The Margaret Eaton School

Historiography• What gives meaning to your life forms the

questions that you ask.– Marxists—power and oppression– Christian—Micah 6:8 “What does the Lord

require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

• Marginalized and oppressed—women?• McIntire

– Develop theories– Validate theories– Verify existence of certain models

• Curiosity

• Process of discovering MES– Picking a topic

• Paper on CAHPERD• Various references• Go with your guts

– Know? Post-secondary PED school for women.– Finding sources?

• Booklet by Dorothy Jackson• University of Toronto

– Two scrapbooks—found in some room by Bruce kidd

– Secretary of PED

» Calendars

» 1953 Address list

• Older woman tennis instructor

– Interviewing• Questionnaire• Personal• Scrapbooks and memorabilia

– Other archives• Eatons—none at first but pushed• Ontario—page through finder’s guide• Victoria University in Toronto• Metro Library

– Globe and Mail from 1900-1942

Introduction• The Margaret Eaton school was established in 1901 by Mary Hamilton, later

funded by the Eaton family.– It provided 250 women with a comprehensive program in physical education

training.– It merged with the University of Toronto in 1942 and encouraged the

development of Canada’s first bachelor degree program in phys ed for women.– It was one of Canada’s first programs for preparing phys ed teachers.

• When MES first began in 1901, it was run by Emma Scott Raff as the “school of expression”.

– One of it’s students was Margaret Eaton.– By 1915 the curriculum was focussed on dramatic art and physical education.– MES faculty consisted mostly of women.– Graduates from the school took on such career paths as:

• teachers at private schools, colleges and universities• directorships at YWCA’s• served at many summer camps

Mary Hamilton

• Directed MES phys ed program from 1901-1934, she taught at several Toronto girls schools.

• Through MES and her camp (Tanamakoon), she began the first Canadian training program for women camp counsellors.

• She retired in 1935

• She was on the founding committee for the Canadian Physical Education Association (CPEA).

Florence Somers

• Joined MES in 1934• From 1939 to 1941 she was the CPEA second president

and the first women president elected to that position– She published articles and gave talks and wrote a book entitled:

“Principals of Women’s Athletics”.• “Her philosophy was one of encouraging femininity and

charm with a zest for action and a vital personality which is the reflection of a love for activity.”

• In the CPEA bulletin she outlined the “Ideals for Girls Athletics”, and she expressed her concerns about:– women's so called ‘frailty’, – women being discussed for their appearance and not their skill;– men coaches and their push on women being encouraged past

their point of exhaustion.

Dorothy Jackson

• Following her grad from MES she became Director of Health at the Winnipeg YWCA and VP of the Manitoba Phys Ed Association.

• She continued in her education obtaining her Masters from New York State University.

• Her students viewed her as active, enthusiastic and exact. She was sometimes seen as harsh.

• From 1943 to 1946 she was VP of the CPEA.• Was the Director of the department of Athletics and

Physical Education for women at University of Toronto.• In 1967 she died.

MES and CPEA• MES gave the foundation for the CPEA ( 1933)• It formed three important bodies:

– Programs in Physical Education for women and girls– Athletics for women and girls– Advisory board

• The accomplishments of the CPEA.• Badminton guide for women• A display and discussion on gymnastics uniforms• Folk dancing• Posture examination of high school children• New relay group games.

– MES provided the first and most compressive programs of instruction for those interested in teaching physical education.

– It developed during a formative period of physical education in Canada.

Directing Physical Education In The Canadian YWCA’s:

• Physical Education programs began to flourish in the 1920's at the YWCA’s.

• In the 20's and 30's there was a time of increased interest and participation in athletics and physical activity by women.

• The 20's and 20's were defined as: “the first female athletic era” and “the golden age for women in sport.”– This time period involved:

• The Edmonton grads• Six Canadian women taking home 4 of 5 possible medals

from the ’28 Olympics in Amsterdam• The first women sports journalists

– Other elite athletes representing Canada were: Lela Brooks, Ada Mackenzie, Hilda Strike, Dorothy Walton.

YWCAs• They were formed in cities as early as 1870 ( St. John’s, NB)• It established a national council in 1893• The early program included:

– Education classes– Physical Culture– Religious Instruction

• During the first half of the 1900's the emphasis was to develop womens spiritual, intellectual, social, and physical well being.

• During the war years health was being viewed as the “first and greatest enterprise of the individual.”

• In the 20's there was increasing interest in PE. The YWCA’s began seeking women PE directors. Where did they come from?

MES Influence

• During the 30's every PE director in the Canadian YWCA’s was a grad of the MES.

• In 1926 when MES began offering 2 year education program for women the YWCA was looking for directors - this directed their relationship.

• In 1937 to 1941 90% of directors at the YWCA’s were MES grads

• In 1947 MES grads were out numbered this was due to the amalgamation with U of T and MES closing.

• MES grads provided the YWCA with the most committed employees in various positions such as:– YWCA executive directors– Leadership through YWCA national office– A committee revising the Leadership Corp

programs– Health Education committees– They also took jobs at YWCA’s outside of

Canada

Why did MES dominate?

• #1 MES graduated 450 full time graduates, 300 between 1920 - 1942 and simply prepared women as physical educators better than any other institutions and therefore flooded the YWCA.

• #2 MES was a leader in Canadian PE. It was one of the first schools to provide comprehensive post secondary education focussing on womens PE.

• #3 MES and YWCA shared a parallel history during the 20's when YWCA needed PE directors and MES was there with graduates.

“ It was about women leaders taking initiatives, organizing, teaching, writing, exploring the world, testing their abilities and helping other

women.”

• Continuing education was very important for MES grads - refresher courses were offered by the YWCA and most often led by MES grads themselves.

• MES grads also influenced the international YWCA’s, through attending conferences and publishing articles in the Y’s international journal.

• The MES influence on the YWCA is strong because it existed during the formative years of the YWCA’s PE program.

• The parallel because the MES school and YWCA was due to their influence of women leading women.

Conclusion

• MES grads took many YWCA jobs, which provided an important opportunity for women physical educators, trained by women to give leadership to an important womens organization in Canadian History.

• MES controlled PE during and important formative years of the Canadian YWCA, it was thought that MES’ perspective was conservative, but it provided an important opportunity for the leadership of Canadian women.

Let’s take a look

• http://www.redeemer.ca/~byl/mes/

My rewards

• Recorded a part of history soon to be forgotten—less accessible.

• Fulfilled educational responsibilities with a lot of pleasure.

• Met some fine people:– Mary Barker—influential woman in Canadian PED

whose mother was the first registered female accountant in NA.

– Agnes Moffat—in 1925 was one of only two women out of a class of 250 that went to McGill Medical School. Chaired the Canadian Federation of Women Physicians.

• Bess Pitt—influential in the Eaton’s girls club and close friend of Tait MacKenzie.

• Nora Gauld—80 years old was awarded teacher of the year in Toronto—at 82 was still supply teaching a couple times a week.

• Netta Morrision—later on, with her husband, became the first registered organic farmers in Canada.

• Pauline Seller Hill—first president of Welcome Wagon Canada.

• Reunions– Redeemer in 1992– Class of 1942