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Snippets of History |
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Date/Era early 1900s |
Topic Education |
District Staffin Junior Secondary School |
Person |
| Stafainn Junior Secondary drew pupils from the whole district of Stafainn. At Stafainn Junior Secondary, there were two teachers - Mr Neil Kennedy the head teacher and Miss MacKinnon (Maggie Ẹghainn) who was a 'pupil teacher' and who lived where the present Stafainn House is. Miss Mackinnon had previously taught in Sgoil na D́geadh. She spent her whole life in Stafainn and retired around 1943. When Miss MacKinnon retired, a Miss Sutherland took her place. And a Miss Matheson from Portree came after that (she lodged at No 25 Stoighseall). Over and above the staturory subjects, girls were given cooking, baking, knitting and sewing while the headmaster taught the boys gardening and navigation. If teachers were unhappy with children's progress, they might well be asked to stay at school after hours. Bible study and the catechism was also a key part of the school curriculum. Children also learned the psalms, and religious observation was taken first thing in the morning. When Mr Kennedy left Stafainn to take up a post in Fort William, the new headmaster was Mr Alex Fraser. He was a Stafainn man originally, and had been teaching in Uists. His wife was a Lochboisdale woman, and their three children were Archie, Neil and Catŕona. Back in the 1930s, a schoolboy had to salute to the headmaster every time you walked past him. The second world war had an effect on the school roll of Stafainn. Owing to the number of children who were forced to abandoned the bombed cities, the local school roll enjoyed a rise in numbers. At one time the school roll in Stafainn Junior Secondary was perhaps as high as 80, and a third teacher - a Miss Sutherland - was employed to cope with demand. The War meant that there was severe coal shortage and at such times all children carried a peat or two to school - a peat in one hand and a gas mask in the other. Your gas mask was always at the ready on your desk, just in case. And once a week, there was the gas mask drill exercise. Peripatetic teachers also called on the schools - one a Miss Bassin who was not able bodied at all. | |