Sager, Eric W. “Women Teachers in Canada, 1881-1901” in Sara Burke and Patrice Milewski (Eds.), Schooling in Transition: Readings in the Canadian History of Education, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2012: 140- 165.

Sager examines, in this article. the possible factors in the feminization of elementary school education in the 19th century. He is specifically interested in undoing the assumptions made in previous research and determining the link between industrialization, the development of compulsory schooling, and the increase in female teachers in many areas of Canada. The tone of this article is different than the other articles we have read. It is much more scientific, with a number of graphs based on data from the 1881 census. Many parts of this article read more like an article from a scientific journal rather than a typical historical one.

Sager mentioned in the article that the information from the 1881 census had recently become available (144). The fact that we have access to information about the entire population of Canada in 1881, as opposed to just samples, is amazing. This form of a primary source seems irreplaceable in terms of providing complete and accurate information about at time period in Canadian history. Juxtaposed with the personal accounts from the McQueen sisters, Sager provides a very thorough look at the many intersecting factors that lead to the feminization of teaching in Canada.

This is the first article of assigned reading that has moved away from the topic of children, and rather focuses on the teachers in charge of the children. This will round out our knowledge on the topic as we will be able to see education from both perspectives.

Wilson, J. Donald. “‘I Am Here to Help If You Need Me’: British Columbia’s Rural Teachers’ Welfare Officer, 1928-1934,” in Sara Burke and Patrice Milewski (Eds.), Schooling in Transition: Readings in the Canadian History of Education, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2012: 201-22

Wilson’s article focuses on the primary source of Lottie Bowron’s diary of her visits with rural schoolteachers around BC and Alberta. Wilson specifies that this article focuses on the female schoolteachers from rural schoolhouses who had troubles adjusting to the position and the stresses that came along with it. Similar to Sager’s article “Women Teachers in Canada, 1881-1901,” this article focuses on the perspective of the teacher, rather than the student. It also provides insight into the perspective of many rural parents. The relationship between parents and the female teachers seem to be a power struggle; the parents’ behaviour is described by Bowron as “harassment.”

The tone of this article is very much pro-Lottie Bowron, even though Wilson admits that “rural conditions were almost certainly no better than they had been at the time of [Bowron’s] appointment” (217). In class, I would be interested in learning more about the conflict between parents and rural schoolteachers. What did tension between parent and teacher say about the biggest concerns of the time? How did parents expect teachers to behave, and what outcomes were they looking for in their children?

Hoffschwelle, Mary S. “The Science of Domesticity: Home Economics at George Peabody College for Teachers, 1914-1939.” The Journal of Southern History 57, no. 4 (1991): 659. doi:10.2307/2210600.

This article is relevant to my research paper topic. Although it is not based on Canadian history, it is still relevant because it is about the conception of home economics as a subject in schools. The article outlines how home economics was established at George Peabody College in the early 20th century. One interesting point mentioned in the article is how home economics was established as part of a movement to legitimize “homemaking.” It was believed it could offer women more respect as a housewife. Personally, I do feel it is important to provide students, both male and female, with an education about how to manage a household. However, I do not believe that it would necessarily provide women with more respect as homemakers.

I’ve noticed that many articles I’ve found for this topic have referenced the same books and articles. This article was interesting because, since it is not specifically Canadian, it referenced a number of articles I had not come across yet. Overall, the article was informative and provided a solid background on the history of home economics as a topic in school.