: despite finding him corny, Jacob's students genuinely love him and consider him a great teacher. And despite his naive idealism, he's at least far more self-aware than the titular Samurai.
- Defector from Decadence: Jacob is implied to be from a wealthy family, but he teaches at an impoverished school.
- Embarrassing Nickname: His students call him "Mr. C", with the "C" standing for "corny." They mean it as a term of endearment, so he comes to embrace it as a sign of his student's affection.
- Enthusiastic Newbie Teacher: Like Janine, he's only been teaching at Abbott for a year when the series starts (he and Janine started working there at the same time), and his enthusiastic approach to teaching often clashes with the more experienced and cynical teachers. In Jacob's case, he really wants to emulate the kind of teacher Robin Williams played in Dead Poets Society, but he's usually too awkward to pull that off.
- Everyone Has Standards:
- Jacob may be a cringey White Liberal(tm) stereotype, but he genuinely doesn't look down on the people he teaches. He is extremely offended and upset when he meets fellow white teachers at a teacher's conference who see majority Black neighborhoods as something to "make it out of" rather than to enrich and celebrate.
- Even he finds the Educator of the Year Award committee's efforts to highlight the diversity of Gregory, Ashley, and the other teachers cringey and performative.
- Extreme Doormat:
- He has a hard time standing up to his students and often lets them make jokes at his expense. It's justified in that he's aware of his own race and fears the implications of a white man disciplining predominately BIPOC students.
- Jacob also has a hard time standing up for himself amongst the teachers, too. He immediately shrinks back when he notices that no one is responding to his jokes and opinions favorably. He's much more likely to go to the mat for other people, though.
- The Friend Nobody Likes: Downplayed, although with the exception of Janine and Gregory, the other teachers tend to get fairly annoyed by him.
- Friendship Moment: During "Sick Day", while Janine is out sick, the normally sweet Jacob does not appreciate Barb and Melissa openly badmouthing her with another teacher who actively dislikes her. He is indignant on Janine's behalf and defends her optimism, friendliness, and helpfulness. It's one of the few times we see him genuinely upset and it's because of how much he values his friend.
- Gay Best Friend: To the straight Janine and Gregory, Jacob is the more outgoing, expressive gay friend.
- The Grinch: He dislikes Christmas thanks to it has been miserable for him growing up, and isn't shy about expressing his distaste for it, which annoys Barb and Melissa. After Mr. Johnson calls him on it, he makes an effort to be nicer about it, since just because he doesn't like the holiday doesn't mean he wants to ruin it for his coworkers. Even he admits he was being "a Grinch." Barb and Melissa appreciate his efforts, and try to provide him with a positive Christmas experience.
- Hidden Depths: He is surprisingly pretty good at poker, even beating Melissa by pretending he doesn't know what poker is. He also effortlessly joins a game of double dutch, even making up a rhyme on the fly.
- Hurricane of Aphorisms: Quotes, specifically; he always seems to have some wise saying at hand from one source or another. Lampshaded in the first episode when Janine refers to him as "Ta-Nehisi Quotes."
- Informed Ability: In Season 1 Jacob makes a huge deal out of Janine being only a work friend and him having many friends outside work; come season 2 Jacob somehow has worse social skills than Greg and Janine and becomes very dependent on his Abbott friends.
- Nice Guy: The most sweet, innocent and naïve member of the cast, besides Janine. He rarely loses his temper, making him kind of a wet blanket. This sometimes gets him into trouble, such as his struggle to participate in games of The Dozens with his students.
- Odd Couple: Downplayed and Averted in "Desking," when Ava, Barb, Melissa, and Gregory meet his boyfriend Zach for the first time. Everyone is amazed that the exhausting Jacob is not only in a serious relationship, but living with someone. Ava takes this one step further by blurting out "Black?!" when Zach first walks in. After Jacob and Zach reveal that they are perfect for one another, and Zach is an expert at managing Jacob's tangents, they decide as one that they adore Zach.
- Politically Correct History:
- His attempt to sanitize the history of the labor struggles in South Philly pisses off Melissa, who happens to personally know several people involved in the uglier side of union organizing.
- The later episode "Valentine's Day" subverts this. A Black parent asks Ava to replace Jacob, arguing that a white teacher isn't capable of teaching Black history properly. When Ava sits in on Jacob's class, she finds out that Jacob encourages his students to question the traditional white supremacist historical narrative, even telling them to question his own authority, and that he teaches Black history year round.
- Pretty Fly for a White Guy: Jacob wants to be this, but is way too awkward and desperate to ever pull it off successfully. His attempts to relate to his students on this level only get him laughed at. He gets better.
- Save Our Students: Parodied and Downplayed; Jacob likes to view himself in this role, which puts him way out of touch with the school's actual problems and often makes him do more harm than good. Best shown when he briefly teaches a gifted class and is too wrapped up in indulging his fantasy of being "like Robin Williams from Dead Poets Society" to notice the detrimental effect the program is having on the other students. He ultimately becomes far more self-aware.
- Soapbox Sadie: Jacob always finds a way to wiggle social commentary (i.e. racial implications, environmental issues, health concerns, etc.) into his conversations and in "Wishlist", he absolutely refuses to have a broken printer thrown away because he believes he can fix it.
- Straight Gay: Jacob is gay, but he doesn't display any stereotypically gay traits (aside from
being a fan of Lady Gaga). - Token White: One of only two white characters in the main cast but unlike Melissa (who is completely comfortable in her surroundings) he is shown to repeatedly put his foot in his mouth as he tries to show how "woke" he is.
- White Guilt: His attempts at being "woke" often backfire, the look of horror on Jacob's face when Gregory teases him about accidentally implying that two Black people who share a last name are related speaks for itself.
- Wrong Genre Savvy: Thinks he's in a cross between Dangerous Minds and Dead Poets Society with him as the Cool Teacher who will "save" the kids. It's gradually dawning on him that he's a put-upon teacher in a Work Com.
- You Called Me "X"; It Must Be Serious: His students nickname him "Mr. C," aka, "Mr. Corny," but mean it as an Insult of Endearment. One of the very few times they call him "Mr. Hill" after the nickname is established is in "Mural Arts," when they're genuinely angry at him for overstepping and trying to control their art project.
Ava Coleman
Portrayed by Janelle James
"Aw, man. Why am I not getting these videos? I've done everything I possibly can to make my phone think I'm 22. I haven't used capital letters in years."
Janine: Ava's our principal. She has a... unique take on her job.
Melissa: She's bad at her job. What's unique is that she's bad at her job.
Melissa: She's bad at her job. What's unique is that she's bad at her job.
The irresponsible and self-absorbed principal of Abbott.
- Abhorrent Admirer: Played with. She's very into Greg and he is very NOT interested but despite her continued flirtations, she hasn't gone totally overboard...yet.
- Alpha Bitch: Routinely belittles and bullies her staff, especially Janine.
- Bad Influencer: She constantly prioritizes her (apparently significant) social media following and image over her actual job as a school principal, leading to neglect.
- Brilliant, but Lazy: Episodes like "Step Class" and "Sick Day" show that when she actually tries, Ava can be an effective leader, successfully teaching the step routine and subbing for Janine. It's just that most of the time she's more interested in her various side hustles (or completely slacking off) and can't be bothered.
- Brutal Honesty: She will be the first to shoot down any suggestion and doesn't hide behind niceties for a reason why.Ava: Don't mind me, I'm just here to make fun of you.Jacob: ... Thank you for the honesty.
- Character Development: Introduced as a Pointy-Haired Boss and obstacle to Janine for much of the first season, but starts to connect with her and reveal some more selfless traits in "Step Class." She's had plenty of jerk moments since then, but this is the first time we see a glimmer of something altruistic in her, and it's followed by more examples in later episodes.
- Conspiracy Theorist: Not to the extent of Mr Johnson, but Ava is a firm believer in aliens and conspiracies.
- Crazy Survivalist: Downplayed. Ava is a doomsday prepper, which seems incongruous with her fashion- and appearance-obsessed other hobbies.
- A Day in the Limelight: "Step Class," as mentioned above, gives Ava more to do and shows a more sincere side to her character as we see her genuinely get invested in the step program and take care of her grandmother.
- Dumbass Has a Point: Ava's hopelessly self-centered and often ditzy, but when she's right, she's right.
- Gregory is annoyed that Ava doesn't discipline students who get sent to her office, but instead lets them hang out for a bit before sending them back, often in better spirits. She replies that getting sent to the office in front of everybody is already humiliating for a kid, and in most cases, that's probably punishment enough. What's the point in making them feel even worse?
- Her methods of selling candy bars are a bit on the sketchy side, but they work, and the profits net a great field trip for the students. Encouraging the kids to overcharge for the candy bars and pocket the extra cash also incentivizes them to hustle more, which increases sales. Plus, the kids get a little spending money they probably otherwise wouldn't get, which Ava sees as a win in and of itself.
- Everyone Has Standards: Despite her carelessness and dedication to doing as little work as possible, when Barbara raises concerns about a student's mother and what kind of example she's setting, Ava immediately asks if Barb thinks the kid is actually in danger, in a tone that indicates she would've gotten involved if that were the case. (Fortunately, it's not, and Ava talks Barb down from being Holier Than Thou and pointing out that just because a parent is unconventional doesn't mean they're not a good caretaker.)
- Extremely Protective Child: Her grandmother is her Morality Pet, and meeting her is the turning point where Ava starts to become more sympathetic.
- Friend to All Children: As the series goes on, she develops a rapport and fondness for the students. She's still lousy at administration, and she'll tease the kids mercilessly, but she's also capable of being remarkably kind to them. She's good at leading step class and in general the kids seem to enjoy her company. "Fundraiser" reveals she regularly helps a student out with his lunch money and even getting a uniform that actually fits, since he confided in her that his family doesn't have a lot of money and can't afford the expense. It appears the kids are the one thing about her actual job that Ava likes.
- Hidden Depths:
- She's a selfish and flighty principal for the first eight episodes. The ninth reveals her to still be that, but creative and purposeful when given the right motivation (such as teaching the step class).
- She also has a mentally deteriorating grandmother that she's been taking care of.
- The final episode of Season 1 also reveals her to have a surprising amount of knowledge about paleontology - she tells the kids that birds are theropod dinosaurs, and chastises a zoo employee for not knowing that.
- The second season reveals she was poor growing up, and had to hustle a lot to get out of that situation. She's very proud of having done this and wants to teach the students to do the same, and Barbara trying to moralize to her about it is one of the few times we see her genuinely angry.
- In "Librarian" she reads and enjoys Slaughterhouse-Five, calling it "183 pages of pure fire."
- It's All About Me: She manages to make EVERY situation about herself.Barbara: I've seen her push students out of the way during a fire drill.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Maybe a heart of bronze. Still not the nicest or most empathetic person but Ava does sincerely try to get Abbott the discretionary funds when the superintendent tries to dismiss her. More of her nice moments are shown in Season 2, she votes for Janine's proposal to give the school more computers, she gives Melissa an aide when she struggles to have a double class, and even in The Principal's Office her reasoning for not disciplining isn't just that she doesn't feel like it but because she doesn't want students to feel bad about themselves for being called out by the teachers.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
- When it becomes obvious that Abbott will probably lose a lot of its funding because of her, she actually takes the situation seriously, and earnestly pleads the school's case, admitting that while she doesn't necessarily deserve the money, the kids do. It's very obvious that, despite not seeming to take her job that seriously, she does care for the children.
- While she's usually irreverent and rude to her employees, and sometimes annoyed by them, we rarely see her get angry. In "Fundraiser," when Barbara calls her a scammer and chastises her for teaching the kids her underhanded sales tactics, Ava is genuinely pissed, and lays into Barbara for being Holier Than Thou. She argues that when you're in a tight spot, you hustle and do what you have to in order to make your situation better—and you enjoy whatever perks you can snag for yourself along the way. She also reveals she came from a severely underprivileged background, like a lot of the Abbott kids, indicating that Barbara's comments offended her on a personal level.
- Even she is quick to call out the incomptent anti-drug speaker who manages to blunder through an anti-drug assembly committing gaffes like ranking which drugs are the "worst" and accidentally telling kids to smoke weed to bluntly telling everybody the medication a boy's mother has been prescribed is for herpes all in the space of about two minutes.Ava: Lady, are you high!?
- The Peter Principle: Parodied. Ava is a very obvious send-up of incompetent administrators of underperforming schools who somehow never manage to lose their jobs. It turns out that Ava was never even supposed to be principal in the first place, she simply blackmailed the superintendent into getting her a job.
- Pointy-Haired Boss: According to Barbara, she is just one in a long, long line of incompetent principals at Abbott. In the pilot, she uses the state's money to buy an impractical, expensive, and completely unneeded new sign (with her picture on it, no less!) for the school, when fixing some of the teachers' problems would have benefited her far more.
- Professional Slacker: It would be wrong to say that she's unenthusiastic about her job, but she certainly tries to avoid her actual job responsibilities as much as possible, focusing on using the school largely to buff her ego.
- Putting the "Pal" in Principal: Ava is the school's self-centered and social media-obsessed principal, who got the job not because she's a qualified educator but because she blackmailed someone. She's fun and casual with the students at the cost of them viewing her (or any of the other teachers) as an authority figure.
- While she is normally quite incompetent, the episode where she takes over the step class shows she is very friendly towards her young charges and is able to click with them well enough to get a surprisingly good dance routine going. It helps that she's not as mature as the rest of Abbott's staff.
- This attitude is explored in "The Principal's Office", where Gregory (a qualified educator who wanted her job) takes issue with the fact that Ava's office is a fun hangout spot and not a place of discipline. Ava counters by saying getting sent to the principal's office is humiliating enough and she wants to make it easier on the kids.
- Small Name, Big Ego:
- Thinks "directing" her own TikToks puts her in the same league as Ava Duvernay. (Or, as Ava puts it dismissively, "that other Ava chick.")
- She also thinks being principal means she literally owns the school.
- The Social Expert: Played with. Her one and only asset is that what she lacks in actual competence she makes up for in charisma and a vast understanding of social trends. In personal interactions, however, she comes off as having No Social Skills simply because she doesn't care enough to put in the effort.
- Took a Level in Kindness: After the incident with the public funding money, Ava does make an effort to be nicer, calling her nice would still be a bit of a stretch but she is way more approachable and more willing to help the teachers and students in season 2.
- Womanchild: Ava is what happens when a woman with the mentality of a teenager is tasked with helming a struggling elementary school. Malcolm, the new gifted student, even refers to her as "just a big kid."
Mr. Johnson
Portrayed by William Stanford Davis
"I like the news, because that's when I can say whatever I want and nobody asks any questions."
"A bet is a bet. I gambled away my house, my car, and my subscription to Horse Fancy. No one ever said, 'That's okay, Mr. Johnson. It was an honest mistake.'"
Abbott's eccentric custodian.
- Almighty Janitor: In addition to being a literal janitor, he's almost singlehandedly responsible for keeping the Abbott building running, and the situation can get very bad if he's not around to fix things. He's also led a hell of a life and seems almost supernaturally lucky, such as when he wins the basketball tickets AND the courtside trivia contest in "Teacher Appreciation."
- Berserk Button: Becomes very angry that Greg doesn't like pizza.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Calling him "eccentric" would be an understatement, and he does tend to slack off when he can get away with it. However, he's a supernaturally talented custodian who is keeping Abbott running almost single-handedly.
- Catchphrase: "That's trash" and variations of it.
- Cloudcuckoolander: Tends to say some pretty oddball stuff, especially when he briefly took over a class and began teaching elementary school kids about the Illuminati.
- Conspiracy Theorist: In the pilot, he (temporarily) becomes a substitute social studies teacher, and teaches a lesson about the Illuminati. He later has to be asked not to teach that there is a colony of lizard people living under airports when needed to sub again, and is implied to not believe in the moon.Mr. Johnson: [pointing to a whiteboard with the word "Illuminati" written on it] That's who runs the world, kids.
- Expansion Pack Past: He's led a colorful life and worked in many different professions. He says that it's the result of failing to achieve the corporate job he aspired to as a young man and that the experience has made him eager to explore new possibilities.
- No Full Name Given: Played for laughs. He's only ever referred to as "Mr. Johnson," to the point where he uses "MJ" as his initials (presumably the "M" stands for "Mister"). He even introduces himself to complete strangers outside of work as "Mr. Johnson." When Janine finally asks him about it, he enigmatically tells her to "look up at the stars."
- Renaissance Man: He has a wide variety of skills, largely because he's worked a wide variety of jobs over the years.
Recurring Characters
Tariq Temple
Portrayed by Zack Fox
- Alliterative Name: Tariq Temple.
- Childhood Friend Romance: He and Janine have been together since they were in middle school. This is not a good thing; the two are on very different tracks in life and have mutually incompatible personalities. They're only still together out of inertia, which Janine only realizes when she admits this to her coworkers.
- Drugs Are Bad: Janine gets him a job with F.A.D.E. — a parody of the D.A.R.E. drug prevention program — which employs him to inflict forced, heavy-handed rap lyrics about drugs on children.
- Foil: To Gregory. Tariq is well-meaning and friendly, but immature and irresponsible with no sense of direction in his life. Gregory is stoic, stable, thrives on routine, and has a laser-focused career path, but is standoffish and emotionally lacking.
- Friend to All Children: One of the few things he and Janine have in common. He appears to genuinely like kids, and they respond well to his music and sense of humor, which may have something to do with him being about as mature as they are.
- Gosh Dang It to Heck!: Tariq says "bleep" as a placeholder for certain words when he gives an anti-drug rap performance at Abbott.
- Hidden Depths:
- He's remarkably good with kids.
- Janine mentions he did all the cooking for them, mostly because she sucks at it.
- Despite initially seeming to move on from the breakup rather quickly, it's mentioned that Tariq made a memorial page for his and Janine's relationship, suggesting he took it harder than he let on.
- While he naturally gets carried away and needs some advice from Barbara, he is genuinely trying to act as a good step-father to the son of his new girlfriend.
- He appears to be a big fan of anime and manga as Janine notes that he has several anime-related toys and figurines such as Pokémon, Gundam, and Attack on Titan, and cared enough about the mediums to feel sad whenever Janine mixed them up.
- Innocently Insensitive: While he's by no means mean to the children, Tariq is however not good at keeping things appropriate when he talks to them: such as when he asked the kids to imagine one little girl dying as an example of drug use.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's lazy, immature, and self-centered, but not really a bad guy. He's affable and friendly, and seems to genuinely love Janine. He just isn't the right guy for her.
- Lazy Bum: Tariq, Janine's boyfriend who is a aspiring rapper that doesn't do his share in paying rent and takes advantage of Janine's kindness. She finally breaks up with him in the season 1 finale, which he takes surprisingly well.
- Manchild: He's childish, lazy, and prone to slacking on rent because he knows his girlfriend will pick up after him.
- Parenting the Husband: Janine acts more like Tariq's mom than his girlfriend. She's the only reason he's doing anything at all with his life, and she has to twist his arm to get him to take their finances seriously.
- Pursue the Dream Job: His stubborn pursuit of a rap career keeps him from finding an actual job. Janine getting him a job at F.A.D.E. is a compromise, especially since they apparently appreciate his lyrics' lack of subtlety. Or rhythm.
- Small Name, Big Ego: A nicer example than usual, Tariq thinks he's got talent when it comes to rapping but he's more of an amateur than anything. While he likes to brag he's almost never mean or arrogant about it.
- Took a Level in Kindness: Downplayed in the sense he was never intentionally malicious but season 3 show him starting to be more responsible and while he does not exactly know how a Parents Teacher association works, he still makes it as a way to help his step-son.
Zach
Portrayed by Larry Owens
- Beautiful Singing Voice: As shown in the first season finale when he riffs off "The Wheels on the Bus" as a chaperone on the school field trip.
- Beware the Nice Ones: After finding out Jacob was purposefully doing petty actions in order to anger him to get him to break up with him first so he wouldn’t have to do it, Zach is appalled and warns Jacob that he "unleashed the kraken", and he retaliates by shrinking his clothes and forcing him to find a new apartment.
- Big Fun: A big man and cheerful Nice Guy who's constantly seen smiling.
- Black and Nerdy: Just as much of a nerd as his boyfriend, to some shock from the teachers, but his main obsession is sneakers (and other shoes, to a lesser extent).
- The Ghost: He is first mentioned in "Work Family" as Jacob's boyfriend of two years, but he isn't seen in the episode at all. He does appear later in the season, however.
- That Reminds Me of a Song: In "Holiday Hookah," we learn that when Zach's in the middle of a song, he can only communicate with others by singing to that tune.
- Unseen No More: He's The Ghost in "Work Family", but he becomes a recurring cast member in later episodes of the first season.
- What Does She See in Him?: When Zach is introduced, this is Ava's reaction.Ava: So, he knew and he was like... "more"?
Denzel Collins
Portrayed by Reggie Hayes
The school's superintendent that Ava blackmailed to get her job.- Kick the Dog: While he has every reason to hate Ava (she did blackmail him), it's just plain petty of him to take it out on Abbott Elementary by cutting their funding. While this would certainly hurt Ava, it would also hurt the completely innocent teachers and students, as Ava herself points out. He doesn't care.
- Small Role, Big Impact: Although he only appeared in two episodes of the first season, Ava would have been able to become principal of the school as her job, had he not cheated on his wife.
Taylor Howard
Portrayed by Iyana Halley
Barbara's daughter.- Temporary Love Interest: She dates Gregory, but it doesn't last long due to there being No Sparks.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: She wants her mom to be proud of her, and is frustrated that she doesn't seem to respect her life choices.
Mr. Morton
Portrayed by Jerry Minor
An eighth-grade science teacher who works with Jacob.- Sitcom Archnemesis: To Jacob, whom he antagonizes when possible. To add insult to injury, Jacob claims that Mr. Morton dislikes him but nobody else believes him.
Kristin Marie
Played by Lauren Weedman
Melissa's estranged sister who works at a rival school.- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Despite their bitter relationship, Kristin and her sister Melissa still care deeply about each other.
Ashley Garcia
Portrayed by Keyla Monterroso Mejia
The teaching aide assigned to assist Melissa in season 2.
- Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: She's easily bored, goofs around with a classroom skeleton when she should be helping Melissa, and somehow didn't see a bunch of children steal sackfuls of candy that were right behind her.
- Big Fun: She's plus-sized and very cheerful and fun-oriented. The students love how she entertains them in class; too bad this is to the detriment of Melissa's actual teaching.
- Bumbling Sidekick: Melissa definitely sees her as one. Ashley loves teaching and gets along well with the students, but she is clearly uninterested in anything Melissa specifically asks her to do and never consults with Melissa about lesson plans.
- The Slacker: Ashley is very bad at being a teaching aide and prefers to play games with the students or use her phone rather than assist Melissa. Fittingly, she gets along swimmingly with Ava - a Professional Slacker.
- Womanchild: Even more than Ava, Ashley is extremely immature, to the point where she giggles after Melissa accidentally says "peepee."
Erika
Portrayed by Courtney Taylor
A friend of Janine's who is the aunt of a student.- Nice Girl: From what we see, she is the only real friend (outside Abbott) that doesn't have ulterior motives for their friendship with Janine. She is also a huge factor in teaching Janine how to have a more social life.
Draemond Winding
Portrayed by Leslie Odom Jr.
The owner of Legendary Schools, a charter organization that comes into conflict with Abbott after releasing an attack ad about the school's teachers.
- Affably Evil: To the point, he doesn't do anything illegal when he makes an ad portraying Abbott Elementary School in a negative light (even if he did trick them into signing contracts allowing him to do it). Even when confronted about it, he compliments Jacob by comparing him to Timothée Chalamet, tries to convince the teachers that he was only helping them, and still has a cordial talk with Barbara. Of course, even after he agrees to have the ad pulled, he privately decides that he's now planning on turning Abbott into one of his charter schools - but he still insists it's to help the kids.
- Freudian Excuse: He came from a severely underprivileged background to the point where he was jaded and cynical at the age of five. Aside from Barbara’s class, he had a horrible time in public schools until he was enrolled in a charter school he thrived in. This resulted in starting his own charter organization with the goal of converting every elementary school in Philadelphia to one.
- Jerkass Has a Point: As reprehensible as his actions are, he isn't wrong that Abbott has a lot of problems as an institution of learning, particularly the fact that Ava is clearly unqualified to be a principal.
- Misplaced Retribution: He is mad at Abbott for treating him badly when he was a kid...so he makes an ad portraying teachers he never had in the first place badly.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: In "Festival," Draemond crashes AVA Fest and attempts to use it to show the crowd how much better the school will be when it goes charter. However, the community quickly realizes he's full of it and unites against him, rallying around Abbott instead. Until Draemond showed up, the school was actually struggling to get people to oppose Legendary Charter, and their attempts to get the signatures they needed likely would have failed if he hadn't.
- Smug Snake: Talks and acts like Abbott's takeover is a foregone conclusion. At least until the events of "Festival."
Manny
Portrayed by Josh Segarra
A new employee of the school district who convinces Janine to work with them.
- Acquainted in Real Life: He and Janine were previously frequently interacted on educational websites' comment sections before meeting at Abbott.
- Commonality Connection: He mentions to Mrs. Howard how his mother was also an experienced teacher who was vocally disappointed with how her school district failed her. This revelation manages to make a dent in Barbara's defenses..
- Perpetual Smiler: Manny is always shown smiling no matter the situation.
- Sheep in Sheep's Clothing: He is set up as a Bitch in Sheep's Clothing who uses his niceness to hide the fact that the school district is incompetent and while the latter part turns out to be true, Manny is nothing but nice to Janine. He just is not what Janine needs in her life.
Emily and Simon
Portrayed by Kimia Behpoornia and Benjamin Norris
Employees of the School District of Philadelphia that work alongside Manny and (later) Janine.
- Those Two Guys: They are usually seen together, being the only other School District employees with any focus.
Others
Tina Schwartz
Portrayed by Kate Peterman
The former teacher at Abbott Elementary who was fired for kicking a child. She was later hired to work at Addington Charter School.
- The Bus Came Back: She turned out to have been hired at a charter school.
- Karma Houdini: She was fired from Abbott for kicking a student, but then got a job at the more prestigious and better-paying Addington, since it's a charter school and they don't have as many restrictions on who can be hired.
- Put on a Bus: She was fired after kicking a child out of frustration.
- Small Role, Big Impact: Although Tina was fired in the first episode and rarely appeared afterward, her firing led to her successor, Gregory Eddie, coming in as a substitute teacher for her class and becoming a major cast member. Not to mention that she is indirectly responsible for the Ship Tease between him and Janine to happen. Had she not "punted" a student, Gregory would not have been hired to take her place and met Janine.
- Would Hurt a Child: She kicked a child out of frustration, leading to her getting fired from Abbott.
Maurice
Portrayed by Vince Staples
A friend of Gregory who begins dating Janine midway through season 2.- Temporary Love Interest: He briefly dates Janine but they end things due to not being compatible and her having feelings for his friend.
Ayesha Teagues
Portrayed by Ayo Edebiri
Janine's estranged sister who lives in Denver, Colorado. She comes to Philadelphia to see Janine in season 2.- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Although she and Janine do have a brief argument with each other, they do love and care about each other.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: She is the foolish to Janine's responsible and educated. It is deconstructed as Ayesha is very bothered because everyone gave up on her making something of herself because she isn't like Janine, while for Janine, it always left her to pick up the pieces.
Vanetta Teagues
Played by Taraji P. Henson
Janine and Ayesha's mother- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Despite her neglectful relationship with Janine, she deeply loves her daughter.
- Mama Bear: She makes it clear to Ava during their first meeting that regardless of their estrangement, she won't tolerate her daughter being insulted.Ava: Damn, genetics are wild! You're cool and she—[Vanetta gives her a threatening look]Ava (scared): —you would beat my ass, wouldn't you?"Vanetta: Hm.[Ava runs away]Ava (Talking head): The key to never getting your ass beat? Knowing when someone can beat your ass.
- Parental Neglect: Vanetta doesn't respond to Janine's texts or take her offers to visit her unless she needs something. She doesn't remember anything Janine has told her before and has completely forgotten that Janine and Tariq have been broken up for over a year at that point. Plus when Ayesha was brought up, she very clearly sounds disappointed in her as if she were a lost cause. While Vanetta does love her daughter, it is made very clear she is not a good parent.
Cassidy Geoffrey
Played by Sabrina Wu
A new teacher taking Janine’s place in her former classroom.- Asian Airhead: They are of Asian descent and have a rather scatterbrained personality, leading Melissa to doubt their teaching qualifications. It doesn't help that they incorporate some bizarre classroom management skills, like having the kids scream their hearts out as a brain break.
- Friend to All Children: They are pretty good and friendly to the students in Janine’s class.
- Nice Person: Their very nice and helpful, including towards Melissa.
Rosalyn Inez
Played by Cree Summer
A librarian hired by the district for Abbott, being the first school to take part in a library program organized by Janine.
- Friend to All Children: She is very friendly with the students and even reads them their favorite books
- Nice Girl: She is very kind and helpful the others with their books they want to read.
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: Subverted, Barbara initially bumps heads with her due to the new policies she implements for the library, even threatening to file an official complaint. However, as Gregory points out, the new rules are only meant to make the library run more effectively (e.g., requiring that Barbara actually check out the books she takes to read to her students, requiring that she reserve space in the library before bringing her entire class in) and are fairly reasonable, regardless of Barbara's dislike of change.
