With Unfailing Dedication: Rural Teachers in the War Years

Dave Hutchinson is assistant superintendent of the School District of
Mystery Lake in Thompson, Manitoba.

As World War II gained momentum, a phenomenon began to unfold in Western
Canada, primarily in rural schools. Hundreds of teachers had enlisted in
the armed forces, resulting in a serious teacher shortage. The solution:
recruit students (mostly female) fresh from high school, provide six
weeks of “normal school” training, and send them to isolated rural
communities to serve as “substitutes.” What awaited these budding
teachers was like a scene from Max Braithwaite’s novel Why Shoot the
Teacher?: poorly built one-room schoolhouses and teacherages set in a
rugged prairie landscape. Poverty and loneliness were counterbalanced by
a strong sense of personal professional fulfilment.

Author Elizabeth McLachlan describes this time as follows: “In years
since, many have criticized this period in history as one in which the
education of Canadian schoolchildren suffered at the hands of
under-aged, under-qualified personnel. That may be so, but were it not
for these brave teens agreeing to undertake unbelievable challenges and
hardships, the education of the country’s children would have been far
further compromised. Regardless of the outcome, they stepped forward in
their country’s time of need. Children teaching children. No one can
question their courage.”

Therein lies the intent of this text: to detail the professional
narratives of 29 teachers and, further, to yield some insight into the
historical, political, social, and economic realities of the time. The
stories will inspire teachers, administrators, teacher education
students, and teacher-educators and appeal to all those who like good
Western Canadian historical nonfiction.