EDUCATION

The Mission of the teacher is chiefly to form the character of the child, and he is certainly measuring up to the highest ideals of his calling, when he has occasion to admonish his pupils, enforce correction, and he does so with justice, moderation, and parental solitude.

D.J. Mullin

Teachers should aim to make the studies interesting to the pupils, so as to arouse in them a love of learning, which invariably results in good attendance.

Harold J. Hynes’

Inspector Harold Hynes and Inspector DJ . Mullin are two of the last School Inspectors, who for many years inspected the one room schools within the St. Peters area. These two gentlemen are still remembered by the many former students and teachers within the area who had to sit through those dreaded ‘days the Inspector came.’ At one time, there would have been as many as ten to fifteen schools that these Inspectors would have visited within the St. Peters Fire District Area. With Consolidation in the 1965/ 1966, the traditional one-room schoolhouse, so familiar to the rural countryside of Prince Edward Island, became obsolete.

In 1825, a small amount of money was given for each district on PEI to build a small schoolhouse. It was nine years later that the first school records appear for St. Peters (in 1834). The condition of these early schools was harsh, teaching equipment was scarce, and sometimes the bible was the only book the students had for reading. Teachers were paid low salaries, and good teachers were therefore hard to come by. The number of pupils often determined the teacher’s salary. Initially male teachers were preferred as “they were strong enough to control the older boys." (1) Within a relatively short period of time, however, the profession of teaching became an occupation dominated by young unmarried women.

One Hundred and fifty years ago, students had to pay for their formal education. Few families had the money for this, and few could afford to spare their children who were needed at home to work. Education was unregulated. Although School Inspectors began to inspect one—room schools on the Island in the early 18305, it was not until 1852 that the first act was passed within the government with

' Both of these quotes appeared in the Department of Education Reports for the Year 1925.

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