Life of A Pioneer Child/ July 14th, 2021

School in the 1800s was very different from what it is like today. So as part of our blog post today, we'll be walking you through what the average school day would have been like in the 1800s.

As a pioneer child, turning six years old was a big deal as it meant you would be starting school. There was no such thing as kindergarten so they would start right in grade one.

The day would start early as chores were still expected to be done before the children would head to school. After that, it could potentially be a long walk ahead of them so they would need plenty of time. On the way to school, older boys would be tasked with carrying a pail of drinking water if the school didn't have a well, during the winter they would also be expected to bring in wood for the fire.

School populations varied depending on the number of people in the community, but on average there would be anywhere from 15-40 students in a one-room schoolhouse. Attendance would also be determined by the time of year. During the spring, most boys would stay home to help with preparing and planting the field. They would also stay home during the fall for the harvest. Once everyone was there, the students would enter the schoolhouse one at a time. Grades 1-8 were all taught in the same room, so older children would sit at the back of the room and younger ones would sit in the front. Sometimes an older student would be seated with a younger one to help with their lessons.

Writing would be done on either a slate (small chalk board) with chalk or with a quill or fountain pen as the children got older. The main form of writing taught would have been cursive writing and penmanship was very important!

The teacher would have most commonly been a man, but if the teacher was a woman they could not be married. As part of payment for their childrens’ education, families would take turns boarding the school teacher. A family with four children would board the teacher twice as long as a family with two. On top of this, the teacher would also be paid $10 every month.

Lessons for the day would consist of reading, writing, and arithmetic. Only mastering the basics was necessary as most children were expected to be farmers, labourers, or housewives when they got older. If further education was desired, the child would most often be sent to a boarding school or would attend a private high school where tuition would need to be paid.

Children also learned manners and proper behaviour at school. If you did not behave properly you would be punished. Punishments existed in a wide range of severity. It could be something as simple as a talking to or having to clean the chalkboards, to the much more extreme use of the strap. The strap was often rapped across the knuckles, if a formal strap was not available a wooden stick was sometimes used.

The children would not have had playground equipment like we are used to in the yard, so they would make their own fun during recess. Toys would be brought from home and they would make up their own games. Common activities would have included rope skipping, tag, jacks, marbles, and hoops. Hoops was a game where a wooden ring would have been either rolled or tossed back and forth, sometimes using a wooden stick for an added challenge.

There would have been many fun activities outside of the normal school day. Arbour day and Christmas were exciting times for school children. Great concerts and festivities would have been planned by the teacher and students for their families and community members.

School was an important milestone for pioneer children, and would provide the foundations they needed for a successful social and professional life.