Season 1 Episode 9 “School Mom”- Little House on the Prairie

Miss Beadle, the school teacher, gets in a carriage wreck and hurts her ankle so bad that she can’t teach for a few weeks. The school board asks Mrs. Ingalls if she would teach for Miss Beadle, since she is the only qualified person in the town. Mrs. Ingalls is a bit apprehensive about it and feels she might not be qualified because it’s been a while since she taught school. She refuses at first until Mrs. Oleson insinuates that Mrs. Ingalls might show favoritism for her children over the other school children. This makes Mrs. Ingalls angry and she accepts the position.

On Mrs. Ingalls first day of school, the children are worried she can’t teach properly, she soon shows them that she is capable of teaching. Mrs. Ingalls begins having the children read aloud and she asks an older boy named Abel to read. He gets embarrassed and runs out. Later Mrs. Ingalls finds out that Able can’t read. She visits Mrs. Beadle and they discuss how Caroline could help Abel.

Mrs. Ingalls really wants to help Abel learn to read, so she goes to his home and speaks to his father. Abel’s father doesn’t think education is important, so he won’t encourage Abel to come to school. Mrs. Ingalls speaks with Abel and convinces him that he is smart and not too old to learn.

Abel shows up for school the next day and Mrs. Ingalls has a plan that involves all the school kids helping Abel learn how to read. They review the alphabet and letter sounds and simple spelling. Abel begins to learn how to sound out simple words. The following day, Mrs. Oleson comes in during class to see what Mrs. Ingalls is teaching her children. She is disgusted that the children are doing “review” work and says that Mrs. Ingalls is just showing favoritism for “dumb” Abel who is too big to be in school anyway. This hurts Abel’s feelings and he leaves again. Mrs. Ingalls becomes so upset that she quits right there and dismisses class.

The school board comes to the Ingalls’ home again to ask Caroline if she’ll reconsider and teach again. She refuses because Mrs. Oleson has ruined all she was trying to do with Abel. The following day, no-one shows up for school because they heard Mrs. Oleson was going to teach. Abel comes to visit Mrs. Ingalls to thank her for helping her and to let her know he won’t go back to school. He gives her a bunch of letters he made out of clay for her to use in class to help the kids. She tells Abel that she isn’t going back to the school either. He becomes upset and insists that she should return because she is a good teacher. She tells him she won’t go unless he comes back too. So they agree that they both will return to school.

Abel makes great progress in school and gains confidence in his ability to learn as well. Mrs. Ingalls is also very happy she has a part in helping Abel and teaching the other childrenl. She is sad that she will have to stop teaching soon because Mrs. Beadle is well enough to come back. On her last day of school, Abel reads a thank you note to Mrs. Ingalls which makes her overwhelmed with joy that he has improved so much!