A day in the life of an 1880 schoolgirl

Press, 31 May 1980, Page 15

A day in the life of an 1880 schoolgirl

. To help give an idea of a day in the life of a typical schoolgirl of the time I have focused on the routine of one girl, whom I will call Maud. School started at the same time as today — .9 a.m. But in those days our schoolgirl (Maud) would have to help her mother with household chores be* fore leaving with her brothers and sisters for school. On Mondays Maud might not go to school at all because it was usually washing day,'and that was quite an ordeal in those days. Maud’s brothers would also have chores to do, such as chopping kindling or feeding the fowls; or, if they were on a farm, helping dad with the milking or feeding out Getting to school was sometimes a problem, because in those days roads were often dirt tracks subject to wash-outs. Maud and her brothers and sisters would either walk, or go by pony to school, arriving before the big bell

that hung on the school tower was rung exactly at 9 a.m. Maud would line up with the other girls while her brothers and. all the boys would line up in another area outside the schoolhouse. Maud wore a long dress and a white pinafore like the other girls; the boys wore long shorts or trousers. Shoes or sandals were optional. Thus, while there were no school uniforms in those days most pupiis wore a fairly, standard clothing. At the command of the head teacher, who was in sole charge in many schools, the children would march in orderly fashion into their classroom. Glassrooms then were a far cry from those of today. .. . There were few samples of schoolwork on the walls. Often the only decoration was the school clock and a few pictures and maps. Windows were . few, and usually high on the waP.

The stuffy atmosphere that resulted from lack of ventilation was sometimes too much for the pupils, who would gently, nod off — until brought back by a whack from the teacher. Maud’s class consisted of , 50 pupils. Their day’s lessons would begin with singing of tables in unison, led by the teacher. “One and one are two,, two and two are four,” or “four sixes are twentyfour, four sevens are twenty-eight, four eights are thirty-two, four nines ate thirty-six,” and so on. Sing-sohg tables would be followed by morning break, when all the children would fiel quietly out of the class and play. Then for the rest of the day until 3 p.m. the teacher would take Maud and the others , through lessons in spelling, reading, writing, “vocal music" (singing); and, for the girls, .needlework. ~ Instead of a writing pad and pencil or pen, Maud used a slate and slate pencil. A slate was a flat

piece of grey-green stone cut to quarto size and set in a wooden frame. - The slate pencil was attached by a piece of string. On one side it was ruled horizontally; the other was drawn up in squares for arithmetic.

After each lesson Maud would rub her work out with, a damp rag. Woe betide any pupil who spat on the slate and wiped it clean with her sleeve. John Smith, inspector for the Westland Education Board, ‘ reported in 1881: “I have made some effort to abolish the filthy practice of cleaning the slates by spitting on them and rubbing them with the palm of the hand, the coat sleeve or some other portion of clothing.” Inattention or the slightest misbehaviour was severely punished. There are . many examples of letters being written to newspapers by parents indignant at the. punishment inflicted on their children by the teachers. Poor Maud would have to learn about the succes-

sion of English kings rather than the history of New Zealand; she would have to learn off by heart the capes and bays of England and the capital cities of the world. Most of her work was committed to memory. She didn’t really understand much of it.

Maud’s health was always at risk. She shared with all the other pupils a single mug chained to the solitary water tap. Infection, once it started, spread rapidly. Most teachers were poorly qualified. They finished primary school and became what w’ere called pupil teachers. They signed articles of apprenticeship for four years and did class examinations at the end of each year, A pupil teacher might even be younger than some of her pupils. One of their most important tasks for the teacher each was to check the rolls, because grants were linked with attendance. ; Hence grants were

lower when attendance was down due . to bad weather, sickness or the needs of parents at home for: child labour. No talking was allowed while the class was in session. Maud had to address her teacher as “Sir” or “Miss” or “Mrs” — although rarely the lattei because married women were not encouraged into the profession; and, in any , case, tended to be fully occupied in the home. One Christchurch woman teacher in the 1880 s hung on to her iob after .she was married, but when she became pregnant she was summarily dismissed. As grants were tied to attendance, large classes meant lower salary costs* per pupil. Education hoards were keenly aware of this when they were asked to appoint more teachers. Attendance . registers were terribly important and carefully filled in morning and afternoon. A mistake was a serious matter and a. deliberate

falsification was grounds for instant sacking. After school .Maud ■would return home and do her daily household chores before doing her home-* .work. . R. J. O’Sullivan, inspector for the Auckland Education Board, reminded teachers that “homework should not occupv mo-er than one hour, and should, be of a light and not. perplexing kind.” He recommended, “get- - ting poetry by heart, preparing a reading lesson, or a lesson in physical geography.” • ' Although the . methods of instruction in 1880,. were sb different from' today, the over-all purpose of education appears ‘ to have been similar, if Mr O’Sullivan’s ideals were at all general. He said that the aim was to-produce men and women who, to use the language of Carlysle: “Value knowledge, possess some, and, what is better I and rarer, are open-mind-ed for more." - *