Education in the 19th Century

Since the time of Upper Canada, there have been a variety of forces impacting on the development of schools. During the beginning of the 19th century, there has been an increasing demand for professionalism in elementary and secondary education in Ontario. This coincided with increasing authority over education; as teacher training fell under the jurisdiction of the provincial government, resulting in universities providing teacher education programs with the eventual accreditation being governed by the Ontario College of Teachers.

Before 1847, teacher certification was not required in Ontario. It was teachers who took the initiative of surveying their communities to try to find enough students to make a school economically feasible; while it was the parents who assumed the responsibility and cost of providing resources and equipping schoolhouses. The religious, political, and economic leaders in the province began to assume strong viewpoints about education. Attitudes at the time became more popular through the major media that the education model was not meeting the needs of the colony. The Common School Act of 1846 brought major changes to education in Ontario, including the Ontario Normal School which was established in 1847 by Egerton Ryerson, Superintendent of Education.

Examining the history of teacher education helps us gain a greater understanding of the current situation; which will give us a window into the continual improvement for the future of the education in Ontario. There needs to be more cooperation amongst society and the government to better fund education. More money should be spent on educational support and it should be less costly for people to attend Bachelor of Education programs.

How do you think that the original accountability to the parents relates to accountability to parents now?

References:

• Google.ca (Images)

• Smaller, H. (1997). Regulating the regulators: The disciplining of teachers in nineteenth century Ontario. In K. Rousmaniere, K. Delhi and N.De Conick-Smith (Eds.), Discipline, moral regulation and schooling (pp. 97-116). New York: Garland Publishing Inc.