"SCHOOL MOM"

“School Mom”


After Ms. Beadle sprains her ankle, Caroline becomes the substitute teacher. Caroline takes a special interest in helping an older student, Abel, learn to read. One day Mrs. Oleson shows up and causes Abel to quit school.. Because of this Caroline quits, but returns after she convinces Abel to give school another chance.















Very nice episode. I love what Caroline does to break the ice. She showed those kids she was just as good as hitting a ball as they were!
We can see in this episode an example of how mean kids can be, laughing at other people without thinking of their feelings. Some kids, go along w/ what other kids do… for example, Laura & Mary are good kids, we know, but even they would call Abel the nickname other kids had teased him with: “dumb abel”. I’m sure poor Laura felt bad after her Ma told her she didn’t want her daughter saying that name.
I thought Mrs. Oleson looked kind of mean in this episode. It was hilarious when Mr. Hanson, Mr. & Mrs. Oleson and Doc Baker go to Caroline’s house to beg her to teach again after Harriet had interrupted the class. Mr. Hanson looks so upset w/ Mrs. Oleson… . He says to Nels: “Nels, will you take your wife by the…… will you take your wife to the rig” LOL… something like that. It sounded like he wanted to say ‘Will you take your wife by the hair….. just look at the caption pic above to see how upset he looks. In this scene Karen Grassle has her hand covering her mouth, I think there must have been some outtakes, because that scene was too funny for her to keep a straight face…
Anyway, two thumbs up for this episode!

I Love the way that mr Hansen says that to Nels

I really like this episode. it shows how mean Mrs. Oleson can be but it also shows how kind Caroline Ingalls was.

a very good episode ....the horror on Ma's face when Laura said dumb Abel also showed she knew there was a lesson here that wasnt available in books....her temper tested when she realised Mrs Olsen had not learnt these lessons either ....I loved how Lars Hanson asked Nels to take Harriet away ...could see the glee in Ma's eye lol

I would have liked to see Abel return in a later episode! that is one of the rare things I dont like about this show! a really good character, such as Olga from "Town Party, Country Party" or Abel from "School Mom" comes in for only one episode!

When I first saw this episode several years ago I thought it was really dumb! ~laughs~ I really like the episode now though.

I like how Mrs. Oleson goads Caroline into teaching!

I also thought it was interesting that the Nelsons are mentioned, even though we never see them.

Ma had a sly way of teaching Abel.

Every time I watch this episode I notice how little make-up Mrs. Oleson has on compared to other seasons.

I don't think it was right when Harriet interrupted the school day just because she thought Caroline was using the class to help one student learn. I thought it was nice, though, that the children at the school were so willing to help Abel learn!

i really liked this one....

I've always liked this one. I have to admit I wondered who did Ma's laundry when she was working all day!??

Gin

I think she was behind on the laundry because the day she quit and Mr. Hanson and the others went to her house to try to get her to come back... she WAS doing laundry & hanging clothes... lol...

Gin wrote:

I've always liked this one. I have to admit I wondered who did Ma's laundry when she was working all day!??

Probably the same person who does yours and mine when we're working all day.................................................Us!

Who else is gonna do it?

poor ma..working pluse house work.....Must of been beat.

I love this episode. I always enjoy when people light up as they realize that those symbols (letters) actually mean something and they are able to form words. It's how I feel when Laura is learning to read and also even when Helen Keller finally understands that those hand signs actually have meaning in THE MIRACLE WORKER.

I feel so bad for Abel when the kids all laugh at him and when Mrs. Oleson is so spiteful later. But I love how angry Caroline gets and her comment that Mrs. Oleson doesn't know the definition of "compassion."

one of my other favorite episodes. A very touching episode. I like it, how Mrs. Ingalls is helping Abel how to read. I wouldn't mind, having Mrs. Ingalls for substitute teacher or regular teacher, when I was in school.

Buttercup wrote:

one of my other favorite episodes. A very touching episode. I like it, how Mrs. Ingalls is helping Abel how to read. I wouldn't mind, having Mrs. Ingalls for substitute teacher or regular teacher, when I was in school.

Yeah she was a really good teacher

Harrietfan wrote:

Buttercup wrote:

one of my other favorite episodes. A very touching episode. I like it, how Mrs. Ingalls is helping Abel how to read. I wouldn't mind, having Mrs. Ingalls for substitute teacher or regular teacher, when I was in school.

Yeah she was a really good teacher

Yup. You don't see lot of teachers now days. Who's willingly to teach their students. Now these days. The teachers just want their money. Their a few teachers, willingly to teach. But, it's very rare these days.

Buttercup wrote:

Harrietfan wrote:

Buttercup wrote:

one of my other favorite episodes. A very touching episode. I like it, how Mrs. Ingalls is helping Abel how to read. I wouldn't mind, having Mrs. Ingalls for substitute teacher or regular teacher, when I was in school.

Yeah she was a really good teacher

Yup. You don't see lot of teachers now days. Who's willingly to teach their students. Now these days. The teachers just want their money. Their a few teachers, willingly to teach. But, it's very rare these days.

Sadly, you are right!

Vanesa.

A feel good episode

I loved seeing the son of "Hoss" from Bonanza on this show...so much like him.
I liked seeing Caroline as the teacher, she was always so kind and nice, but I wondered how whether being a teacher or in the restaurant later, she got any work done. Everything took so long, canning, laundry, cooking, etc. I didn't think that was overly realistic, but it brought a good dimension to the show.

You never really saw the hard work they did back then, once Mrs Garvey was using the washboard and the pilot had Ma churning butter, but it took a lot of work to make dinner and clean. Being a 60 minute show, dinner was always just about ready and clothes always clean and pressed. : )

Walnut Grove sure had a glut of teachers! With a population of 120 or so they had Miss Beadle, Caroline Ingalls, Alice Garvey, Miss Wilder, Laura, and Mr. Applewood (short tenure but Richard Basehart was great in the role). And of course Adam & Mary at the Blind School.

Another good episode. Really points out how difficult it was for teachers to reach students who were maybe there seasonally and who didn't have the full support of their parents.

Yeah, They had many teachers. Think it be harder back then being a teacher then it is today.

I saw this episode the other day actually, and I kept thinking how much that kid looked like Dan Blocker. Then, Lo and Behold! (I knew it!).