At the turn of the 19th century, about 470 school districts existed in Prince Edward Island, each with its own small school. The quality of education was dependent on the teacher, with the Province setting the curriculum that students studied. PEI was largely agricultural at the time, but education – especially higher education – was largely geared to students who wanted to enter the professions, such as law, medicine, and education. Little was taught that would be helpful for students who decided to remain in farming and agriculture.

The Macdonald Consolidated School was an experiment in two ways. First, it was a larger school that provided education for students from several districts. Secondly, the school’s curriculum included additional practical training that would be useful for rural students: gardening, household science, manual training, and agriculture, for instance.

Small school districts were set up so that students could walk to school. Creating a bigger school district that covered a larger area meant that the school was too far away for all students to walk. This photograph shows an early “schoolbus.” What are the differences between this schoolbus and today’s schoolbuses? Note the decoration of the Macdonald schoolbus, the harness used for the horse, and the number of students crowded into it!

Macdonald Consolidated School Horse-drawn Schoolbus
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Further Reading:
Darin MacKinnon. “Master for Service: The Macdonald Consolidated School, 1905-1912.” Island Magazine.

Sir William C. Macdonald funded the Macdonald Consolidated School experiment in the early 20th century. As part of the experiment, Sir William insisted on excellent lighting and ventilation for the schoolhouse, plus the most up-to-date equipment and curriculum possible. The school contained several classrooms such as this one.

Kindergartens, translated from German as “child gardens,” signalled a change in teaching methods and attitudes towards children in the early twentieth century. Previously, small children were expected to memorize their ABCs and behave like their older brothers and sisters. Kindergartens paid attention to the individual student and his or her development, using a variety of teaching techniques geared to very young students.

An Up-To-Date-Class Room, Interior of a Macdonald Consolidated School Classroom, 1910.
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Teenager Wesley Turner’s diary shows that his interests at the time were not on his education. Wesley writes about the chores he performs, such as chopping wood or going to the store to buy or exchange goods, visits to friends and neighbours, the weather and its effects on the crops, and his attempts to have his poetry published. His comments on attending Upton School, however, are confined to either, “I went to school today” or “I didn’t go to school today.” His reasons for not going include the school stove not working properly, the weather being too stormy, or working. However, in one entry, he writes that his father thinks him too sick to go to school – but Wesley manages to do work around the farm that day!

Wesley kept his diary in a series of school scribblers. Examine the cover closely. What does it say about the importance of agriculture at the time? How is that reflected in what Wesley considers to be important when you read his diary entries?

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Description of the Workbook Cover here

Reginald Haslam’s school exercise book shows how in some ways, education has not changed. In the early part of the book, Reginald practices his writing, making rows of letters, and writes down arithmetic problems and answers. On the last page, he writes a short composition on “How I Spent My Summer Holidays,” a title you might be familiar with. The teacher’s comments are below Reg’s composition, and show that he could certainly improve. How is Reg’s vacation similar or different to yours?

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Diary Excerpt Transcript here

School teachers had to pass the 2nd or 1st class examinations at Prince of Wales College to be certified to teach. The 2nd class work, as Anne of Green Gables shows us, was easier than the 1st class work, but the top students could complete the 1st class work in one year instead of two. Teachers with 1st class certificates were usually paid more than those with 2nd class certificates. Lucy Marchbank passed the 2nd class examinations in 1897, then took her first class examinations a few years later. Examinations for teachers were very difficult.

Lucy Marchbanks' 2nd Class Teaching Certificate
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School Licence Transcript here

Teachers were respected for their learning and usually took an active part in the community. Lucy Palmer, a schoolteacher in Malpeque from 1887 to 1890, writes very little about her life as a teacher, but shows how active her social life was. She was invited out constantly to parties, picnics, drives, quilting parties, walks, and neighbour’s houses for tea or supper. Her diary gives a lively picture of community life in Malpeque at the turn of the 19th century.

On November 15, 1887, Lucy also wrote about disciplining some of her students:

“This evening, very much against my will I punished three boys, Ben Owen, Alf Craig, & Herb Ramsay, by keeping them in for an hour after the rest to learn a lesson that hadn’t been prepared at home. At first they giggled & laughed thinking, I suppose, that there was plenty of time before dark to learn their lessons & have fun too, but by & by one nudged the other & told him to look how low the sun was getting & all three turned their attention to their work, and in less than no time, they were up to the desk to repeat it & when finished they scampered home feeling somewhat ashamed of themselves I hope.” (This excerpt taken from “Party Time in Malpeque.”)

With multiple grades in one room, a teacher had to keep good order for students to be able to learn. Lucy clearly preferred keeping students in after school to physically punishing them with the strap. Which way of punishment do you think is better and why?

Diary of Lucy Palmer, pg. 1
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School Teacher's Diary Transcript here

Further reading:
Michael Bliss. “Party Time in Malpeque: The Social Life of Lucy Palmer, Schoolteacher, 1887-1890." Island Magazine.
---. “A Farmer Takes a Wife: The Courtship of George Haslam and Lucy Palmer, 1892-1894." Island Magazine.

Students were expected to learn complex arithmetic before they left school. Younger students learned simple sums in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, then graduated to weights, measurements, and problems. Note the different measurements given in this arithmetic book from 1882. Do you recognize all of them? Do we still use these measurements? Note that the measurements are given in lists, which students were probably expected to memorize. How long do you think it would take you to memorize these two pages of lists?

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Pages 46 and 47 of Advanced Arithmetic Transcript here