This is part of the view inside the school house in yesterday's pic at Upper Canada Village. The teacher was at the front, with the girls lined up on the right and the boys on the left. Some of the girls in the pic are turning to see the teacher.
Quite a few visitors like us were crammed in at the back of the one little room and I was not able to get a good overall pic of the class that was in progress, but this will give you an idea of the girls' dress code and the furniture - or lack thereof.
The teacher was very strict and after only one warning, a student would find himsef [only the boys were bad, lol] standing with his nose on the board in an 1800's version of a time-out.
Vikki, yesterday you wondered about log cabins in the cold weather but I think they were probably quite toasty in there as there was a big wood stove in the centre of the room, just out of the frame.
Great shot Anne. Wow so awesome. You have inspired me to head over to Doon Heritage Village which is just down the road from work. Thanks for the inspiration!!
@mittens yes, i thought so too at first but there are probably a couple of reasons for that --- limited space so the "desks" or work surfaces had to be up against the walls and also, they probably thought there would be less distractions if the students were not facing each other. @digitalrn i'm sure you're absolutely right! lol
We have a similary "living history museum" (Connerprairie.org)by us, but I've never seen anyone actually play the part of students. They usually force that on the visitors. This is a great shot!
Fantastic capture, Anne ...love the history shown here ... and I'll just bet that the children back then really studied and learned. Seems so different from today where they all have access to a computer, etc. Love this .. thank you for sharing.
i would imagine they did have a stove or something. one of the older ladies in my writing group grew up outside of ottawa (i forgot the town) and in one of her stories, she related about how they didn't have good enough coats and going to school similar to this, a one-room affair, and they'd be so cold because there's no heating of any kind. and that was in the 50's! i would definitely plan on visiting this preferably before the winter. thank you, anne, for sharing.
I remember many many years ago when at a small cinema in our local parish, girls would have to sit on one side and the boys at the other. Beautiful place to visit.
I suppose they were forced to look at the wall while working in order to keep their focus...maybe...but how hard to not be able to see the teacher. Lucky girls would get a window! I would have had my nose stuck on the wall for sure...I would not be able to stop day dreaming out the window.
August 11th, 2012
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@digitalrn i'm sure you're absolutely right! lol