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The development of schools in rural Newfoundland was slow before Confederation in 1949 when most of the small communities were very isolated, reachable only by the sea in summer and dog team in winter. Many of the people interviewed for this exhibit had memories of schools being one or two rooms with multiple grades learing together. Bathrooms were outhouses and a pot-bellied stove heated the poorly insulated buildings. In island communities and those cut off without a road, finding teachers at all was a difficult task. For well over a century Newfoundland's schools were religiously denominational. In towns like Main Brook, this meant that there might be as many as three tiny schools, each run by a differernt church, compounding the problem of finding enough trained teachers. The denominational system finally changed in 1998 and a more centralized, government controlled system was established.From the children's point of view, school was mostly as necessary evil. In the 1960s and early 70s the evil part pertained to the strict nature of classroom teaching and discipline. Having to stay in class after school let out was bad enough but being punished by a strap of solid leather was frightening and having to stand in the corner with a book on your head was humiliating. None of this was condusive to positive learning. By the time the children of this exhibit became adults, the strict and punative system had long ended. Schools today in rural communities are on a par with those across Canada. Unfortunately, the diminishing populations in many small communites have meant the closing of small schools in favour of bussing students to larger communities. The loss of a school in a small community is acutely felt as if in some way the heart of the place seems to be gone.
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School boys in Hooping Harbour1955-1965
Hooping Harbour
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The school bag I had was a homemade one. Some used to make them out of denim. We had a scribbler and a pencil in there.The first day I remember - we started off with an A. I learned how to make an A, write that out on a page. When the test came, we weren't allowed to use the scribbler. We had to have an exercise book. So that's what we carried to school - an exercise book and a scribbler and pencils, a pack of crayons.4
Class at work in a one room school.1970s
Northeast Crouse
Credits:Candace Cochrane
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There were a lot of things in school I liked but I am not sure school was focused on learning as much as it was on things you had to do like homework. You had to sit in your seat like a robot. That stuff I didn't enjoy. The teachers were so strict and you were so afraid. We didn't want to do anything wrong. You couldn't afford to do anything wrong or you'd get the strap.Tony Kearney - Croque
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Drawing pictures on the school blackboard1970s
Grandois/St Juliens, NL
Credits:Candace Cochrane
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We were classed as teacher's pets because we came from a tiny resettled community where you respected your elders and the teacher and the minister. We had a lot of respect for our teachers. I sat in my seat as did the other kids but we didn't turn our heads, we didn't make a sound. We just sat and listened. What work we had to do, we did it. We were always the top one, two, three in our class. So when the prizes were given out, we always got them. Our teacher should not have, but she always used to say to the others, Why don't you be more like her? And that got us labeled as teacher's pets. So we tried to learn to be a bit bad.Celie Randell Parsons - Little Harbour Deep and Englee
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Chatting in class1970s
Conche, NL
Credits:Candace Cochrane
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In costume for the Christmas concert.1970s
Conche, NL
Credits:Candace Cochrane
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Kristy Wilcox, Renee Randell, Stacy-Lee, Dierdre Chu in a Christmas pageant.1960 - 1975
Bide Arm
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Playing kick the ball in the classroom1970s
Grandois-St Julien's
Credits:Candace Cochrane
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School concert in the community hall.1970s
Conche, NL
Credits:Candace Cochrane
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I loved school. I loved it so much that when my brother used to have his friends in while I was studying, I really got upset because I couldn't study. I must have had a bit if dyslexia because a lot of my learning was done by rote.Cindy Coates Musgrave - Main Brook
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Summer art class1971
Conche, NL
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