Mahone Bay Old School_A Life and Times_Bob Sayer

home for breakfast, and down to the school again for class. That was about a mile
up and down two hills. I wonder what I ate for energy?’
Hope outlines the rest of her career: ‘I stayed there [Mahone Bay] for three
years and from there went to Bible Hill School for three years…Dr. Mosher, Superintendent
of Truro Schools, asked me to teach in Truro ‘ [where she became
a regular master teacher for the classroom training of Normal School students]…I
stayed about twelve years…Then I got married [now Mrs. Bustin] and
moved to Bridgewater…I kept house and then went teaching in Bridgewater for
sixteen years….When my husband passed away and I was left alone, I took four
year olds in my home and called it Little Red Hen Kindergarten.’
to be vaccinated before entering school. The directive which can be found in
the Quinlan files at the Settlers Museum, required teachers to ‘have the foregoing
read and explained to the scholars.’ ….No child may be admitted to attend
school who cannot present either a certificate of vaccination or a physician’s
certificate, that, being reason of the child’s health, vaccination is inadvisable.
Line ‘Em Up & Check ‘Em Out
Then in April 1925 came a directive to inspect hands for signs of infectious
disease.
• She was a good friend of Fred Mosher. Fred and Hope’s sister, Rhea [“Dolly”],
graduated together, a year after Hope [see photo inside front cover].
Aspects of Teaching: 1920s Style
Religious Instruction Vaccination and Disease The Strap
Report Cards Teachers & Classes
Daily Religious Instruction Ten Minutes per Day
Read from The Bible
The following directive was sent to Principal Jacques on April 9th 1921. It’s
remarkable in many ways: It shows the paternalistic authority of the Board.
No major consultation with the principal or teaching staff is recorded as
having taken place. No howls or letters of protest appear in later Board’s
minutes.
The directive is a sign of the times. There was no Teachers Union in a position
to react. It was church-going age and many teachers had been to Sunday
School, and some were Sunday School Teachers. The Board directive
resulted from some pressure from the Orange Lodge. The motion was passed
[April, 8/21 meeting] immediately after:
‘A committee from the Orange Lodge waited upon the Board, asking that the bible
be used daily in our Academy.’
Vaccination and Infectious Diseases Public Health was on the move in the
1920s. There were Public Health Officers and a few Public Health Nurses
[but no School Health Nurses, yet]. Teachers were expected to enforce health
regulations and even run health checks. It became compulsory for children
Moved Commissioners Eisenhauer [yes, the construction supervisor] and Davis:
Owing to the report of infectious diseases at the school the Secretary request the
Principal to call together the teachers Monday morning and have them make a
thorough examination of the hands of each, and continue said examination
for several days and any suspected cases be reported to the Principal, and he to the
School Board. Carried
At a later time the School Health Nurse would have done this job.
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