"From Wretched Employment to Honourable Profession": the Changing Image of Teachers in Nineteenth-Century Ontario

"FROM WRETCHED EMPLOYMENT TO HONOURABLE PROFESSION": THE CHANGING IMAGE OF TEACHERS IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY ONTARIO Ceoffrey James Booth A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of Theory and Poliry Studies Ontario ïnstitute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto 0 Copyright by Geoffiey James Booth 1999 National Library Bibliothèque nationale of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie SeMces services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395. rue Wellington OttawaON KlAW OrtrrwaON KlAW Canada Canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive Licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibiïothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microfom, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/nlm, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. 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"From Wretched Employment to Honoiwble Profession": The Changing Image of Teachas in Niwteenth-Century Ontario Thesis for the Degree of Master of Arts, 1999 Geoffiey James Booth Depanment of Theory and Policy Studies Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto At the tum of the nineteenth century, schooling in Upper Canada was, for the most part, haphazard and uns~pe~sedYet, in les than a century, the province muld boasi of a fie, universal and cornpdsory system of state-run rducation which ranked arnong the best in the world niis transformation was due in large part to the ability of Egerton Ryerson, Chief Superintendent of Schools for Upper Canada dunng much of the period, to alter public perceptions of teaching. Ryerson's hope for a pcofessîonal corps of tachers enjoyed considerable success. However, changïng social and economic conditions, combined with the praccical experience of teachen, altered the trajectory of Ryerson's initial vision. Through the reminiscences of suprannuated teachers writing at century 's enci, this paper shows that teachers' view of themselves did not necessarily paralle1 the one constructed by Ryerson, or arty other bureaucrat. Without the vision, encouragement and support of my hily, fiends and numerous voIunteer readers, this work would never have wrne to fniition In particufar, Iwould like to recognire the assistance teceiveci fiom my parents, Gordon and Geraidine, rny partner and best fnend, Idianne Ecclestone, and her parents, Tony and Marie. I would also like to express my sincere appreciation to Linda Bonenfant, volunteer reader for the Ontario Audio Library SeMce, Trent University, for het timely transcription of a daunting assortment of archival material, without which this work would not have been psible. In addition, 1 gratefid l y acbowledge the advice and encouragement of cornmittee members David Levine and Hesh Troper, and the work of friends Elizabeth Harfenist, Pat Serafini, Jane Casey, and staff and volunteers at PAL Reading Services and the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, for the tirne and effort they contri buted to this project. TABLE OF CONTENTS .. Abstract.. ............................................................................................... 11 ... Ac knowledgements .................................................................................. iii Table of Contents. ..................................................................................... iv Introduction............................................................................................ L Chapter One: "A Wretched Employment" ....................................................... 7 Chapter Two: "A GdMaster" .................................................................. 31 Chapter Three: "AnHonourable Profession"................................................... 62 Conclusion........................................................................................... 93 Bi b l iography ........................................................................................ -96 Appendix A ......................................................................................... LOO Appendix B ......................................................................................... 107 Appendix C ......................................................................................... 108 INTRODUCTION The word "teacher" evokes maay stemtypes in popdar culture. Notions of the "school mm"and the strict severe schoolxnaster are perhaps the two most popular icons which the rnodernday media have employed to c- tum-of-the- tacbers. From where do these images corne and why are they so enduring? Further, do they have any historical credibility? Are they, in feaccurate portrayais of the teaching profession as it was in the late nineteenth century? What hction did these images play in helping to form a corps of educatiod professionais who bagme an integral part of the educational state, as it developed in Upper Cauada? This papa wiii argue thai popilor images, whüe ohideahtic, wem a necessary, if oflen unpredictable, force in the creaîion of a centralized and professional edudonal bureaucracy in Ontano. By examining the development of education during the early, middle and late nineteenth century, this papr will show that popular beliefs changed toward those who taught in Upper Caaada Initially, teachers endmthe negative scorn of most Upper Canadian settlm, who perceiveci thern as inept idlem and charlatans. As the century progressed, caiis for educationai refonn waxed and waned, but Mein the way of real change occurreâ until Egerton Rymon became Chief Superintendent of Education for Upper Ca& Drawing upon his earlier e-riences and the social challenges which contionted him and his contemporaries, Ryemn proposeci a teaching mode1 which stooà in stnrL Eontrast to what many Upper Caaadians believed about the individuals who taught in their communities. From this position, Ryerson and other school promoters succeeded in reshaping early-nineteenth century notions of the teacher to fit kirvision of education and its place in the dynamic social structure within which they found themselves. For them to succeed in this endeavour (at a time of political dem~ccatizationand demograpbic sea change). it was critical that formal institutions such as education becorne bridges of stability between the upper and lower classes. if this was to be, then public acceptance of, and respect for, teachers must be firrnly established Ryerson worked tirelessly to build a centralized educationai bureauclacy whose policies refiected the dominant class values of the perid This in turn had a significant impact upon the criteria used by Education Department officials to disçern a good teacher fiom a bad one. £3 y the early 187Os, however, Ryenon's waning political infiuencp and the numerous social changes which were takuig place resulted in the emergence and subsequent endorsement of newer educational ideas. Thus, whiie Ryerson was able to lay much of the initial foundation for the pattern of education in general, and the teacher icon, he codd not foresee or control forces which modified and recast his vision of what should constitute an ideal teacher. In addition, as teachers themselves evolved professionally and developed critical self-awarenss, they in tum began to interpret educational policy, to suit their individual and collective needs both inside and outside of the system. Thus, exploring the evolution of the icon in Upper Canada during the nineteenth century also reveals a change in social attitudes toward teachers and their emerging profession At first glance, it might seem logical to compare icons with "reality". However, semantics aside, this is an impossible ta& First, historians have abandoneci detiaitive history, in favour of shedding light upon manageable (and hopefully, represeatative) facets of their chosen topic. in the case mwbefoce us, some chronological and geo- political parameters are super-imposed, to more sharply defiw tbe area of interest This study limits itself to teachers and their profession in auieteenth~nturyUpper Canada This has been done for several tessons, First, we wiîness the formation of the educatio~lstate, nom its rude begmnhgs in the Constitutionai Acî of 179 1, through to the development of a bureaucracy embracing ope, universal and compulsory education Second, the period marks a shift fiom rural-agricdtural to a more wban-commercial, then industrial society in Upper Canada. The resulting uiifertainty this caused among many so-calleci reformen informed their thoughts and actions as they began to lay the foundation of the social institutionstbat would govm the province. Teachers played a pivotai role in this transformation and it is only by considering their emerging status that we appreciate how important it was that public attitudes toward teachea had to change, to facilitate their participation as agents of the state. Finally, because teachea were present at the initial stages of formal state education in CaMdian history, theû experiences,

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