Having good discipline in the school was considered to be the mark of a: good teacher. The teachers were mainly women, (after schools became more plentiful and better equipped). They received training and after testing were given a rating or class which determined their salary. The schoolteacher was quite an important member of the community and was expected to meet quite high standards of conduct. It was never forgotten that the school “marm” or “master” was to set a shining example of conduct for the children.

One ad which was reprinted in a supplement to the Eastern Graphic of Feb. 18, 1976, clearly outlined the expectations and stipulations guiding a teacher’s behavior. This teacher was not to get married, keep company with men, or to ride in a carriage with any man except her father and brothers. She was not to smoke cigarettes, drink beer, wine, or whiskey, or loiter in ice cream parlors. Attending any function between the hours of 8 pm and 6 am that was not sponsored by the school was prohibited, as was leaving town without the permission of the Chair— man of the Board of Trustees. The teacher was also required to dress in somber colors, to wear at least two petticoats, and to wear all dresses not less than two inches above the ankle. Her duties were to keep the schoolroom clean by scrub- bing the floor once a week and the blackboard daily, No mention was made in the ad in concern of any training or qualifications the applicant had qualifying her to teach.

This appears to be a rather extreme example, but there is no doubt that the teacher’s actions were closely monitored by the Trustee who hired her and by the community. Since the teacher often boarded around in houses close to the school, her actions were well known.

The ad following was probably a more common one. Teacher’s Attention — Any teacher of the first or second class who may be willing to hire to teach in Annandale School No. 135 during the year ending June 30th, 1918 please write or see the undersigned Supplement. Twenty-five dollars, good school building near to R.C., Presbyterian and Baptist Churches, and Annandale is one of the handsomest and busiest places in the Province. George E. Saville, Secy of

Trustee, Annandale, P. E. island.

The standard of teaching was observed and evaluated by a School Visitor or School Inspector who visited all the schools on the Island and made recom- mendations. The appearance of the Inspector was remembered by both teachers and students as a day of note. The students said their lessons to give 'an idea of the progress they had made. The teachers always tried to make the best im- pression possible and all hands would fly to straightening the school when the Inspector was sighted coming up the road. The slight dread in which the In- spector’s visit was held was usually balanced by the knowledge that classes

would be excused early that day.

The Inspector remembered most Clearly and fondly in this area was Mr. Harold Hynes. He was the School Inspector for fifty-two years and now resides in Montague. He is remembered as being a gentle man who often gave the children a special treat in the form of an exhibition of his power of swift and cor— rect addition. Many people recalled how the students and teacher alike delighted

in these impromptu shows. 42