A historical context unfavourable to poor children…

In the 17th century, the first schools for young girls from wealthy families in Quebec offered only a few years of education, mostly dedicated to housework. It was not considered necessary to teach them to read and write!

In the 18th century, a few boarding schools for wealthier girls were founded by the Ursulines of Quebec and the sisters of the Congregation of Notre-Dame. They lengthened the time of study, divided the classes according to the age of the students and added subjects such as music, painting and lace-making.

– 1642 – Quebec City: First convent founded by Marie de l’Incarnation – Ursulines of Quebec

– 1658 – Montreal: First school established by Marguerite Bourgeois – Congregation of Notre-Dame

Secondary education was reserved exclusively for boys from middle-class families. Since the beginning of the 19th century, girls from wealthy families attending boarding schools were entitled to a slightly broader education. They were taught catechism, reading, writing, arithmetic, needlework and initiation to women’s work. They lived according to the rules of the congregation with a rigorous religious supervision.

Girls from the countryside or who did not have the possibility of studying at the boarding school could attend a country or parish school when it existed. Young girls or boys who knew how to read, write and count taught the children.