The story of Gabe Kotter, a graduate of James Buchanan High School in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn who returns to the school ten years later to teach remedial studies to a class of incorrigibles known as "the Sweathogs." His efforts to teach the students, who greatly resemble him when he was in high school, are the focal point of the series.Gabe's wife, Julie, became pregnant at the end of the 1976-77 season, and gave birth to twins Rachel and Robin in the fall of 1977. In the fall of 1978, Kotter was promoted to vice principal and Mr. Woodman, the former vice principal, became the principal. The sweathogs got part-time jobs, with Vinnie becoming an orderly at a nearby hospital.