Who is the new teacher in ‘Abbott Elementary’? Season 6 Episode 1 unveils major staff changes
'Abbott Elementary' Season 6 premiere brought many changes. Episode 1, titled 'Jungle Classroom,' featured new-look classrooms, old people in new roles, and a new teacher. It introduced 'American Housewife's Katy Mixon as Elsa Hardaway, a new teacher, and Melissa Schemmenti's (Lisa Ann Walter) latest rival. The pink tracksuit-clad character made an impression when she drove Melissa away from her classroom. After Elsa declared, "I'm not going anywhere," a back-and-forth battle for the first-floor classroom began. Nobody was ready to give up. Melissa eventually confessed that she needed to stay on the first floor because of a recent injury. Even honesty failed to get Melissa what she wanted.
Things finally started to look up for Melissa after she discovered Elsa's crush on Morton (Jerry Minor). She pointed out that the upstairs class was right across the hall from Morton's classroom, and Elsa agreed to the exchange. The chemistry and camaraderie were so good that it wouldn't be shocking if Katy Mixon popped in these halls again. Elsewhere, Gregory Eddie (Tyler James Williams) was adjusting to his new role as Assistant Principal. In this new position, he immediately clashed with Ava Coleman (Janelle James), Abbott Elementary's principal. She was irked when Gregory suggested bringing some portable air conditioners into the building. Ava warned him the superintendent likely would not listen, but Gregory did not give up.
At first, Gregory called the District Office, but that did not work. Then he took up his cause on the golf course where the superintendent was playing. He put out his demands, and to his and Ava's shock, the superintendent agreed. It was not all hunky dory for Gregory, though, as he realized at the end of the premiere that the teacher he hired to replace him is actually AI. This meant he would have to do double duty as both a teacher and Assistant Principal for the time being. The Ava-Gregory storyline ended with an interesting revelation. Ava informed Gregory that she knew about his plans to propose to Janine Teagues (Quinta Brunson).
Janine spent the entire episode deciding whether to go ahead with the plan to turn her classroom into a jungle getaway. People around her dissuaded her, but Mr. Johnson's (William Stanford Davis) sweet words gave her the confidence to persevere. The premiere also featured Barbara Howard (Sheryl Lee Ralph) being hit by a car, and Jacob Hill (Chris Perfetti) looking for a crossing guard in the aftermath. 'Abbott Elementary' airs every Wednesday at 8:30/7:30c on ABC.
