Schoolmarm by Penny Petrone

Description

Penny Petrone’s first memoir Breaking the Mould(1995) told the story of growing up in Port Arthur as the daughter of working-class immigrant parents. The second volume, Embracing Serafina(2000), recounted her continuing search for identity. With Schoolmarm, her life’s narrative is now complete.

In Schoolmarm, Penny recalls a teaching career that began at North Bay Normal School and culminated at the Lakehead University Faculty of Education where she, in turn, trained teachers. Along the way, she taught in Europe and Africa, in big cities and rural communities across Ontario, and at virtually every level from one-room schoolhouses to university classrooms.

Throughout the book, Penny notes how much educational philosophies, methods and goals have altered since the days of core curriculum, harsh discipline, perfect lines, straight rows of desks, rules, rote, and regimentation. Not all the changes were for the better. Opinionated and forcefully argued, the book is a must-read for educators. For the general reader, it’s simply the story of one woman’s fascinating adventures in education.

• Publisher : Thunder Bay Museum Historical Society (January 1, 2007)
• Pages : 224
• ISBN ‏: ‎0-920119-54-9