School Days
School Days
- jim Young
"It wasn't just school to me, it was the chapter I never wanted to end." - anon
Some of you probably know by now that I grew up in the small communities of Stroud and Painswick. Not unlike some of the local rural schools in the Argyle areas today, the schools were small and each classroom would be filled with 2 or 3 grades. It wasn't uncommon that we would find ourselves in the same class as an older sibling or cousin.
In the first grade, the school I attended in Stroud was a two storey building that accommodated Grades 1 to 8. There were 2 entrances for grades 3 to 8 whose classrooms were on the main and upper level. One entrance was for the boys and the other for the girls who all had to line up and wait to enter the building before literally marching in upon the teacher’s command.
The lineups for Grades one and two however, weren’t segregated by sex. But it wasn’t because of the age factor. There was only one door for the students to enter as we marched down the poorly lit staircase into the dark, dingy, windowless basement to our class room beside the boiler room.
The room wasn’t originally intended to be a classroom when the school was built in 1923, but accommodations had to be made for the growing population. I’m certain by today’s standards it would have been considered a fire trap.
My cousin Steve, in grade 2 sat a few rows over. My older sisters Kathy and Leah and Steve’s older brothers Denny and Gary attended classes somewhere in the rooms above us. My Aunt Dora, the principal, taught a class on the top floor although we well knew there would be no favours or special privileges granted us because of our relationship with her.
In fact, we were all very aware we wouldn’t be able to get away with anything as all of our teachers knew all of our parents well.
It was kind of fun attending public school with so many siblings and cousins even though we all pretty much just hung out with those in our age group during recess and lunch hours. There was a kind of pecking order and we all pretty much stuck to our own groups.
I remember one day however when my sisters Kathy and Leah crossed the lines. They approached me with a group of their friends. In retrospect it was more like a gang descending on a hapless victim. Directly across the road from the school stood Sabin’s General Store where pupils that might have a few pennies to spare would often go to purchase a bag of penny candy after school.
“Hey Jimmie,” Kathy called out and as they drew closer, I could see she had the familiar small brown paper bag that Sabin’s used to sell their candy in. “I have something for you.”
“What is it?” I asked as I envisioned all the delicious varieties of candy that I knew might be available. “Open your mouth and close your eyes I’m going to give you a big surprise” Kathy rhymed. Being the trusting young lad I was, I obeyed her command only to have my sister take a pebble from the bag of rocks she carried and place it in my mouth. As I spit it out the girls all ran away giggling like a bunch of… well… schoolgirls.
I should have known that my sisters didn’t have any money to spend. But it was all in good fun.
The next year, we moved to Painswick. The school there consisted of 2 buildings. The original one room schoolhouse and a very modern (for the late 50s) two room schoolhouse.
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| Circa 1965. The one room schoolhouse in Painswick in the foreground and the 2 room schoolhouse in Painswick in the background. |
Although the one room schoolhouse which housed Grades 1 and 2 had indoor plumbing, the original outhouse was still standing. We were required to use it during lunch and recess.
The 2 rooms in the new schoolhouse in Painswick were intended to hold Grades 3 to 8 but were already overflowing with students. Most often one or two grades were being bussed to other nearby schools.
By the time I reached Grade 5, my second oldest sister Leah was in Grade 8. Kathy had graduated to highschool in Barrie and my younger sister Lennie was now attending the old one room schoolhouse. The classroom I was assigned to in the two room school house consisted of Grades 5, 7 & 8 with the Grade 6s being bussed elsewhere.
I remember walking home from school that first day. Leah offered to make me a deal. “I won’t tell Mom and Dad anything that happens to you in school if you promise not to tell them anything that happens to me.”
I was so pleased that my older sister was trusting me in a pact and taking me into her confidence that it never occurred to me that she was making the deal mostly for her benefit what with me being the proverbial “teacher’s pet” and all.
But then came Grade 6. I was feeling quite grown up by now as the oldest sibling left in public school.
A new school had been built while the 2 older ones were still being used. Instead of bussing students to other schools, now other students in the area were being bussed to Warnica’s new and luxurious 5 classroom Taj Mahall. With the increasing population we were starting to get lost in the crowd.
The following year, my younger sister Lennie had likewise been moved up to Warnica and was my last close relative still attending the same school as I. But I rarely saw Lennie at school anymore unless it was to help her cross Highway 11 when I pulled Safety Patrol Duty.
It was the beginning of the end of the small town schools in Innisfil Township.
Yes, my friends… Those were the days.
- 30 -
Do you have some pictures or memories of the proverbial “good old days” that you would like to share? If so, please send them by clicking on this link, Those Were The Days, My Friend.
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