School on Wheels

Most Canadian children will trudge back to school next week, but in 40 isolated hamlets in northwestern Ontario, pupils will wait for school to come to them. Reason: they attend schools on wheels.

To bring education to children of trappers, railway section hands and woodsmen, the Ontario Government has converted seven rail coaches into school cars, each complete with 14 desks, blackboard, library. In September the cars are coupled on to regular trains, roll out of North Bay, Chapleau, Capreol, Port Arthur and Sioux Lookout, then are shunted to convenient sidings.

When the school cars arrive, children come out of the bush afoot, by canoe and on rail handcars, study in classes from first grade to junior matriculation (twelfth grade). Books, pencils and paper are free.

All week long classes are held; then the teacher hands out enough homework to keep pupils busy for four or five weeks. The school car is hooked on to another train, rolls on to the next spur, stays a week, moves on.

At the end of the circuit (100-200 miles) the car doubles back, visits each hamlet ten times before the school year ends in June. This adds up to a rugged schedule for the seven teachers. But even with a top salary of $2,000 a year, the application list is long, the teacher turnover light.

For school-car teachers, housing is no problem: one end of the car is fitted up as a living-bedroom, kitchen, bathroom. The Government supplies all equipment, ice for the icebox, oil for the lamps, coal to keep the car warm when temperature nips around 55DEG below. Passing trains drop off magazines and newspapers. Main out-of-pocket expense: food, which is bought along the way.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.