The September Years

Lisa Arsenault is an elementary-school teacher in Ajax, Ontario.

These are the reminiscences of a teacher who worked for the Protestant
School Board of Quebec for 38 years, retiring as a principal in the
early 1960s.

The book starts out almost as a chronological inventory of the various
schools Munro worked at, but changes to an anecdotal style when she
comes to the Depression, and hits her stride both as a teacher and as a
writer. For most of the 1930s she was a teacher/principal at one school
and made a major contribution: many supposedly innovative ideas that we
associate with modern “child-centred” theories of education were
developed and put into practice by this very caring educator, who
devoted much time—and apparently her own money—to ensure their
implementation. This part of the memoir also sheds light on the
strenuous efforts made by teachers during this period to help needy
students and on the central role played by schools in their communities.
On the lighter side, Munro includes many funny stories about her pupils,
her colleagues, and herself.

These are interesting, poignant, and humorous reminiscences about an
era long past—if not in actual years, then certainly in terms of
societal changes. In addition to her vignettes portraying day-to-day
interaction between teacher and pupil, which tend to be timeless in
their appeal, this book is important because Munro’s teaching
practices presage many methods currently in vogue.