Regency Schooling

With the end of the school year fast approaching, we at the Laura Secord Homestead thought it would be appropriate to share with our readers a short history of the development of 19^th century education. Let us assure you, the school houses in the early and late 19^th century are very unlike the classrooms children occupy today…

            In the early 19^th century, teaching was considered to be an appropriate vocation for women, especially those who were widowed.¹ The types of educations young ladies and men would receive during this period were based largely on their social class. In fact, there was a variety of different organizations meant to educate the young and wealthy women of Canada: “finishing schools, academies and female seminaries” were all available to the wealthy and strove to “produce a lady able to mix in society at home and abroad.”² Many of these institutions would teach “reading, arithmetic, spelling, penmanship, geography and French. Classics were taught on occasions and instead of history or politics, girls red plays, poetry, novels and moral tracts, and learned the skills of music, singing, playing an instrument, dancing, painting, drawing and fine needlework.”³ Even Laura Secord herself became involved in educating the youth of Canada, and ran etiquette class in her home in Chippewa. However, these formal forms of education were mostly reserved for the wealthy. Poor families would receive education from the church, or would be instructed by neighbors, parents etc.⁴ If a young girl from a poor family was lucky, she could land herself a position as a domestic at a wealthier family’s home and hopefully receive the same education as the wealthy children of the household. Boy’s education differed in that there was a larger emphasis on arithmetic, and would often learn through play. 

The equivalent of a gold star, this item would be awarded to school children for “diligence.”

It wasn’t until the mid to late 1800’s that Canada (and Upper Canada especially) began serious educational reforms. Specifically, it is during this time that public schools began to develop. Public education gained support because of “increased immigration and settlement of families, the influx of United Empire Loyalists from the United States, and political and economic threats to Canadian lands and resources.”⁵ For this reason, the aim of public school was to develop “distinctly Canadian identities” by “cultivating new attitudes” in students.⁶ It was during this time that both boys and girls were educated together in a single school house. However, boys were encouraged to seek out more education by attending high school, and wealthy boys would be even encouraged to go to University. Girls were often only educated at the primary level, and at that time would be expected to channel their energies into running a household.⁷

However, the realization of free public education as we know it today was not without problems. For example, there was a serious lack of funding in developing schools which made it difficult to hire teachers, build school houses etc.⁸ Not to mention, the government had to combat the indifference of many parents, as many people felt the introduction of a mandatory public schools was an invasion of private life, and for that reason, attendance at schools was often abysmal.⁹ Attendance was also affected by “regional differences in socio-economic circumstances as well as families’ material conditions and class backgrounds.”¹⁰ The poorer the family, the less likely they were to attend class. Worst of all, it was difficult to find and hire well trained teachers.¹¹ Schools desperately attempted to recruit men as teachers to “legitimize” this new public form of education. However, because these schools had little funding, they had to recruit those who would work for less: women. But as the 19^th century continued, this trend shifted, and as public education became more popular with the public, men became the norm for teachers.

Obviously the development of public education is far more complex then what has just presented. But hopeful, this short summary has given some readers some further insight into the lives of those living in the 19^th century.

1. Graves, 110
2.  Graves, 111
3. Graves, 111
4. Graves, 113.
5. Wotherspoon, 61.
6. Wotherspoon, 61.
7. Kalman, 18.
8. Wotherspoon, 62.
9. Wotherspoon, 62.
10. Wotherspoon, 62.
11.  Wotherspoon, 62.

References

Graves, Dianne. “Gainful in Employment” In In the Midst of Alarms: The Untold Story of

Women and the War of 1812, 102-130.Canada: Robin Brass Studio, 2007.

Kalman, Bobbie. “Children at School” In Colonial Life, 18. Canada: Crabtree Publishing, 1992.

Wotherspoon, Terry. “Historical Dimensions of Canadian Education” In The Sociology of

Education in Canada, 54-74. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.

1.