As a retired high school English teacher who taught for 27 years, this episode certainly hit home. It even made me shed a tear or two at its conclusion. Having a class work together to defeat a teacher's sole purpose which is to educate, enlighten, and even entertain a bit is a teacher's greatest fear.
In this first episode of season four made in 1957, Mr. Beckman, the new social studies teacher, has replaced a popular teacher named Jeff whom the kids all adored. One student says that Jeff left since the school wasn't paying him enough. Mr. Beckman didn't cause Jeff to leave the school, but Mr. Beckman is certainly paying the price for his absence. A plan by some of Bud's classmates is concocted where no student will answer any question asked by Mr. Beckman in the hopes that he will quit or get fired. Bud, once again learns to do what is right, even if it means going against his friends. Bud responds to a question about the Jamestown settlement, which gets the class finally coming to see that Mr. Beckman is not their enemy.
Some critics and other reviewers have found Father Knows Best to be unrealisitic and corny. I have discovered watching this series episode by episode that even though some of the storylines are rather fanciful, the majority of them are believable in many ways. Great morals and lessons from this series, even though it's decades old, can still be taught and appreciated.
As a final note, I was amused to learn that I had previously seen the actor Wright King as the soft spoken paperboy who is kissed by Blanche DuBois in the 1951 movie version of A Streetcar Named Desire. Having taught the play several times and having shown the movie version as well to my students, I am pleased to learn that he had a long and successful career.
In this first episode of season four made in 1957, Mr. Beckman, the new social studies teacher, has replaced a popular teacher named Jeff whom the kids all adored. One student says that Jeff left since the school wasn't paying him enough. Mr. Beckman didn't cause Jeff to leave the school, but Mr. Beckman is certainly paying the price for his absence. A plan by some of Bud's classmates is concocted where no student will answer any question asked by Mr. Beckman in the hopes that he will quit or get fired. Bud, once again learns to do what is right, even if it means going against his friends. Bud responds to a question about the Jamestown settlement, which gets the class finally coming to see that Mr. Beckman is not their enemy.
Some critics and other reviewers have found Father Knows Best to be unrealisitic and corny. I have discovered watching this series episode by episode that even though some of the storylines are rather fanciful, the majority of them are believable in many ways. Great morals and lessons from this series, even though it's decades old, can still be taught and appreciated.
As a final note, I was amused to learn that I had previously seen the actor Wright King as the soft spoken paperboy who is kissed by Blanche DuBois in the 1951 movie version of A Streetcar Named Desire. Having taught the play several times and having shown the movie version as well to my students, I am pleased to learn that he had a long and successful career.