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.
- This article demonstrates the appeal of teaching to young women. As many came from small town farms, becoming a teacher was often the sole cash income for the family, as well, many occupations were still closed to women. A majority of the young teachers still lived with their family, and along with contributing economically came a degree of respect. Though barred by gender from achieving the status of a professional, teaching was still associated with authority. For many, the decision to become a teacher was based on the family needs and the job market/ conditions. This article depicts the limitations of being a female and how the rise of education created job opportunities for women. Children are forced to attend school at a very influential age and by having a majority of teachers being female might instill stereotypes of how gender plays a role in society.
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 Meliwski (Eds.), Schooling in Transition: Readings in the Canadian History of Educatoion, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2012: 201-22
- This article takes a deeper look into the lives of rural teachers and the impact that isolation and loneliness had on them. Though it didn’t have a long-term effect, Wilson describes the positive influence the Rural Teachers Welfare Officer had on the young female teachers. As many of them were at the mercy of loneliness, isolation, difficult & unfriendly trustees, parents and landlords, the RTWO would come along to the communities and tend to the social and psychological needs of these young women. This paper shows that there were many factors that teachers had to consider if they were to fit into the community. Who she involves herself with and the community politics could often prove to be deal breakers if the community wasn’t accepting. An unaccepting community paired with the fact that these girls were away from home for the first time could create a stressful environment. The fact that a RTWO existed was reassuring for many parents and teachers. This article shows the importance of being social and the drastic lifestyle change for many women entering this occupation. Schools that proved to be difficult or dangerous for young women required a male teacher. Showing the reader that men were able to handle difficult schools and communities more so than women.
Elias, Mignone, Hall, Hong, Hart, Sareen. (2012). Trauma and suicide behavior histories among a Canadian indigenous population: An empirical exploration of the potential role of Canada’s residential school system. Social Science & Medicine, 741560-1569.
- This article argues that suicidal behavior and poor mental health is directly related to the trauma experienced as a result of colonization. With the federal government anticipating that these children and subsequent generations would contribute economically to modernizing Canada, many residential school children experienced a loss of culture, language, traditional values, family bonding, life and parenting skills, self respect, and respect for others. This was a multigenerational issue were a high percent of the population sustained traumatic exposure, influencing their own and others offspring. The authors of this paper go on to show that children with parents or grandparents who attended residential schools often mirror psychological problems of their parents and have an increased chance of experiencing abuse, neglect and poor mental health due to poor parenting styles.