Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher

When wealthy Tyler refuses to invite Orlando to his party and mocks Orlando's cheap sneakers, Nick must prevent a fight. He finds out that Orlando is sensitive about being from a poor family. But after promising to buy lunch for Orlando, Nick gets an urgent call for an audition and cancels the lunch. Since Orlando bragged about going to lunch with a teacher, the other kids now insult him for being abandoned. Orlando furiously stalks off. Later, the other kids inform Nick that Orlando barricaded himself in the school's boiler room. When Nick tries to get him out, he discovers that the room is full of electronic supplies and valuables that janitor Lloyd has been stealing for years. Lloyd appears and almost chokes Nick before a security guard takes him away. Nick tells the others that Orlando found the stolen materials and was able to run for help, thanks to his sneakers. Orlando becomes the school hero, and Nick realizes that teaching is rewarding.

After flirting with beautiful Melanie Hale, Nick finds out that she is Tyler's divorced mother. Nevertheless, Nick dates Melanie, despite Mezz's warnings. Soon, problems arise. Tyler expects special treatment from Nick. When Nick scolds Tyler during class like a parent, Tyler is humiliated. Nick realizes that dating a student's mother is risky, and he apologizes to Tyler. Meanwhile, in an effort to achieve his goal of becoming the vice principal of the school, Fust tries to act nicer towards people.

Mezz warns Nick not to meddle in other people's personal lives; but when Nick teases Elana about her boring, predictable relationship with her fiancé, Roger, Elana believes Nick's comments and ends her marriage engagement. Nick tries to reunite the couple by getting them both to come to a school dance. But Elana realizes how much fun life is without Roger, and she rebuffs him. Elana tells Roger that she actually loves Nick. Nick, who is infatuated with Elana, joyfully declares his feelings for her. But later, Nick is disappointed when Elana tells him that she was pretending because Roger was present; she doesn't love Nick. Nick acts as if he were lying too. He realizes Mezz was right. Meanwhile, it's the first dance for Nick's students, and he must struggle to relieve their anxiety. Sarah and Orlando are the only ones who don't go as a ""couple"" -- and the only ones who end up enjoying themselves.

The imperious Dean of Discipline, Kurt Fust, tells Nick that he must take a study course in classroom management in order to continue teaching at the school. Although he is nervous about being a student again, Nick is even more upset to learn that his instructor is Fust. Fust enjoys making the class especially difficult for Nick. To prepare for the final examination that determines whether or not Nick will remain the kids' teacher, Nick studies all night with his friends Mezz Crosby and the beautiful and caring social studies teacher Elana Lewis. When Fust declares that Nick has failed because he incorrectly answered a particularly difficult question on educational theory, Nick's highly intelligent student Sarah enlightens Fust with the latest data from a psychological journal. To the delight of the kids in his class, Nick passes! Meanwhile, worried that she will be ostracized because of her superior intelligence, Sarah changes the topic of her class presentation from a classic literar

To promote unity among his class, Nick has the students prepare a presentation for the school on dental hygiene. However, when Orlando is awarded a lead role, Tyler vows to ruin the production. Rehearsals go so poorly that Fust threatens to dissolve Nick's class at the end of the semester. This motivates the kids to use teamwork and put together a great presentation. Meanwhile, when Nick cannot attend a sports event with Mezz, Nick gives his ticket to crafts teacher Yaroker, and Mezz is miserable when Yaroker tries to be his new best friend.

Fust judges a school art contest, in which the students must create a sculpture of someone they admire. No longer content to be overshadowed by his pal Tyler, Jared makes a bust of Fust and wins first prize--as well as Fust's overbearing praise. But the other kids tease Jared, so he steals the bust and hides it. While Fust searches for the sculpture, Jared confides to Nick that he hid it. Nick tries to hide the statue in his classroom and accidentally shatters it. When Fust finds a broken piece, he vows to punish everyone in the class unless someone admits their guilt. Jared confesses, but the other students each claim to have broken it too. Finally, Fust gives up. The students consider Jared a hero because they think that he was sacrificing himself to protect Nick. Meanwhile, Yaroker exaggerates his personal qualities when he registers with a dating service.

Nick returns from summer vacation to discover that the middle school has become the Gerald R. Ford High School for troubled teenagers, and immediately locks horns with the new principal, brilliant Dr. Katherine Emerson. She is a college professor from the Midwest who has written a book about urban education but has yet to test her theories in real life -- and is unimpressed with Nick's unorthodox teaching style. Already at a loss over how to reach the older students, Nick suffers a bigger loss when Elana calls to end their relationship.

When Marco is too upset over the end of his relationship to complete a poetry assignment, Nick discusses his own failed relationship in an attempt to relate to Marco better. Nick hopes that this will prove to Emerson that his unusual teaching techniques are effective. However, problems occur when Nick unwittingly asks Marco's former girlfriend out on a date. Meanwhile, Mezz concocts a potion to help Miles attract girls. Unfortunately, Emerson's attempts to get to know the students personally cause Miles to assume that he has attracted Emerson.

When his students mischievously use the school's public address system, Nick makes excuses for them, hoping to become their friend. Mezz warns him that once the students consider him a friend, they won't respect him as a teacher. Nick finds out that this is true when he encounters underage Sophia at a nightclub and ruins her evening by making her leave. The students get revenge on Nick by misbehaving during Emerson's evaluation of Nick, jeopardizing his job.

When Emerson adds a newsletter to the curriculum, Nick asks the kids to write articles on whatever is important to them. Tasha surprises everyone with her poignant story about living in a housing project. But Nick must find a way to help her when its discovered that she fabricated the entire story to gain acceptance from her classmates. After Jordan writes about his relationship with Sophia, Marco demands that he prove that it is true by bringing Sophia's bra to school. And Miles expounds on what it is like to quit smoking cigarettes. Actually, he is only wearing a nicotine patch because he thinks girls admire someone who is overcoming a habit.

When Nick learns that a producer is looking for a real teacher to host an educational local television show, he thinks he will finally achieve his dream of being an actor. During Nick's in-class audition, Mezz uses dry ice to provide a dramatic background to Nick's lesson--and the producer hires Mezz instead. Nick is disappointed but urges Mezz to accept the job. Mezz insists that Nick be included in the show in some way. During the fancy live show that mixes entertainment with science, Marco serves as Mezz's cohost, and Sophia and the other girls dance. Nick's role is to demonstrate the effect on motor coordination of drinking too much alcohol. But when he gets drunk, Nick berates Mezz on the air for ruining Nick's opportunity. The show is canceled. Later, Mezz and Nick reconcile. Nick agrees to express his feelings more, and he also realizes that he is perfectly happy teaching instead of acting. Meanwhile, Jordan plans a school calendar featuring sexy photographs of his female classm

When Sophia is terminated from her part-time job at a fast-food restaurant, Nick helps her and the other students realize what they would love to do for work. Sophia gets a job at a cosmetics counter--a job she loves so much that she quits school. Nick feels very guilty about Sophia's decision and is preoccupied with it during a date with Emerson's pretty cousin.