As president of the Canadian Federation of University Women in Kanata, I was pleased to be invited to speak to members of CFUW/Perth on February 20th, Family Day.
One member went to the one-room school on highway 43E between Smiths Falls and Merrickville. She recalled a one-of-a kind teacher, Ms. Garden, who would teach piano, sewing and knitting at recess. Another women claimed her teacher in the Peterborough area, found teaching very challenging and she used to have a nip or two when the kids were out at recess!
Marion Stalter Legault’s mother taught in a one-room schoolhouse outside of London, Ontario during the 1930s. She boarded at the nearest home and it was there she met her future husband. This school was closed sometime in the early 1950s, and a two-room school across the road replaced it. The principal of the new school had been at Teacher’s College with Marion’s mother and often stayed with them if the weather was bad. Marion was in high school at the time and so she would ask her to help mark the test papers.
Barb Mingie’s father was an engineer which resulted in the family moving around a lot. Barb attended a one-room school for six months in Brantford, Ontario. She was in the youngest grade and all she can recall was that she wanted to be in the senior grade because they were learning how to knit which look far more interesting than learning how to read.
Elaine McCargar went to the one-room school at Hulbert, south of South Mountain, Ontario. One day, her aunt, who was the teacher, had to run home for a few minutes. Two boys started tossing an orange back and forth inside the classroom. The orange hit Queen Elizabeth’s picture, the glass broke, and the Queen was dripping in juice. Elaine also remembers skating out in the fields, the Christmas concerts over in the church basement, the strap and the toilets in the basement.
One member went to the one-room school on highway 43E between Smiths Falls and Merrickville. She recalled a one-of-a kind teacher, Ms. Garden, who would teach piano, sewing and knitting at recess. Another women claimed her teacher in the Peterborough area, found teaching very challenging and she used to have a nip or two when the kids were out at recess!
Marion Stalter Legault’s mother taught in a one-room schoolhouse outside of London, Ontario during the 1930s. She boarded at the nearest home and it was there she met her future husband. This school was closed sometime in the early 1950s, and a two-room school across the road replaced it. The principal of the new school had been at Teacher’s College with Marion’s mother and often stayed with them if the weather was bad. Marion was in high school at the time and so she would ask her to help mark the test papers.
Barb Mingie’s father was an engineer which resulted in the family moving around a lot. Barb attended a one-room school for six months in Brantford, Ontario. She was in the youngest grade and all she can recall was that she wanted to be in the senior grade because they were learning how to knit which look far more interesting than learning how to read.
Elaine McCargar went to the one-room school at Hulbert, south of South Mountain, Ontario. One day, her aunt, who was the teacher, had to run home for a few minutes. Two boys started tossing an orange back and forth inside the classroom. The orange hit Queen Elizabeth’s picture, the glass broke, and the Queen was dripping in juice. Elaine also remembers skating out in the fields, the Christmas concerts over in the church basement, the strap and the toilets in the basement.
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