by Peggy Parish
Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia
The telephone was ringing.
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” said Amelia Bedelia. She answered the
telephone. “Mrs. Rogers!” she said. “Where are you?”
“I’m at the airport in Pinewood,” said Mrs. Rogers.
“You didn’t tell me you were going away,” said Amelia Bedelia.
“I’m not,” said Mrs. Rogers. “I’m meeting the new teacher. But her plane
is late.”
“That’s too bad,” said Amelia Bedelia.
“The telephone at the school is out of order,” Mrs. Rogers went on.
“Please go to Mr. Carter’s office at the school. Tell him what I said.”
“I’ll go right now,” said Amelia Bedelia.
Amelia Bedelia got her things. She walked to school. “Where is Mr.
Carter’s office?” she asked.
“That first door,” said a child.
Amelia Bedelia walked in. “Mrs. Rogers tried to call you,” she said.
“But your telephone is out of order.”
“I know,” said Mr. Carter. “But thank goodness you’re here. The children
are going wild. Miss Lane left a list for today. I’ll take you to the
room.” He handed Amelia Bedelia the list. “Follow me,” he said.
They went down the hall. Mr. Carter opened a door. Children were all
over the place.
“All right,” said Mr. Carter. “Quiet! This is your new teacher.”
“Me! Teach!” said Amelia Bedelia. But Mr. Carter was gone. She looked at
the children. They looked at her. “I’m Amelia Bedelia,” she said.
The children giggled.
“You’re nice,” said Amelia Bedelia. “I do like happy children. But we
have a lot to do.” She held up the list. “We must do just what this
says,” she said. “Now, what’s first?”
Amelia Bedelia read, ” ‘Call the roll.’ ” She looked puzzled. “Call the
roll! What roll?” she said. “Does anybody have a roll?”
“I have,” said Peter.
“Do get it,” said Amelia Bedelia.
Peter opened his lunch box. “Here it is,” he said.
“Now I have to call it,” said Amelia
Bedelia. “Roll! Hey, roll! All right, that takes care of that.”
The children roared.
Amelia Bedelia read her list. “Land sakes,” she said. “Listen to this.
‘Sing a song,’ I never was much of a hand at singing. But it says sing a
song. So I’ll sing.” And she did!
“More! More!” shouted the children. “No,” said Amelia Bedelia. “It said
a song. I did just that.”
“Ahh,” said the children.
“Now it’s reading time,” said Amelia Bedelia. “I know about that. I read
my cookbook. It tells me just what to do.”
She held up a book. She said, “Is this the right one?”
“Yes,” said Amanda.
Amelia Bedelia opened the book. “I declare,” she said. “This is a good
one. Are you ready?”
“Yes,” said the children.
“All right,” said Amelia Bedelia. “It says, ‘Run, run, run.’ “
The children just sat.
Amelia Bedelia clapped her hands. “Run,” she said. “Run, run, run.”
Amelia Bedelia ran. The children ran after her. Around the room, through
the halls, around the block they ran. Finally they ran back into the
room.
Amelia Bedelia plopped on her chair. “That takes care of run, run, run,”
she said. “Your book plumb tired me out. Let’s see what’s next. I hope
we don’t have to run to do it.” She looked at the list.
She said, “It’s science time. Each of you should plant a bulb. Do you
know about that?”
“Yes,” said Tim. “We brought our pots.”
“Where are the bulbs?” said Amelia Bedelia.
“In the top closet,” said Rebecca. “Miss Lane said so.”
Amelia Bedelia looked and looked. “Nothing here but some dried-up
onions,” she
said. “You all go outside. Put some soil in your pots. I’ll go buy some
bulbs.”
Amelia Bedelia went to the store. She hurried back. The children were
waiting.
“Here’s a bulb for you and you,” said Amelia Bedelia. She gave everybody
a bulb.
The children looked surprised. Then they
started giggling. But they planted those bulbs. They put the pots on the
window sill.
“Those do look right pretty/’ said Amelia Bedelia. “And I learned
something new. I didn’t know you could plant bulbs.”
Suddenly a bell rang. “What’s that for?” said Amelia Bedelia.
“Free time,” yelled the children.
“Good,” said Amelia Bedelia.
The children ran outside. Amelia Bedelia sat down to rest.
Then free time ended. Back came the children.
“It’s quiet time now,” said Amelia Bedelia. “You’re supposed to read
stories.”
Each child chose a book. All was quiet.
“Why aren’t you reading?” said Amelia Bedelia.
“We are,” said Ed.
“I don’t hear you,” said Amelia Bedelia.
The children looked at Amelia Bedelia. They looked at each other.
And Amelia Bedelia heard them all right. “My, I’ll be glad when quiet
time is over,” she said. “My ears hurt.”
Jeff said, “Art comes next. That’s fun.”
Amelia Bedelia looked at her list. “You’re right,” she said. “You must
paint pictures now.”
The children got sheets of art paper. “What are you doing?” said Amelia
Bedelia. “We’re going to paint pictures,” said Bud. “But how can you?”
said Amelia Bedelia.
“There’s no picture there to paint.”
“We’ll make pictures,” said Mary.
“Oh no!” said Amelia Bedelia. “This says to paint pictures. You can’t
paint a picture without a picture to paint. Better find one for
yourselves.”
The children ran around the room. Not a picture was left on the wall.
But all the children were painting. Soon the pictures were back on the
wall.
“They sure look different,” said Steve.
“Yes,” said Amelia Bedelia. “Mr. Carter will be surprised.”
The children shook their heads.
“He sure will,” said Janet.
“What’s next?” said Jamie.
“Our play,” said Rebecca. “We have to practice our play.”
“Practice play!” said Amelia Bedelia. “You mean children have to
practice play? School sure has changed since I went. All right, out you
go.”
“But Amelia Bedelia,” said the children.
“No buts,” said Amelia Bedelia. “Let’s go. Start playing. Practice that
jumping rope some more,” said Amelia Bedelia. “I can do better than
that.”
“Show us,” said Janet.
And Amelia Bedelia did.
“I can run faster than that,” said Amelia Bedelia.
“Show us,” said Steve.
So Amelia Bedelia did.
“That’s fine,” she said. “You’ve practiced long enough. Let’s go
inside. Let me see what’s next,” said Amelia Bedelia. “Here are
some problems for you.”
“Yuck!” said the children.
“Ginny, get your apples,” said Amelia Bedelia.
“What apples?” said Ginny.
Amelia Bedelia looked puzzled. She said, “But it says Ginny has four
apples. Paul
takes away two. Oops,” said Amelia Bedelia. “I don’t think I was
supposed to tell that part.”
anybody have apples?” The children shook
She read the other problems. “These all have apples in them,” she said.
“Does their heads.
Then Amelia Bedelia had an idea. “Let’s go to my house,” she said. “We
have lots of apples.”
“Yes!” shouted the children.
“We better leave a note,” said Amelia Bedelia. She went to the
blackboard and wrote, “We are at the Rogers’ house.”
Then off they went to the Rogers’ backyard.
Amelia Bedelia got the apples. She called some children. “There is a
problem for each of you,” she said. “You all have apples. Somebody is
going to try to take some away. Are you going to let them?”
“No!” shouted the children.
Amelia Bedelia went to the other children. “You are supposed to take
away some of their apples,” she said. She told each child whom to take
from. “Can you do that?” she said.
“Sure!” said the children.
“All right, everybody,” said Amelia Bedelia. “Go!”
Children started after each other. They ran all over the yard.
Amelia Bedelia turned and went into the
kitchen. She put some of this and a lot of that into a big pot. She put
the pot on the stove. “There,” she said. “I’ll surprise them.”
Amelia Bedelia started out. Just then Mr.
Rogers started in.
“What is all of this?” said Mr. Rogers.
“What are those children doing?”
“Math,” said Amelia Bedelia.
“Math!” said Mr. Rogers.
“Come see,” said Amelia Bedelia.
They went out.
“That’s not fair, Steve,” yelled Janet.
“You hid your apples. I can’t take any.” “That’s not fair, Judy,”
shouted Andy.
“You took away all my apples.”
“What in tarnation are they doing?” said Mr. Rogers.
Amelia Bedelia read him the problems.
“That sounds like fun. I’m going to help them,” he said. He joined the
children.
“Now that does beat all,” said Amelia Bedelia.
She went inside. Later she called, “Everybody come. All apples on the
table.”
Apples came from everywhere. Amelia
Bedelia put a stick in each one. Then she dipped them in the pot.
“Taffy apples!” everybody shouted.
“Right,” said Amelia Bedelia. “Take one and go home. School is out.”
The children grabbed apples. They crowded around Amelia Bedelia.
“Please, please teach us again,” each one said.
Amelia Bedelia said nothing. She looked at her kitchen and shook her
head.
Mrs. Rogers walked in. Someone was with her.
“What happened?” she said, “Where are the children?”
“Home,” said Amelia Bedelia.
“Home!” said Mrs. Rogers. “But it’s not time.”
“It was for me,” said Amelia Bedelia.
“This is Miss Reed,” said Mrs. Rogers. “She is the new teacher. She came
to get the children.”
“Then she will have to find them,” said Amelia Bedelia. “I’m plumb tired
out.”
“But, but…” said Miss Reed.
“More taffy apples,” called Mr. Rogers.
“Taffy apples!” said Mrs. Rogers. “Come on, Miss Reed.”
Amelia Bedelia put the taffy apples on the table. They all sat down and
ate.
“I’ll let you teach anytime,” said Miss Reed, “if you will make taffy
apples.”
“Be glad to,” said Amelia Bedelia. “I do love children.”
Whatever else, Amelia Bedelia is certainly different— and funny. Peggy
Parish has written a number of Amelia Bedelia books. You might try Play
Ball, Amelia Bedelia, in which Amelia Bedelia makes a mess of a
baseball game. Or, watch her create confusion in the Rogers’ household
in Good Work, Amelia Bedelia.
