Notes from Educating Japanese Internees During WWII: Tashme High School (1942-1946), Paul Kirschmann, March 3, 1992.
Once the Japanese had been labeled “Enemy Aliens”, they were subject to the War Measures Act, and became the responsibility of the federal government. Consequently, the provincial government refused to provide education for the Japanese children. The federal government only supplied teachers and course materials for grades 1 to 8. It was not until January 1943 when the Women’s Missionary Society (WMS) of the United Church organized and operated a high school that education became available for Japanese secondary students. The Anglican Church operated a kindergarten which had an attendance of 120 children. It was staffed by two missionaries and two Japanese girls, and provided more of a social function than an educational role; however, some ESL instruction was integrated into the daily activities.
School facilities were makeshift. Old desks and equipment were salvaged from Vancouver schools, and classes were held in temporarily converted milking and stock barns. These barns were to revert back to farm use after the war; therefore, milking stanchions and other appliances were left in place, and dividers were built to separate the buildings into classrooms. The D building was about 150 feet long and 60 feet wide. Half of the main floor and loft were divided into 25 by 25 rooms , and the other half of the loft served as the gymnasium and Japanese community centre. A smaller, single level sheep barn (the A barn) was similarly partitioned into 15 by 15 rooms. Classes ran from 9:30 to 3:30.
In 1942, the parent teacher association of the Japanese Committee petitioned the BCSC to provide high school education in Tashme. The government refused so the parents approached the United Church for help. Although the PTA continually pressed both the provincial and federal governments, they were always denied help. The BCSC would not even allow the Japanese to build a high school with their own money and labor.
Since the high school received no government support, classes had to be held in the same buildings and classrooms as the public school and ran from 3:30 to 9:30 pm. The students themselves took care of the janitorial work and maintenance. By September 1944, four United Church missionaries were teaching the academic classes and six Japanese women taught the commercial courses. The missionaries received a nominal church salary of about $75 per month.
The level of credentials held by the missionary teachers was very high, and all had completed at least a bachelor’s degree. Ms Katherine Greenbank, the high school principal, had attended normal school in Moosomin SK in 1911, and graduated from Wesley College in Winnipeg in 1916 with a BA. She taught in the public school system until 1919, and then went to Japan to learn Japanese. She taught at and later became principal of the Yamanashi Eirva Gakuin School in Kofu from 1926 to 1959 except for the time she spent in Tashme. She was even made an honorary citizen of Kofu. Winnifred Awmack (nee McBride) received a BSc from UBC in 1940. She worked for 3 years as a chemist in a fish plant research lab in Vancouver before moving to Tashme. Ms May McLachlan, who was largely responsible for organizing the high school and became its first teacher, graduated from Brandon College and taught in Japan before Tashme. Mr Ernest Best graduated from UT with a degree in philosophy and theology and was extensively involved in the high school sports program. In 1945, Mr Best was replaced by James Williams who graduated from UBC that year.
The academic curriculum included English literature, grammar, social studies, health, mathematics, science, Latin, French and chemistry.
Commercial classes were taught by the Japanese teachers. Courses included shorthand, bookkeeping, typing, arts and home economics. These teachers taught at public school during the day and volunteered their time for high school students at night.
Compiling course material for the high school obtained from the Correspondence division of the BC Department of Education was a constant challenge. While BC resident students paid $2 per course registration fee, the Japanese students were charged $9 in addition to the $2 registration fee because they were considered “aliens”. Costs to each family as cited by Department of Education would have been prohibitive so only one copy of each course was ordered, and teaching was largely done through questions and answers on the blackboard. In addition, Japanese students were charged the full cost of text books so they were scrounged and shared among 6 or more students. Students still had to pay the cost of provincial exams. In later years, funding was provided by the church to allow each student to obtain his own work sheet package for a course. With only 4 teachers, this was a necessity so that students could work largely on their own.
Some courses were designed entirely by the teachers. Because high school was not subject to government intervention, teachers had much more flexibility in designing courses and choosing resource material than public high schools. Tashme High School was never visited by the provincial inspector.
Lab equipment and supplies were similarly difficult to obtain. Miss McBride who taught science, math and chemistry went to Vancouver and canvassed her previous employer for donations.
High school classes ran from Monday to Thursday, Friday was a day off, and Saturday was a combination of worship, a social day and the afternoon was devoted to music appreciation. Because the Japanese homes had no electricity, and radios were not allowed, the playing of recorded music was a very much appreciated treat for the students. The school had 120 “good” records from which, on a typical Saturday afternoon, two classical records were selected. Some history of the composer and highlights of a particular piece were explained. After the “good” music, students could choose their own favorites like Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw.
The teachers qualified in the BC Standard Teachers’ Examination established by the Department of Education and the school was recognized as private school because it received no government funding. To obtain junior and senior matriculation, students wrote BC Ministry of Education Correspondence Branch examinations.
In addition to providing education, the high school became the social focal point in the community for its students. Dances, sports, field trips, clubs, and outings were largely organized though the school with the help of the teachers.
Older students often found jobs in the commissary, at the hospital, at the sawmill, and where work could be found in and around Tashme. Seasonal work was available on farms and canneries in the Okanagan and Fraser Valleys, when permission could be obtained to enter the restricted zone. Pupils coming back late from work projects such as apple picking, hop picking and tomato canning cause delay in the organization for school work. Students spent long hours studying at night to try to keep up at school and still make some money during the day.
The high school gave the students much of their contact with the “outside world”, since even a field trip to Hope required a “restricted entry” permit. Current affairs discussions, the music and movies, and general instruction helped students keep “in touch” with the rest of the world. Teachers often provided English-Japanese interpretation between parents and children.
During its short life, the high school gave the internees the opportunity to continue their education. Some students later went on to university, and became lawyers, doctors, and were generally given the opportunity to continue educating themselves, a task that would have been much more difficult had it not been for the high school. The high school could not compensate for the disruption and tragedy of internment, but it did give students some chance for a future.