Eva Beadle-Simms, simply known as Miss Beadle, was a school teacher at the Walnut Grove school, and the first teacher that Mary and Laura Ingalls had other than Caroline.
Biography[]
Eva's past is not known but her father was an officer in the Union army during the Civil War and was decorated for valor by General Grant. (Episode 408: The Aftermath) Some time before the Ingalls family settles near Plum Creek, Eva is hired as the teacher at Walnut Grove School.
Eva had the reputation as an outstanding educator, beloved by her students and always concerned with their education and well-being. She showed humility, empathy and caring, such as with when she bought Laura a notepad when she could not afford one. (Episode 201: The Richest Man in Walnut Grove) Classroom projects and pageants were a big part of the educational curriculum under Eva, and these helped to enrich the students' experiences and taught life lessons.
She even had the respect of Nellie and Willie Oleson, the children of Oleson's Mercantile owners Nels and Harriet Oleson and the only two well-to-do students at a school of otherwise children of farmers and laborers, even though they caused a lot of problems at the school. In fact, Eva sent Willie to the corner more times for misbehavior (usually, mischief or making a smart remark) than any of the other students combined ... and she'd hold that record until the Season 7 episode "Goodbye, Mrs Wilder" (when Mrs. Oleson, who had briefly taken over as teacher, sent Willie to the corner – ironically, for things he didn't even do – more times than either Eva or her successors had combined).
Eva was meritorious and held no prejudices toward any one regardless of race, creed, or ethnic background such as when Solomon and Joseph Stokes (Spotted Eagle) came to her school. (Episode 318: The Wisdom of Solomon and Episode 315: Injun Kid). In fact, when a minority student was enrolled at the school, Eva often make it a point to use this as a teaching moment, helping the students to realize that Blacks, Native Americans and others are people, too, and just like them.
Absences[]
There were a few occasions when Eva was absent from the classroom, and replaced by other teachers – those having very different personalities:
- Early in the series, when she is injured in an accident involving her buckboard (her horse became spooked), Caroline replaces her as teacher, with one of her students a teenaged boy named Abel, who was poorly educated and had never learned to read or do simple math. (Episode 110: School Mom)
- About a year and a half later, when several of the older boys begin acting rowdy in the classroom and she is unable to control them, Harriet Oleson begins questioning her abilities. While this was implied to be far from the first time that Mrs. Oleson tried to interfere in Eva's teaching at the school, this time her concerns have serious consequences, as she convinces Lars Hanson and a third school board member (likely, Nels Oleson) to relieve Eva of her duties. However, the new teacher's philosophy of controlling the students is through fear and intimidation, and his temperament cause more discipline problems than before; he is eventually forced out. Eva is subsequently reinstated as teacher, at the rejoice of her students, and the older students, realizing their earlier rowdy behavior led to their teacher briefly being fired, realize they need to shape up, and the community decides they need to support and help Eva better than they had in the past. (Episode 217: Troublemaker)
Controversies[]
Miss Beadle rarely raised tensions in the community but there were some times that she was caught in some problems, and it wasn't always Mrs. Oleson who was involved or stirred up trouble:
- On Christmas Eve, Eva senses the danger of an oncoming snowstorm and dismisses school early so the students can enjoy the holiday with their families. However, what she thought might be an ordinary snowstorm turns out to be a major blizzard, which moves into Redwood County much faster than expected – it was snowing lightly when school was dismissed, as southern Minnesota was still on the east edge of the storm – and a number of students who were walking to their rural Hero Township homes are caught as the wind suddenly picks up and heavy snow begins to fall. Several of the mothers are outraged and want Eva removed from her job, but Charles Ingalls helps organize an effort to find the children and bring them back to the school, as the most severe part of the storm had not yet struck. All the children are returned to Walnut Grove School safely, although some are frostbitten; sadly, one of the fathers becomes lost in the blinding snow and his lifeless body isn't found until after the storm passes the next morning, never knowing that his son had arrived home safely. (Episode 311: Blizzard)
- Caroline briefly holds Eva responsible for an accident when her then-youngest daughter, Carrie, falls down a mine shaft and is trapped, as she allowed Carrie to accompany Mary and Laura on an assignment gathering butterflies. Caroline eventually realizes that her anger was in haste, and Eva and Caroline support each other as an effort – ultimately successful – is made to rescue Carrie. (Episode 312: Little Girl Lost)
- Several of the fathers, some of them bitter and others racist, are outraged when Eva begins a classroom project on the Civil War. Threats were made, but these tensions are set aside when two mysterious strangers who sided with the South give Walnut Grove a history "lesson" nobody was expecting. (Episode 408: The Aftermath)
Relationships[]
About a year after the Ingalls came to Walnut Grove, Eva was courted by man named John Stacey, but nothing ever came of it. (Episode 202: Four Eyes)
She eventually found true love when she met Adam Simms, a farmer and laborer in Walnut Grove and the father of one of her students, Luke. During this time, Luke began courting Nellie Oleson, and the two eventually leave Walnut Grove in the night to elope. After Nellie's parents find out about her plans and realize she and Luke may be making a mistake, Harriet gets the rifle and, upon finding them, fires a shot into the ceiling, forcing Luke to flee. The marriage of Luke and Nellie is annulled, but Adam and Eva decide to get married, and with the justice of the peace already there – he had performed Luke and Nellie's vows just hours earlier – Nellie was the maid of honor. (Episode 412: Here Comes the Brides)
Eva gave birth to her and Adam's first child, a boy named Matthew, in "A Most Precious Gift"; Caroline is upset at first because she had given birth to her fourth daughter, Grace, instead of a son, but Eva helps Caroline with perspective and accept Grace.
Departure[]
Shortly after Matthew's birth, Walnut Grove begins experiencing a severe economic crisis, with Hanson's Mill (the town's primary employer and source of economic activity) going bankrupt. The Simms family is among those who suffer the effects, and when Adam is left without a source of income, Eva resigns as teacher of Walnut Grove School and leaves town with her family. It is part of a mass exodus of families who leave Hero Township – the Ingalls, Oleson and Garvey families also leave, settling in Winoka – and as a result the school is closed. (Episode 422: I'll Be Waving As You Drive Away (Part 2))
Behind the scenes[]
Miss Beadle was portrayed by Charlotte Stewart, appearing in 45 episodes during Seasons 1-4.
In 2006, Charlotte Stewart was nominated for a "Teacher of the Year" award presented by the TV Land awards. During in interview conducted by Little House fansite Prairie Fans, Stewart was asked about what it was like to be on Little House: "I absolutely loved being on the Walnut Grove set when we were shooting in Simi Valley. It really was like stepping into the old west. I felt so comfortable in the clothes and playing the part of a teacher to the children. My godmother Pauline Wilkie was actually a teacher in a one room schoolhouse in Mendocino California."[1]
Eva's son
Gallery[]
