Growing Up Canadian: School
Growing up has become marked in school years but at the beginning of the 20th century most children attended primary school only. This bygone era is wonderfully evoked by still photos and archival film showing what children studied and where, from the one-room schoolhouse to a railway car. School in the 1940s and '50s is brought to life through interviews with adults who remember the first day at kindergarten, feared and loved teachers and encounters with the strap. The '60s and '70s brought television into the classroom and the concept of the open school, which changed the actual building. School …
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Growing up has become marked in school years but at the beginning of the 20th century most children attended primary school only. This bygone era is wonderfully evoked by still photos and archival film showing what children studied and where, from the one-room schoolhouse to a railway car.
School in the 1940s and '50s is brought to life through interviews with adults who remember the first day at kindergarten, feared and loved teachers and encounters with the strap. The '60s and '70s brought television into the classroom and the concept of the open school, which changed the actual building.
School is one of a 6-part series entitled Growing Up Canadian. These documentaries explore the myths and realities of Canadian childhood through family life, schooling, work, play, health and the media. The series marks the contribution of childhood and youth experience in defining Canada as it grew into full nationhood in the 20th century.
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executive producerSheila PetzoldKen StewartMarcel Clément
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producerHoda Elatawi
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series creatorSheila Petzold
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directorSheila Petzold
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writerSheila PetzoldSusan Terrill
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participantLundy BefreneSteve BenjaminHenry BishopAnna BonokoskiCarl BrewerMarilyn BuffaloHinson CalabreseWayson ChoyJohn C. CrosbieMelanie DoaneKen DrydenMabel GearyBarbara GowdyFred GreavesDenis F. MildonJack HarrisonDon HillmanElizabeth HillmanRosemary HouseGeorge JordanSarah KapoorNoel KnockwoodJoy KogawaMyrna KostashClare LakingChristina LameyKay LorenteGreg MaloneBob MellorPaul MétivierMatthew MitchellAiko MurakamiMary PrattEdith Samuel ManierkaMary SextonKaren ShopsowitzHellie WilsonCaroline WoodsideJamie Zeppa
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narration writerSheila PetzoldSusan TerrillJamie Zeppa
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narratorBecky Rynor
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interviewsSusan TerrillSheila Petzold
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original conceptSam Kula
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director of photographyKarl Roeder
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music composerAndrew Huggett
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off-line editorTiffany BeaudinDouglas von RosenRichard Millen
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online editorTiffany BeaudinMarie-Claude Gagnon
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graphic designerRon Allen
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production managerShelley CoultishKate Yule
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production coordinatorShannan Thomson
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additional interviewAndrea Hossack
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script editorSheila PetzoldSusan TerrillPenny McCann
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archival researchVivian HanwellKate KeatingKate YuleErin BrophyJillian Pranger
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researchHelen DundassJody NassrIsobel Ripley
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additional researchShelley CoultishPam GaffieldSophia GeevesDave PyetteFern GrahamLea RobinsonTheresa RowatSusan Villeneuve
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content consultantBarbara FreemanDavid McDonald
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sound engineerRobin Dumas
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sound recordistEldy GouthroPeter KettlewellKate KechnieLarry MacDonaldJane PorterVaughn RowsellDon StewartDouglas von Rosen
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additional camera operatorMike TienRoland PirkerRaymond Hagel
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production servicesDerek McClintock
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gripDon BlackLewis HillMarcus HutchingsMathew ReidJohn RocheHenrietta VeermanChris Anderson
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assistant sound engineerDan Sidoli
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post-production servicesNancy Bissonnette
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post-production internMaliha Hamidee
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production accountantCheryl Williams
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production assistantJason ClaudeKathy DunphySophia GeevesHenrietta Veerman
Warnings: Mentions of “strapping” (physical abuse) at school, reference to smoking
How have expectations about attending school changed over the years? What does the world expect from today’s children? Pedagogy has also changed considerably over the years. What changes do you notice between what is described in the film versus what you know and have experienced? Which of the subjects that were taught in Canada’s first schools might be useful today? Which would not? What were some of the school experiences that were most memorable to the interviewees in the film? What are some of the details that seemed to stand out to you as significant? Which events about Canadian school history were unique or surprising to you? Which need more coverage in our current curriculum?
