Order in the classroom is a hot topic in education, especially today with gangs and other unruly students causing trouble. Even back in the day, teachers sometimes had problems keeping students from fighting and otherwise being unruly. It's a frustrating, thankless job. But there's a way to do it and a way to cause your students to lose respect for you … and it doesn't come by making an innocent student out to be the "Troublemaker," as a hate-filled, ill-tempered schoolmaster will do with Laura.
Several of the older students are causing trouble at Walnut Grove School and disrupting the school day. When two of them get into a fight, Miss Beadle is unable to control them and it takes Mr. Hanson to break the two up. He notes that this has been a recurring problem at the school and calls a school board meeting. There, Mrs. Oleson uses the opportunity to belittle Miss Beadle's teaching skills and ability to keep an orderly classroom, but Mr. Hanson also has (admittedly valid) grave concerns that the older students – and noting that some of the other older boys from the farms will soon be coming to school following the harvest – will overwhelm an otherwise competent teacher even more. In the end, by a split vote, Miss Beadle is fired.
In her place, upon Mrs. Oleson's recommendation, is a new school master: Hannibal Applewood, a tough, hard-nosed teacher who hopes to instill respect and order in the classroom. Certainly, he can teach the material, but his big, big downfall is his temperament. He's already coarse with them during his teaching, but is completely intolerable at even slight offenses such as talking out of turn, and even the most steel-nerved kids are unnerved. And it isn't long before a completely innocent student – namely, Laura – bears the entire brunt of his ill-tempered demeanor. Mrs. Oleson had already given Applewood a false tip that Laura is completely spoiled and is actually a troublemaker, so it comes as no surprise that she is blamed for passing a note in class that reads "Mr. Applewood is a Crapapple!" (which one of the older students wrote); Laura has her hands smacked in class.
But the coup de gras comes when Laura is accused of pouring ink over corrected class assignments, which were in Applewood's bag. Again, one of the older students is guilty – actually, the same one: Herman, who is also already disgusted by the teacher and had written the earlier note – and Laura has no idea what's going on. Applewood immediately calls Laura forward, says she's guilty as charged and expels her. Laura runs home crying, and Charles immediately goes back to the school to ask for an explanation and plead his daughter's case. Applewood is forced to admit he jumped to a hasty conclusion and readmits Laura.
His show of mercy is short-lived. Willie causes trouble in class again, dumping Applewood's bag. Applewood immediately demands Laura rat out the offender, but when she keeps silent, Applewood threatens to severely beat Laura in front of the class. Just in time, Charles shows up. Applewood tries to say the situation was a minor classroom issue, but Charles – sending his daughters home – tells him he could hear the "little problem" all the way down the street. Applewood tries to confront and assault Charles outside the school, but Charles immediately stands up to him and tells him a school board meeting is being called, breaking Applewood's rod in two before leaving.
That afternoon, Charles does the questioning, and has his resume in hand. Recently, it's gotten to be very long … and then he asks him, one by one, why he left his most recent jobs. Applewood bluffs through the first ones, but Charles points out that his explanations seem pretty inconsistent, essentially backing Applewood into a corner. Finally, Applewood breaks, and goes on a tirade against children and how they are worthless peons whom he hates. This leaves even the usually unflappable Mrs. Oleson speechless and aghast. Applewood finally realizes he's been defeated and slowly leaves the schoolroom, pausing before doing so to announce that he's quitting
The next day, there's a new teacher at school … actually, it's a familiar, friendly face: Miss Beadle! And this time, the younger kids make sure that the older kids don't rule the roost, standing up to them. The older kids promise to behave, and Miss Beadle, finally empowered to control her class, is relieved. All is well at school!
Word of God – at least so says the unofficial series bible, the Little House Encyclopedia – implies this was Applewood's last teaching job. Stressed over his inability to keep a job or his temper under control, he suffers a fatal stroke just weeks later.
Tropes present in this episode include:
- The Bully:
- Several of Walnut Grove's older students are ill-behaved and act like bullies. It is Miss Beadle's inability to control them that causes her to (temporarily) lose her job.
- Arguably, Mr. Applewood has many traits that fit this trope as well.
- Dean Bitterman; Mr. Applewood. At one point, he threatens to close the school and expel everyone (in haste) during a classroom disturbance that Charles – of all people – gets under control.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Mrs. Oleson's reaction to Mr. Applewood's rant about how he hates children.
- Fired Teacher:
- Charles is able to expose – and force Mr. Applewood to admit – that none of his teaching jobs lasted more than a few weeks. He was forced to resign most of these jobs.
- Earlier, Miss Beadle, for her inability to keep order and control the classroom, which had increasingly become unruly and she was increasingly unable to control them (particularly when one, perhaps two of them were nearly a foot taller and 50 pounds heavier than her).
- Motive Rant: What Mr. Applewood gives the school board once Charles reveals the truth. Applewood at first bluffs his way through the questioning but when finally out of excuses, goes on a rant about how kids are ill-behaved and need to be "taught" order, fear authority and basically "sit there and shut up" while the teacher yells at them and degrades them for who they are. Even Mrs. Oleson can't believe her ears and realizes she made a mistake in recommending him.
- Out-of-Character Moment: Usually calm, well-behaved Mary pushes Willie when he shifts blame for the incident that caused Miss Beedle to lose her job, and threatens to slap Nellie if she keeps blaming Laura for said incident. Meanwhile, usually outspoken Laura who'd do just that is quiet, presumably feeling guilty for her part in the incident.
- Papa Wolf: Just as Mr. Applewood is ready to whip Laura's wrists and hands with his cane, Charles bursts into the school and stops it. When Applewood angrily confronts Charles, he knocks Applewood into a corner and tells him he's lucky – "My wife asked me to be nice to you!"
- Sadist Teacher: The ill-tempered Hannibal Applewood, whom the kids scornfully call "Crabapple" when he quickly loses their respect.
- Would Hit a Girl: Applewood strikes Laura with a ruler in front of the class. Narrowly averted later when he tries to use his teaching rod to hit Laura's arms; Charles shows up just in time to stop it, and subsequently breaks the rod in two.
