Floating Schools & Frozen Inkwells

This humourous look back at a neglected part of B.C.'s history will be of interest to those who were there . . . and to those who missed it

Frozen inkwells on winter mornings, black bears coming to class, and wolves on the trail home in the evening are only some of the trials and adventures that one-room schoolteachers faced in the wilds of B.C. Joan Adams and Becky Thomas have interviewed over 100 pioneer teachers (and some present day one-room schoolteachers) and students, to produce a fascinating history of B.C.'s early schools. Adams and Thomas show how the school was the "hub of the community," drawing disparate groups of settlers closer together to escape the difficulties and loneliness of pioneering life in the first half of this century.

There are chapters on Indian schools of the north coast and Doukhobor schools in the Kootenays, tales of city schoolma'ams' romances with Cariboo ranchers, and former pupils' memories of parties, pranks, and discipline. Unique to the province are the coastal schools; one teacher tells of a town complete with school, community dance hall, and badminton court - all on floats