Tony Danza scores an ‘A’ in new teaching show

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

[HMG Celebrity News] – Reality shows have little to do with reality, but the latest one that stars 80′s sit-com star Tony Danza is as real as it gets  – He teaches 10th Grade English at a Philadelphia public school.

Now 59, Tony is best known for his role in the 1978 ABC sit-com, Taxi, which ran for five years, and 1984′s ‘Who’s the Boss?’ where he portrayed a retired baseball player. He then largely retired, returning in the 1998 TV series, ‘The Practice.’ which brought him an Emmy nomination.

The new A&E series follows Tony as he took his first steps in teaching at Northeast High School last fall. The TV critics were begging for failure, but his students say ‘Mr. D’ made the grade.

“We’re hoping all the new teachers grow the same way he did,” Assistant Principal Sharon McCloskey told FanCast.

Tony underwent six weeks of intense study and orientation before starting work at the school of 3,400 students, and his class of 26 sophomores contained every challenge from brainiacs to jocks. But despite a few tears, Tony survived.

“I can’t help it,” he told reporters. “You see yourself in them. You want them to learn from your mistakes and you can’t get it through to them.”

And he didn’t even quit when the cameras went home — He also got involved in after-school events. He helped coach the football team and run a variety show, sang the national anthem at a Phillies game, and even got his hands dirty in a campaign to clean-up city trash — all with no cameras around.

“He embraced the city,” said Mayor Michael Nutter. “It wasn’t just a gig with A&E. He became a part of whatever else was going on.”

And Tony, who has a Bachelors degree in History Education, seems to have loved the new role;

“Teaching is something I always wanted to do,” he says. “Seeing the difference a teacher can make was a dream come true. I hope it might inspire other people to think how they can help.”

The series opens on Friday and will run for seven weeks. We await your report card…