15 Reasons We Love Melissa Schemmenti on ‘Abbott Elementary’

For those of us who grew up watching The Parent Trap on repeat, it was great news when we found out Lisa Ann Walter was cast as a teacher on Abbott Elementary. It was particularly special for all the queer girls who grew up in love with Chessy.

Walter brings the very best of herself into Abbott Elementary and has many memorable moments during Season 1. As we prepare for Abbott Elementary Season 2, we are excited to see where Melissa Schemmenti will go and what new resourceful thing she will do.

In chronological order, here are 15 times Melissa Schemmenti was the best part of Abbott Elementary:

1. She’s Got a Guy For Everything  

One of the first things we learn about Melissa Schemmenti is that she is, in Barbara’s words, resourceful and capable. Essentially, she’s got a guy for everything.

Although most people would see this as sketchy, it actually goes to show how dedicated Melissa is to her classroom, students, and the school. Abbott Elementary shows how the school system lacks so many things, including money and materials.

Melissa Schemmenti is the kind of teacher who will do everything in her power to guarantee her kids learn, get a good education, and have a nice experience in school. She will go the extra mile to get the materials the government isn’t giving them.

She cannot give everyone money to fix the problems, but she can come up with alternatives to make sure everything works out in the end.

2. Caring For Other Teachers  

Although Abbott Elementary is trying to show the failures in the education system, it portrays great relationships and bonds between the teachers. The most obvious one is between Melissa and Barbara, but they all care about each other.

Melissa is the kind of person who seems tough on the outside but is actually soft and caring. This is something we understand from the very beginning when Ava calls for a meeting to point out something Janine did.

In the meeting, Melissa explains that no one is really attacking anyone and she doesn’t hesitate to defend the younger teacher even though her approach can be annoying to others as well. As much as she disagrees with Janine’s tactics, she won’t let others talk badly about her.

Melissa Schemmenti is a woman with a heart of gold who uses her resources to help those she cares about time after time.

3. A Funny Bone  

Melissa Schemmenti seems to always have some phrase that will make us laugh. Some of them are obvious, like when she runs down the hallway screaming for her branzino during a power outage. 

Other times, her funny phrases are in passing, only for those who pay close attention to every episode. A great example of this is when they are trying to learn the new teaching system and she says “who do you gotta bang to get into the analytics annex?”

It’s usually the characters who are funny without trying too hard that captivate the audience the most. That is Melissa Schemmenti’s case.

4. It’s a Calling  

While many teachers, including those in the show, may wonder why they have to fight to make things right for their students, Melissa Schemmenti accepts the circumstances because she believes becoming a teacher is a calling.

As one of the more experienced teachers on the show, she tries to show the newer teachers how to keep going even when you have everything against you. There might be no money, no materials, no resources, but at the end of the day you do what you have to do for your children.

We see a lot of Janine’s struggles throughout the show and Melissa is the opposite to that. When Janine wants to give up, Melissa shows her why she can’t. “We care too much” and “we refuse to burn out” are the things that represent her as a teacher.

She is a teacher to those teachers who are learning the ropes and navigating new challenges.

5. South Philly Girl  

The quality Barbara remarks as resourceful in Melissa is one that others may criticize or see as wrong. Without trying to cause any harm, that is how Jacob describes her when he says she is from South Philly.

One thing Melissa Schemmenti is going to do on Abbott Elementary is to remind people where she comes from and what she can do. Her pride in her past, family, and resources is what makes her such a confident woman.

She is an inspiring teacher in the way she carries herself and isn’t afraid to do what needs to be done to guarantee her work is good for the children. 

The same interaction with Jacob regarding South Philly also shows us she pays close attention to everything that is happening around her. “You talking about me?” she asks him while he is talking to Gregory, indeed about her.

6. Respect Where She is From  

Melissa’s sense of pride expands from South Philly to the entire state and its history. Something we can once again see in her interactions with Jacob.

As a History teacher, Jacob goes for the facts and what’s written in the books, while Melissa goes for the experience and the tales of those who were present in the events. That is where her sense of pride comes from, where who she is comes from.

With every passing episode, we understand more and more why she is the way she is. A lot of that she owes to the people of the city who helped shape her family and their lives. That is something she wants to pass along to her students.

Janine is fighting to make the school a better place in her own way, and Melissa is doing the same. Her way of doing it is by making sure the children are proud of who they are and where they come from.

7. Playing Along With the Camera  

One characteristic that makes Abbott Elementary so good is the fact that it is filmed as a documentary. As we follow the teachers on their day-to-day teaching lives, we learn with them, laugh with them, and care for them.

The documentary style allows us to learn more about the characters beyond what they say. What they do is extremely important to their development and an insight into who they are as people.

Melissa is the kind of character who is constantly playing along with the camera. If you pay attention to what her character is doing during ridiculous instances, you will realize she is giving one of her iconic “what the hell is this?” looks.

She knows exactly when to connect with the audience which makes her a more relatable and approachable character.

8. The Other Second Grade Teacher 

As a mentor for new teachers, Melissa understands she has to let them make their own choices and mistakes. That is something Abbott Elementary shows with Janine’s professional journey.

That is what happens when Janine reads the review for “the other second-grade teacher” and tries to prove she is better than Melissa. When she gets the transfer student, she wants to show everyone how she is better than the other teacher but doesn’t realize she is hurting Melissa’s feelings.

Once again, viewers relate to Melissa because she shows her feelings and emotions. When Janine hurts her feelings, she voices this and lets the teacher know how her actions affected her.

Abbott Elementary isn’t only about the school and the government’s failure to aid them, but about how the teachers are human beings and not machines. Melissa proves this on multiple occasions as she lets her coworkers, and her friends, know how she feels.

9. Schemmenti Good Mood Day 

Every teacher on Abbott Elementary has a unique personality that differentiates them from the rest. Melissa’s is usually connected to her resources, but there is more to her character.

In her own Philly-Italian way, she is a cheerful person who comes to work in a good mood, ready to take whatever the day brings. However, there are some days that are better than others, and the teachers around her can tell.

During Abbott Elementary Season 1 Episode 5, “Student Transfer,” she walks into the teachers’ lounge dancing and Barbara says, “classic Schemmenti good mood day.” There are plenty of layers to this character that we get to understand as the season goes by.

10. Philly 11  

Although the Abbott Elementary documentary that is being shot during Season 1 is trying to show the lack of funding and resources in the education system, it gives us a look into the teachers’ lives. By doing this we get to see Melissa Schemmenti as a woman and not just as a teacher.

One of her most memorable quotes is “I’m a Philly 11,” when she is trying to go out on a date with Gary. Up until that point, we know she is a divorced woman, but there aren’t any other details we are given about her personal life.

As she tries to get back out into the dating world, we realize she has many doubts and doesn’t believe she deserves a second chance at love. We witness this when she calls her ex-husband to ask him about how dating again went for him.

Once more, Melissa is shown as a woman with lots of feelings who is learning to navigate life as a divorcée. 

11. You Don’t Know Who You Are Messing With  

As resourceful as she may be and as many guys as she may have, Melissa knows exactly how to go about things. That is why when it’s time for the annual second-grade project, she purchases the Roger Rabbit books with her own money.

It is during this episode that viewers can once again see how much she actually cares about her students. By saving the very first styrofoam plate bunny she did with her class, we see she loves them and only wants to help them become the best they can be.

When Janine’s friend tries to mess with this, Melissa gets very defensive. You may think it’s just about the project or the book choice, but it goes beyond that. It is about the sentimental value that comes with the activity.

She is a teacher who has had to fight against all odds to make sure her students can get a great second-grade experience. When someone tries to change that, she tries to protect what she has built throughout the years.

Melissa isn’t just someone who goes into the classroom to teach; she wants the children to enjoy what she is teaching.

12. Proud Moment  

Throughout Abbott Elementary Season 1 we see Janine trying to learn as much as possible from Barbara and establishing a bond with her. However, she sometimes forgets there are other teachers she can learn from. One of them being Melissa.

Melissa proves over and over again throughout the show that she is resourceful, caring, knowledgeable, and experienced in what she does. She is a good teacher, and we can see her students like her and respect her as her class is always in order and listening to instructions.

Even though Janine isn’t looking for her approval, Melissa makes sure to let the younger teacher know when she is doing good. She even tells Janine how proud she is of her.

This goes to show that Melissa is observant and cares about her fellow teachers so much that she notices what they are doing and when they need the little nudge to see how far they have come.

13. Barbara’s Friendship  

Barbara and Melissa are the teachers who have been at Abbott the longest. They started together and have grown as professionals by relying on one another. Their friendship is one of the things that give life to their characters.

As we learn to understand Melissa, we come to realize that one way in which she shows that she cares about you is by utilizing her resources to help you or threaten someone to defend you.

“Family you kill for. I ain’t killing for any of ya, except Barbara,” is the perfect example of how much she loves her friend and how far she is willing to go for her. This friendship adds another layer to Melissa that makes viewers love her.

“Did you shake someone down for me?” Although she does things for her friends without expecting anything in return, she feels the love when people speak the same language she does. Barbara understands this more than anyone.

14. Bad People For Good Stuff

A recurring theme throughout Abbott Elementary is how people refer to Melissa as “people like you.” This is a nudge to how she has different resources and tactics to get what she needs. However, there comes a time when she gets tired of this saying.

Talking about her as “people like you” is putting a negative connotation to what she is actually trying to do. We see that she cares about the children and the other teachers, so everything she does, whether we agree with it or not, is in good faith.

Melissa is trying to make the job and their daily routines as smooth as possible for everyone involved. But she is also trying to guarantee the children get what they deserve and aren’t missing out because the school doesn’t have funding.

She says this when she is trying to get Barbara to shake someone down by saying sometimes they have to use bad people to do good stuff for the children.

15. Getting Better With Time  

Abbott Elementary shows it isn’t always easy to be a teacher. Sometimes the difficulties come from feeling like you have outgrown the job, that you cannot keep up with how it’s going. This happens to Barbara.

However, the series shows you are never alone in these feelings, and that is exactly what Melissa does for her friend. She is a source of comfort and affirmation. When Barbara feels like she’s gotten too old for the job, Melissa reminds her she’s only gotten better with age “like wine and Stanley Tucci.”

As things get tough, Melissa remains stable with her emotions, resources, funny phrases, and reminders as to why teachers do what they do for the kids.

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Do you love Melissa as much as we do? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Abbott Elementary Season 2 premieres Wednesday, September 21, at 9/8c on ABC.

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