Just to add a dose of reality: I would point out that neither of the women in tonight's episode of Lark Rise actually ended up as the teacher - neither was qualified. The school board duly brought in a properly qualified teacher at the end of the episode.

And yes, it was a work of fiction. If all teachers ever had to do was tell ghost stories and make puppets, as the village mother did in Lark Rise, their jobs would be far less demanding.