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Class is in session! This month, ABC premieres its new sitcom, Abbott Elementary, an Office-style mockumentary set in an underfunded public school in West Philadelphia. Series creator and star Quinta Brunson — who you may know from HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show — based the workplace comedy on the experiences of her mother, a retired kindergarten teacher who provided the inspiration for the show’s firm but loving teaching vet Barbara Howard, played by Sheryl Lee Ralph, 65. The educators at Abbott Elementary continue a long tradition of televised teachers that extends as far back as Our Miss Brooks. Here, 10 all-time greats who more than make the grade. Let us know about some of your favorite fictional educators in the comments section below.
Connie Brooks, Our Miss Brooks
Played by: Eve Arden
Why we love her: Best known to later generations as Principal McGee in Grease, Eve Arden played the sardonic high school English teacher, Connie Brooks, across radio, TV and film from 1948 to 1956 — even winning the first best actress Emmy in 1954. A groundbreaking sitcom, Our Miss Brooks was one of the first shows centered around a working woman, and she’s depicted as competent, sharp-witted and equal to (if not better than) her male peers. And the job itself is realistic and unglamorous, with Miss Brooks often lodging a complaint that still rings true today: She’s woefully underpaid.
Lessons taught: How to excel in the workplace at a time when domesticity was prized above all else; how to handle a buffoonish boss.
Watch it: Our Miss Brooks on Tubi
Pete Dixon, Room 222
Played by: Lloyd Haynes
Why we love him: Who wouldn’t want to be a student in Mr. Dixon’s American history class at Walt Whitman High School? Inside the four walls of the titular classroom, he doles out gentle wisdom about tolerance and community, but he isn’t afraid to also dive deep on the big important issues of the day, such as drug abuse, abortion, gay rights, racism, Watergate and the Vietnam War. In the early 1970s, there was something quietly revolutionary about a show focused on a Black male teacher, especially considering how many TV teachers who came before him looked more like Miss Canfield from Leave It to Beaver or Miss Crabtree from The Little Rascals. In addition to helping out his students, Mr. Dixon also serves as a mentor to student teacher Alice Johnson, played by Karen Valentine (74), who won an Emmy for the role.
Lessons taught: How to find commonality with people of different races; how to talk to your parents about tough subjects.
Watch it: Room 222 is not currently available to stream online, but you can buy the DVD on Amazon
Gabe Kotter, Welcome Back, Kotter
Played by: Gabe Kaplan, 76
Why we love him: Mr. Kotter has his work cut out for him when he returns to his inner-city alma mater, Brooklyn’s James Buchanan High School, to lead a remedial class of “unteachable” troublemakers, known as the Sweathogs. But he comes prepared: Years ago, he was a founding member of the motley crew. Despite his wisecracking jabs and constant sarcasm, Mr. Kotter serves as a role model for his students, both inside the classroom and out, and they often drop by his apartment — even through the fire-escape window — seeking advice.
Lessons taught: How to deploy a well-timed catchphrase; how to use your wit to disarm your enemies; how to prove the doubters wrong.
Watch it: Welcome Back, Kotter on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube
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