Did you know the first public schools that opened on Lulu Island in the 1880s were one-room schools taught by a single teacher with students aged 6-16, and were equipped with rainwater drinking barrels, wood stoves and outhouses, no lights or electricity? Visit the Richmond Museum’s newest exhibit, Language of Learning and explore the history of education and the concept of life-long learning in Richmond. Learn about how far we have come since those early days. The exhibit opens with a reception on Tuesday, February 25 at 5 p.m.Everyone is welcome.
Language of Learning features artefacts and photos that illustrate how learning has been passionately embraced by Richmond’s diverse community from early childhood to old age. It is a passion for learning made evident by the growth in the variety of lifelong learning opportunities available throughout the community, the emergence of cultural and religious schools as diverse as our population, the rise of post-secondary training and technology institutes, colleges and a university, along with the growth in traditional schools from K-12.
See a re-creation of a late 1970s public classroom, complete with an Apple computer clone first introduced to Richmond classrooms by teachers; an airplane engine from BCIT Aerospace Technology Campus; graduation gowns on loan from Kwantlen Polytechnic University; components from the former Mitchell Elementary School gymnasium and more. Also included are objects on loan from institutions representing lifelong learning and cultural education such as the Richmond Public Library, Minoru Activity Centre and local language schools.
The exhibit explores how—through years of growth—education in Richmond has gone well beyond the one-room schoolhouse to embrace the development of a wide spectrum of traditional and alternative learning environments, successfully meeting the diverse learning needs of today’s modern city.
Language of Learning runs until October, 2014 and is funded by the City of Richmond, Richmond Museum Society and the British Columbia Arts Council. For more information, visit www.richmond.ca/museum.
