Teach us, Amelia Bedelia

Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia is the seventh book of the Adult Amelia Bedelia series written by Peggy Parish. Illustrations by Lynn Sweat. Published in 1977.

Story
Mrs. Rogers calls Amelia Bedelia on the telephone and tells her she's at Pinewood Airport meeting the school's new teacher, but her plane is late. She says she tried to call the principal Mr. Carter but his phone is out of order and asks Amelia Bedelia to go to his office in school and tell him what she said.

Amelia follows exactly what Mrs. Rogers said. Mr. Carter hands Amelia a list and follows her to a room where some children are going wild, and tells her to be the teacher. After Mr. Carter leaves, Amelia introduces herself to the children and then reads the first thing on the list: "Roll call." Amelia asks if anyone has a roll. Peter has a wheat roll in his lunchbox, so Amelia calls the roll her own way.

The next thing on the list for Amelia is to sing a song, so she sings just one song. The children want her to sing more, but Amelia says she can't, because she thinks the list reads to sing just one. Next during reading time, she reads an action book. The book reads: "run, run, run", so Amelia runs. The children run after her around the school.

Back in the room, Amelia reads the list: "During science time, your children will plant a bulb." She goes out to buy (light) bulbs. The children plant each one in a pot. Then the bell rings for free time. The children run outside while Amelia takes a nap. When free time is over, the children sat down and read quietly. Amelia doesn't think they're reading aloud, so they do so.

Art time comes next. Amelia reads the list: "During art time, the children will paint pictures." But she doesn't find any "pictures" to paint. Amelia and the children find one for themselves and paint on the pictures. Next, it's time for the children to practice their play, but Amelia thinks they're talking about games, so they play outside.

Back inside, Amelia read the children problems: "Ginny has four apples. Paul takes away two." None of the children have any apples, so Amelia has an idea. She writes a message on the blackboard and leads the children to the yard in the Rogers's house, which has lots of apples. She gave the children each one and they ran all over the yard. While she cooks up a surprise in the kitchen, Mr. Rogers wonders what the children are doing in the yard. Amelia shows him that the children are trying to take apples away from each other.

She calls everyone back in and the surprise is taffy apples! She dismisses class and lets the children take each one and go home with it. Just then Mrs. Rogers came home with the new teacher Miss Reed. Amelia then serves her more taffy apples. Miss Reed lets Amelia Bedelia teach children any time.