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.

Nick's rapport with the students prompts Emerson to ask him to teach a seminar on human sexuality. However, Nick encounters trouble when the kids' desire for a frank and honest discussion conflicts with the strict guidelines of the school district. In particular, Tasha craves advice because her boyfriend Trey is pressuring her to have sex with him. Nick closes the door and tells the students what they need to know. Later, Tasha's parents mistakenly think that Nick has told Tasha that it's okay for her to have sex. But Tasha and her boyfriend actually listened to Nick's advice to wait. Meanwhile, Miles is grateful when Marco defends him from a school bully. But when Miles later purposely seeks out a confrontation with the bully, Marco refuses to help Miles, teaching him not to take advantage of a favor.

Nick's former geometry teacher Mr. Farb is hired to teach at Gerald R. Ford High School. Still remembering the constant verbal abuse he suffered in Mr. Farb's class, Nick defends Jordan when Mr. Farb chooses him as his new class victim. However, Farb easily outwits Nick by gaining Emerson's favor. Meanwhile, Sophia and Tasha must build a birdhouse for Yaroker's class. Sophia convinces Marco to construct the project for them, but Tasha believes that girls are just as capable at carpentry. When Sophia sees Marco's handiwork, she agrees.

When the school experiences a severe budget crisis, Emerson announces a carnival to earn revenue. While everyone is planning the event, Jordan begins arriving late to school and failing to do his homework. Nick meets with Jordan's parents and discovers that Jordan may be unhappy because they constantly bicker. Nick thinks he has helped Jordan's parents' relationship, but Jordan later blames Nick for their upcoming divorce. Even worse, Jordan ignores his friends and drinks alcohol during school. Meanwhile, the budget problems seem to have no effect on Mezz, who easily acquires all the supplies he requests from Emerson. But Mezz soon realizes that Emerson is overcompensating because he is black and she is afraid of treating him differently.

Frustrated by her poor grades, Sophia shuns her friends' study group and joins a violent gang instead. However, she must decide who her real friends are when the gang's initiation requires her to beat up Tasha. Meanwhile, Nick becomes enamored with the attractive school nurse. And Yaroker tries to contract influenza so he won't have to come to work.

Jordan becomes the star of the wrestling team when he qualifies for a lower weight class, enabling him to win more matches. Although he enjoys the attention, especially from Sophia, he must literally starve himself before each contest. Meanwhile, Emerson must act as a referee between Sophia and Tasha, who insult each other using the school newspaper as their forum.

During a tutoring session, Tasha and Marco kiss, and he becomes infatuated with her. But Tasha explains that she wants to remain just friends, something that Marco is not accustomed to hearing. He does everything he can to gain her love. Meanwhile, despite Nick's protests, Mezz invites Emerson to come to a sports bar with Nick and him. Nick becomes competitive when Emerson easily beats him at pool.

Nick discovers that the ""prayer group"" Jordan is conducting in the classroom is actually a gambling operation, and that Jordan owes unscrupulous moneylender Foster a huge amount of money. When the police get involved, they use Nick to capture Mr. Foster at an Italian restaurant where Miles works after school.

Although Sophia's wealthy new boyfriend Michael seems to be the perfect guy, he always takes her to places where he knows she won't meet his friends. Fearing that he is ashamed of her background, Sophia convinces Michael to bring her to a party hosted by his friends. For emotional support, Sophia brings Marco, Miles, Jordan and Tasha. When Michael condescends to Sophia's friends, she realizes she no longer wants to date him. Meanwhile, Nick becomes so mesmerized by an expensive cashmere jacket that Mezz agrees to charge it to his credit card if Nick promises to return it within three days -- not realizing that the jacket has a magical quality that no one, not even Yaroker, can resist.

Sophia adores the baby of her friend Annie, until Sophia must baby-sit during a study session at Sophia's home. When Annie doesn't return until the next morning, Sophia confronts the reality of parental responsibility. Meanwhile, Mezz finds out that grouchy Yaroker has a weakness for cute babies. Nick's love life couldn't get worse when his first date with a woman is also his last with her. Emerson advises him, suggesting that Nick may be afraid of commitment.

All Nick's worldly possessions are destroyed when his apartment building burns down. Forced to move in with Mezz, a nearly penniless Nick contemplates his past and future. He worries that his life has no meaning and writes a play that he hopes will impress people. At first, everyone avoids admitting to Nick how terrible his play is. Mezz belatedly tells him the truth after Nick spends his meager savings to rent a theater for the play. Meanwhile, Sophia's talented sisters Gina and Maria prepare to leave New York and move to Los Angeles to pursue singing careers. Sophia, who sings with them, resents being left at home because she is too young. But Sophia's own vocal ability is indispensible when the school hosts a successful benefit for the destitute Nick at the theater he rented.

When Nick meets Samantha, the sexy maintenance supervisor of his new apartment house, he purposely breaks things so he can see her when she comes to fix them. However, his attempts to start a romance may cause trouble when he realizes that he is overburdening Samantha with his requests. Meanwhile, Tasha dates Johnny, the star of the basketball team. Despite Johnny's persistent demands that she have sex with him, Tasha refuses. Rather than admit that Tasha ended the relationship, Johnny starts a rumor about Tasha.

Now that Nick is dating his maintenance supervisor, Samantha, who is also an artist, he jealously chases away a male model that Samantha intended to paint. She convinces Nick to pose nude for her instead. Nick is thrilled that the artwork is one of Samantha's best—but mortified to learn that it will be displayed at an art show that his students will attend. Meanwhile, Marco and Jordan team up to buy a car with some help from Jordan's father. However, problems occur when Jordan wants to share the car on a day when Marco wanted it all for himself.

After Jordan is robbed on his way to school, Marco advises him to be more confident. However, Jordan takes this advice too seriously when he buys a handgun. Meanwhile, Emerson bids on Nick at a charity auction. He must do whatever she wishes, and that means designing a school bulletin board. Luckily, Yaroker helps Nick. Since no one else will bid for Miles, Sophia and Tasha pay a tiny amount for Miles to do everything they order him to.

Sophia is ecstatic when photographer Byron Davis compliments her and offers to put her picture on the cover of a catalog. She immediately goes to Byron's studio and models a skimpy robe. Suspicious, Tasha has Jordan access the Internet, and they discover that Byron posts nude photographs of his models for a fee. Just as Byron demands that Sophia take the robe off, Nick and the kids burst in with the police. Sophia is disappointed about her failed career opportunity but grateful to Tasha. Meanwhile, after breaking Samantha's toe while practicing dancing, Nick feels guilty. He insists on doing all the repair jobs in the apartment building for her—with disastrous results. Also, Emerson disorients the staff by rearranging the faculty lounge.

Due to his relatively new relationship with Samantha, Nick neglects Mezz. First, he fails to help Mezz construct a biosphere on the roof of the school. The large, enclosed ecological system is intended to simulate nature in a controlled environment, and all the students and teachers participate in the experiment. Then, Nick forgets to meet Mezz at a basketball game, and Mezz gets sick from waiting for him in the rain. Meanwhile, when Nick pairs his students for ecological projects, Sophia and Jordan make clothes from recycled garbage and Marco surprises Tasha by constructing a solar-powered model car. When Nick, Mezz and a claustrophobic Emerson get locked overnight in the biosphere, Nick and Mezz reconcile, and Nick promises to balance his time between Samantha and Mezz.