Barbara Howard is a fictional character portrayed by Sheryl Lee Ralph in the TV series Abbott Elementary.
In the first episode they appeared in, titled Pilot (season 1), they were 64 years old.
They appear in 36 episodes out of a total of 49 aired so far and have accumulated 34020 positive votes.
The character of Barbara Howard is mainly associated with Melissa Schemmenti, Janine Teagues and Jacob Hill.
Episodes36
Pilot
episode S1.E1 december 2021A group of passionate teachers - and a slightly tone-deaf principal - are determined to help their students succeed at a Philadelphia public school.
Light Bulb
episode S1.E2 january 2022Janine takes it upon herself to fix every problem when she notices a flicking light bulb in the hallway; Gregory asks Barbara for help talking to a parent, which leads him to spend his lunch period in an unexpected way.
Wishlist
episode S1.E3 january 2022The teachers to ask the local community for new school supplies; Janine encourages Gregory to decorate his classroom.
New Tech
episode S1.E4 january 2022When a new computer program is introduced at Abbott, Janine is excited to finally help Barbara with something; Barbara is reluctant to accept change and finds herself in a tricky situation; Melissa surprises Jacob.
Student Transfer
episode S1.E5 january 2022After a negative teacher review, Janine gets a confidence boost when a student gets transferred from Melissa's class into hers; Jacob tries to forge a friendship with an uninterested Gregory.
Gifted Program
episode S1.E6 february 2022Janine convinces Ava to start a gifted program at Abbott led by Jacob; Barbara pushes a hesitant Melissa to start dating again.
Art Teacher
episode S1.E7 february 2022Janine is thrilled when her best friend from college is hired as the art teacher; Jacob and Barbara decide to start a school garden.
Work Family
episode S1.E8 february 2022After Jacob reveals a detail about his personal life, Janine realizes she doesn't know the other teachers as well as she thought; Gregory's stern teaching approach is causing his whole class to underperform.
Step Class
episode S1.E9 february 2022Ava asks Janine to help her teach the after-school step class, but they don't agree on how to run the program; Gregory must reveal a secret when Barbara, Melissa and Jacob plan a pizza "eat-off."
Open House
episode S1.E10 march 2022Janine prepares to meet her student's mother during open house, while the rest of the faculty uses the time to relax; Gregory is taken aback when he learns how Ava got the principal job; Barbara's daughter's visit creates a commotion.
Desking
episode S1.E11 march 2022When the students start participating in a new online trend that causes disruption to the school, the teachers band together to put an end to it; Mr. Johnson provides comforting life advice to Gregory; the teachers meet Jacob's boyfriend.
Ava vs. Superintendent
episode S1.E12 april 2022With the school board threatening to pull their funds, Janine and Gregory decide to help Ava with her presentation; their plan is derailed when a curveball is thrown; Barbara offends Melissa when she doesn't agree with her blackmail idea.
Zoo Balloon
episode S1.E13 april 2022While on Abbott's annual zoo field trip, Tariq reveals that he has been offered a job in New York; Janine struggles with a big choice; Barbara starts questioning her future after finding out her favorite tuatara has been retired.
Development Day
episode S2.E1 september 2022The teachers are back for development week, a time to prepare for the upcoming year; Janine is determined to start the year off right and leave her problems at home; Ava runs a side hustle out of the school parking lot.
Wrong Delivery
episode S2.E2 september 2022Janine is determined to make Abbott Elementary look just as good as a new charter school; Gregory goes out of his way to avoid Barbara; Ava hosts an event to help decide what to do with the rest of the funds from the grant.
Story Samurai
episode S2.E3 october 2022A travelling storytelling troupe Jacob used to be in visits Abbott Elementary for a day of education and entertainment; Melissa struggles with the new normal of her combined second and third grade class.
Principal's Office
episode S2.E4 october 2022After Gregory sends a disruptive student to the principal's office, he discovers the kids actually enjoy spending supposed disciplinary time with Ava; Melissa invites Janine over to her house to teach her how to cook.
Juice
episode S2.E5 october 2022Janine is thrilled to help introduce a new beverage to the cafeteria, but it ends up causing unexpected consequences; Melissa clashes with her new aide, Ashley, who brings more disruption than help to the classroom.
Candy Zombies
episode S2.E6 october 2022A student steals a bag of candy meant to be given out to the kids at the end of the day and starts distributing it during school hours; Janine is invited to a Halloween party by an old friend and starts to reconsider her personal life.
Attack Ad
episode S2.E7 november 2022The teachers are appalled after seeing a commercial in support of charter schools criticizing Abbott Elementary; Janine and Gregory talk about Janine's relationship with Tariq.
Egg Drop
episode S2.E8 november 2022When the eighth grade science class participates in an egg drop activity, Janine insists her second grade class join in; Barbara is shocked at the clothing one of her student's parents wears.
Sick Day
episode S2.E9 november 2022Janine is out sick for the day, so Ava grows desperate and must step in to help out; Barbara and Melissa revel in the quieter-than-normal teacher's lounge.
Holiday Hookah
episode S2.E10 december 2022Janine is convinced by a friend to go to a popular hookah club where she runs into unexpected colleagues; Jacob crashes Barbara and Melissa's traditional holiday dinner and in the process begins to learn the true meaning of Christmas.
Read-a-Thon
episode S2.E11 january 2023Competition heats up between Melissa and Janine as their classrooms vie to win the read-a-thon pizza party. Meanwhile, Jacob and Gregory join forces to get their student-podcasting club off the ground.
Fight
episode S2.E12 january 2023Two of Janine's students aren't getting along, leading her to seek advice from her colleagues on how to help repair their friendship; Melissa and Ava plot to bring down Mr. Johnson in fantasy football.
Fundraiser
episode S2.E13 january 2023Barbara organizes a candy-selling fundraiser to raise money for a school field trip to the science museum; when sales don't go as planned, Ava steps in to teach the students new, unconventional selling tactics.
Valentine's Day
episode S2.E14 february 2023The Abbott teachers discuss their relationships and plans for Valentine's Day; Janine finds out one of her students has a crush on her; Ava sits in on Jacob's Black History class after receiving a complaint.
Fire
episode S2.E15 february 2023Barbara's candle accidentally starts a small fire in the teacher's lounge, and a counselor suggests that she might not be handling the aftermath well; Melissa rekindles her childhood dream of being a firefighter.
Teacher Conference
episode S2.E16 february 2023Staff members head to the Pennsylvania Educational Conference; Gregory reluctantly attends after a disagreement with Amber; Jacob finds himself charmed by the Addington teachers.
Mural Arts
episode S2.E17 march 2023Jacob secures a visit from a mural arts program for his students; Barbara and Melissa learn parents are petitioning to turn Abbott into a charter school.
Teacher Appreciation
episode S2.E18 march 2023On Teacher Appreciation Day, the district gives Abbott two courtside tickets to a 76ers game and the teachers must decide who deserves them; Janine invites the teachers to her house for game night and her sister, Ayesha, comes to meet.
Festival
episode S2.E19 march 2023Abbott Elementary rallies together to fight the threat from Legendary Charter Schools; Ava pitches a festival to draw parents to school and collect their signatures for a petition, but Draemond shows up with the intention of derailing the event.
Educator of the Year
episode S2.E20 april 2023Gregory is named Educator of the Year; Janine deals with a difficult student; it is revealed that Barbara hasn't completed her teaching requirements.
Mom
episode S2.E21 april 2023Janine's plan for a Memorial Day weekend solo trip is derailed when her mother shows up unannounced asking for help; Gregory notices his colleagues are great at small talk and realizes he needs to brush up on his people skills.
Franklin Institute
episode S2.E22 april 2023Abbott Elementary takes a field trip to the Franklin Institute; Gregory is eager to spend time with a reluctant Janine; Ava teaches the students about aliens, which leads to chaos.
Career Day Part 1
episode S3.E1 february 2024Janine plans a district-wide initiative -- Career Day -- and is anxious for it to be a success.
- Pilot
- Light Bulb
- Wishlist
- New Tech
- Student Transfer
- Gifted Program
- Art Teacher
- Work Family
- Step Class
- Open House
- Desking
- Ava vs. Superintendent
- Zoo Balloon
- Development Day
- Wrong Delivery
- Story Samurai
- Principal's Office
- Juice
- Candy Zombies
- Attack Ad
- Egg Drop
- Sick Day
- Holiday Hookah
- Read-a-Thon
- Fight
- Fundraiser
- Valentine's Day
- Fire
- Teacher Conference
- Mural Arts
- Teacher Appreciation
- Festival
- Educator of the Year
- Mom
- Franklin Institute
- Career Day Part 1
Best moments10
- When a new computer program is introduced at Abbott, Janine is excited to finally help Barbara with something; Barbara is reluctant to accept change and finds herself in a tricky situation; Melissa surprises Jacob.
- Janine's plan for a Memorial Day weekend solo trip is derailed when her mother shows up unannounced asking for help; Gregory notices his colleagues are great at small talk and realizes he needs to brush up on his people skills.
- Janine is thrilled to help introduce a new beverage to the cafeteria, but it ends up causing unexpected consequences; Melissa clashes with her new aide, Ashley, who brings more disruption than help to the classroom.
- Barbara's candle accidentally starts a small fire in the teacher's lounge, and a counselor suggests that she might not be handling the aftermath well; Melissa rekindles her childhood dream of being a firefighter.
- The teachers are appalled after seeing a commercial in support of charter schools criticizing Abbott Elementary; Janine and Gregory talk about Janine's relationship with Tariq.
- Janine is determined to make Abbott Elementary look just as good as a new charter school; Gregory goes out of his way to avoid Barbara; Ava hosts an event to help decide what to do with the rest of the funds from the grant.
- The teachers to ask the local community for new school supplies; Janine encourages Gregory to decorate his classroom.
- Janine prepares to meet her student's mother during open house, while the rest of the faculty uses the time to relax; Gregory is taken aback when he learns how Ava got the principal job; Barbara's daughter's visit creates a commotion.
- Janine takes it upon herself to fix every problem when she notices a flicking light bulb in the hallway; Gregory asks Barbara for help talking to a parent, which leads him to spend his lunch period in an unexpected way.
- A group of passionate teachers - and a slightly tone-deaf principal - are determined to help their students succeed at a Philadelphia public school.
- New Tech
- Mom
- Juice
- Fire
- Attack Ad
- Wrong Delivery
- Wishlist
- Open House
- Light Bulb
- Pilot