High school wasn’t free in the 19th century, and you had to pass an entrance exam to get in. To pass the examination for Prince of Wales College, for instance, you had to study extra subjects like Latin, algebra and French. If you did manage to pass – the entrance exam results were published in the paper, so everyone knew how you’d done – you could earn a teacher’s certificate. A second-class certificate took a year of study; a first-class certificate at least two years. But if you passed and could get a school, you had an independent income.

As a teacher, you had great responsibilities. Not only did you have to manage nine or ten grades in the same room and the full range of subjects, but you had to plan one of the most important social events of the year: the Christmas concert. All students had to sing or recite or act in dialogues (short plays); the school had to be decorated; and the teacher was judged on the quality of the concert. Many teachers and students have fond memories of great concerts and greater catastrophes.