Curley

The beloved former teacher has married, and a substitute is appointed to Lakeview Elementary. Miss Johnson, described as eccentric, steps in to lead the class. The staff and students quickly sense that this substitute will be an unusual challenge to manage.

Curley gathers his friends to plot pranks meant to undermine Miss Johnson. They hope to prove she can't control the energetic class. The scheme reflects a wish that the substitute quit so they can fish all day.

The county supervisor, Miss Payne, visits Miss Johnson and learns that the new teacher is Mildred, Miss Johnson's niece. She immediately doubts Mildred's youth and experience will be enough to run the rowdy class. Her suspicions set up a test for Mildred's authority.

Miss Payne warns Mildred that she may be too young to manage the Lakeview kids. She cautions that maintaining discipline will be a major hurdle for the substitute. Mildred listens, taking the warning in stride.

On the way to school, Curley encounters the new teacher and begins telling her about the planned pranks on 'Pigglepuss'. He even describes placing his pet frog, Croakey, on the teacher's chair. Mildred listens with a calm, curious, but nonjudgmental demeanor.

In the classroom, the students discover that their new teacher is Mildred, not Miss Johnson, and she responds with kindness. She treats the kids with patience and fairness, setting a gentler tone for the class. The pupils begin to rethink their preconceptions about her.

Curley's rocketship car is loaded with rockets and smoke bombs and is supposed to cause a spectacle. The car is hijacked by Dis and Dat, two mischievous students, who take off with it. The misadventure explodes into thick smoke that clouds the classroom.

Dis and Dat drive the car across the fields and into a haystack, dragging the haystack along on their wild ride. The unusual spectacle rolls into a rural area, baffling onlookers. Miss Payne arrives, shocked by the chaotic pursuit.

Miss Payne arrives on the scene and, trying to avoid the moving haystack, crashes her car. She voices her disappointment with Mildred for supposedly failing to discipline the class. The incident underscores the tension over control of the classroom.

Mildred turns to a different approach, taking the children on a picnic with her aunt. She teaches baseball, football, and boxing during the outing and sets a standard for active learning. She also offers extra lessons after school, tied to good grades.

Mildred engages in a boxing match with Hank, the tough student, drawing Miss Payne's attention. The scene highlights Mildred's willingness to engage physically with the students in a controlled way. The confrontation strains the afternoon's calm.

Curley returns from hiding and, mistaking Hank for harming Mildred, attacks Hank and sends him flying into a lake. Mildred reassures him with cake and ice cream, calming his fear of expulsion. She then retrieves Croakey, the frog, marking a gentle close to the day's chaos.