Barbara has always been the unofficial sensei for many of Abbott Elementary’s teachers, and now the series is setting things up so that Janine has taken her place. The new season sees new characters join Abbott’s halls, leading to a brief identity crisis for Janine. With a few changes to the start of the school year, Janine took a note from Barbara’s book and realized she could be the mentor that younger teachers need.
Janine Teagues Takes Barbara Howard’s Place As Mentor
Janina Teagues smiling in an episode of Abbott ElementaryCredit: ABC via MovieStillsDB
Season 5 of Abbott Elementary premiered with “Team Building.” The elementary school was mandated to go through a series of trust exercises for Development Day. A new teacher, Dominic (Luke Tennie), joined their force, and happened to be one of Barbara Howard’s former students from 20 years ago.
Janine assumed Barbara was going to have a meltdown for being one of the oldest teachers at school, especially now that she was working with a former student. On the contrary, Barbara welcomed Dominic with open arms and was excited for fresh talent at the school.
Janine, on the other hand, was the one having an identity meltdown. With Dominic around, she was no longer the new teacher with bright ideas. She saw herself losing a place with Barbara and didn’t know what that meant in the long run.
Janine appeared to be the only one who felt inferior to Dominic, as Jacob Hill (Chris Perfetti) was too busy preparing Melissa Schemmenti for what to expect with an older class. Janine’s fixation on being Barbara’s favorite was her only mission on Development Day.
By the end of the episode, Dominic expressed to Janine how nervous he was about the school year as a new teacher, and he could use all the help he could get. It was at that moment that Janine realized that she could be the new Barbara. Instead of pushing Dominic to go to Barbara for his needs, she offered her services:
“This is who I am now. I don’t have to be a grump. I can be me and be a mentor. I’m gonna put the “me” in mentor. Me-ntor. The teacher has become… the teacher.”
Now that Barbara is excited about fresh teachers at Abbott Elementary, and Janine is on her way to being the new Barbara, the show is quietly setting up Barbara’s exit. After all, Barbara has come full circle now that her students are teaching alongside her.
If Janine Teagues Is The New Sensei, Where Does That Leave Barbara?
Sheryl Lee Ralph as Barbara Howard walking down stairs in Abbott Elementary season 4, episode 2, “Ringworm.”
If Janine Teagues becomes a mentor for the younger teaching staff, that leaves Barbara Howard with more time on her hands. Barbara is the go-to person for Jacob Hill, Gregory Eddie (Tyler James Williams), and Janine’s quandaries, but the longer they teach at Abbott, the more confident they are, and the less needed Barbara is.
Without constant interruptions from the core characters, Barbara will wonder where she fits in. There has been a lot of talk about changes in season 5 of Abbott Elementary, and it could mean that Barbara is on her way out.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that Barbara is no longer a part of the series. It could mean, however, that Barbara has a different position at Abbott Elementary, or even the school district.
Realistically, she could retire from teaching and focus on being a volunteer music teacher. Season 4 saw Barbara take over the volunteer music position after the original teacher left. And while it wasn’t exactly what she had in mind, she changed her tune in season 5.
The premiere of season 5 showed Barbara getting excited to teach music to a new group of students. She also got outside of her comfort zone and learned more about today’s students’ interests to be a better teacher.
In an exclusive interview with EW, Quinta Brunson shares that season five will see Barbara in a new arc. Janine had her big moments in season three, and season four was all about Ava. Now in season five, it’s Barbara’s time to shine. Whether that arc keeps her at Abbott or not is unknown to viewers for now.
Brunson explained that Barbara had been playing around with the idea of retiring for quite some time and thought about it more deeply last season.
“She kind of bumped up against the thought last season, and it felt like she landed in a place of being rejuvenated by this new music club that Ava dropped into her lap. So, she’s in a much more positive place this season.”
As a senior teacher, retirement will always be in the back of her mind, but for now, she will be a part of Abbott Elementary season 5.
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