E is for Education - School Days! - Blogging from A to Z April 2020 Challenge!

Today E is for Education - Hear the school bell ringing?  

Around the world with the children, an introduction to geography, revised

by Frank G. Carpenter, 1855-1924. (American Book Company, 1924). University of Victoria's British Columbia Textbook collection.

If we had family attending school in British Columbia, Canada in the 20th century, chances are we'll find something about that in a local archives, a community history or old newspapers, or if we're lucky, we may find old report cards or school photos or even class projects tucked away in a drawer. For those in the 19th century, we may not be so lucky.  

This article includes a few of the resources relating to elementary and secondary education, some are online, largely provincial records from the BC Archives, but do not forget local sources. From 1946, BC school district records have been held by local authorities. 

If you already know the area or the schools your family attended, you can focus your searches narrowly. But it's a good idea to learn about the history of education in British Columbia generally first; then investigate the kinds of records that do exist for your areas of interest. 

Note: there may be access restrictions on educational records at all levels. 

• For federal government records relating to education and residential schools, see Conducting Research on Residential Schools: A Guide to the Records of the Indian and Inuit Affairs Program and Related Resources at Library and Archives Canada (2000?) - http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/020008/f2/020008-2000-e.pdf 
• If you need your own BC school records, check with the School District where you last attended school in BC.

BC EDUCATION HISTORY

A good place to start learning about the history of education in BC is with "A Living Schoolhouse", an online exhibit beginning with the work of the Sisters of St. Ann who started their school in a shack in Victoria in 1858 which eventually became St. Ann's Academy. Once travel opens up again, you can visit the building on the Museum grounds or see the Academy.

https://learning.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/pathways/schoolhouse/

Next, The Homeroom, British Columbia's History of Education website, Professor Patrick Dunae, Vancouver Island University -  online articles, copies of legislation, timelines, a guide to Curriculum Guides and Related Publications, 1914-1969 and a database of school textbooks 1870-1930. http://curric.library.uvic.ca/homeroom/

British Columbia Textbooks and related Collections

• University of Victoria's British Columbia digital Textbook collection: http://contentdm.library.uvic.ca/cdm/landingpage/collection/collection23 
• University of British Columbia's textbook collection - 18th century to abt. 1930. Some books digitized: https://guides.library.ubc.ca/historicalchildrensliterature/textbook 
• Skipsey Educational Heritage Collection, Nanaimo-Ladysmith Retired Teachers Association, online database - 3000 textbook and teaching aids: http://www.nanaimoladysmithretiredteachers.ca/skipsey-heritage-collection

Woodfibre, BC, School children celebrating May Day, 1910s. 

BC Archives Item C-06420. The BC Archives has 100s 

of photographs of school children and schools. Not all are digitized.

Search the BC Archives website for place and school names of interest.

BRITISH COLUMBIA ARCHIVES

Selected collections of interest - most on microfilm

BC Archives Education History Research Guide - https://royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/sites/default/files/sites/default/files/images/08_22_2016_Education_History_Guide_2016.pdf

One-room schools in B.C. collection - oral history interviews. 75 audio reels - PR-1879. Created 1978-1981 for the book "Floating schools & frozen inkwells: the one-room schools of British Columbia" by Joan Adams and Becky Thomas (Harbour Publishing, 1985). See individual interview descriptions for info. 

Correspondence School administrative records (1919-1969) - GR-0470. Serving students in isolated areas, for instance, living in lighthouses, or for children with disabilities unable to attend school. Later serving relief camps, interned Japanese students, 1942 -1946,  displaced persons, 1949 -1951. Also serving provincial hospitals, jails. Finding aid online, by place. (No personal names)

British Columbia. Dept. of Education. Teachers Bureau (1920-) - 1923, 1928 - GR-0461. 

Teachers filled out questionnaires, now digitized, about their school districts. Most include photos of the school. File list online with place/teachers' names/year (1923 & 1928).

School Inspectors' Reports, various series. 1918-1957 - Series GR-0122. For reports 1918-1937 filed by name of school or community; later by teacher. (Reports were published in the BC Education Department's Annual Reports.)

Table of Contents [page 5] and Geography test, from Examinations, Grade XI Junior Matriculation and Normal Entrance, 1924 [page 43]. FIFTY-THIRD ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF THE PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA 1923-24 BY THE SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION and PART III. APPENDICES.  Legislative Assembly, [c1924].  BC Sessional Papers, University of BC Library Open Collections.

Now I have a challenge for my readers!

Do you have school days records or souvenirs at home that could help someone who is researching their family? 

Why not scan those and post them up for others to use. I did that a while ago with my elementary school photos and a few other things. I posted mine from Simon Fraser Elementary in Vancouver on Flickr but now volunteers are collecting Vancouver School Board history so I sent copies there. I realized lately that I have a few more things that belong with that collection so next month I'll scan those too.

And few archival photographs are accompanied with all the names of people in the pictures so if you can identify anyone in a school or other photo from an archival collection, do let people know. If the archives is willing, put a digital copy of the photo online with everything you know about it. Some archives have their own identification projects which you might tap into.

Happy researching!