Lorraine Scott is well known around Manitoba for her leadership with the Retired Teachers Association of Manitoba where she served as president of the Southwest Assiniboine Chapter of Retired Teachers for six years. She was also president of the Fort La Bosse Teachers for about some years.
Mrs. Scott’s storied teaching career began in the Archie School, a one-room country school. Archie School was near Manson, Manitoba, where a cairn marks the place of the yellow schoolhouse. With multi-grades, it was there that Scott learned to be a well-organized teacher.
The building has been painted red in its new location at Elkhorn’s Manitoba Antique Automobile Museum.
Seeing the recent Empire-Advance story, ‘Memorial to Elkhorn war poet’ prompted Scott to dig into the Elkhorn history (Steel and Grass Roots) and into her own roots.
“I was a history major, so I have a deep interest in history,” says Scott. She treasures her local roots and heritage “I have a cup and saucer from 1885, in the Anglican Church (St. Mary’s) in Virden. It was Great Grandmother Dixon’s possession.” And thus, we see the value of mementos which serve as hallmarks of history.
Lorraine began practice teaching at Crandall School, prior to her three years at Archie. “They wanted us to go to rural areas. It was a real learning experience to go to country schools. I was 19 when I started and had 15-year-old kids.”
These were the days of the school Inspector and the dresses were worn by lady teachers. Scott, who enjoyed playing with the young students, was in hiding when the inspector showed up. “I was playing hide and seek with small kids.” She had to come out when the inspector showed up. She recalls she had a hole in the knee of her pantyhose and says with humour, “I was quite a wreck.”
The inspector’s visits were practical sessions. The curriculum was the guide stone and the children were questioned to see if they had been taught properly.
She recalls teaching a very small child of 5, with whom she read daily. When the inspector can and read with him, the boy took hold of the inspector’s thumb as part of his reading ritual, “then he’d turn the page. It was like a security blanket to the small boy.”
To her surprise, the inspector was satisfied with his progress, “He’s almost (reading) at a Grade 3 level.”
She also recalls a little girl who had failed a grade with a young teacher. However, Lorraine was determined to help the child and discovered, “she was very smart.” She says the little girl turned out “close to being gifted.”
When Archie closed, she received a call to teach at Virden Junior High School, where she worked for 26 years. Elkhorn was next, in 1996, and that was where Scott finished her 38-year teaching career.
She loved her work and her colleagues. “I had some very good principles. People you admired for certain qualities.”
Mervin Scott and Lorraine were married in 1965.
Archie School No. 744 operated from 1893 to 1969 and Lorraine was its last teacher. A reunion for Archie School students and teachers is planned for this August.
The Elkhorn history is available online.
