School in Massachusetts has changed a lot in the past 100 years or so. At the turn of the century, many children were compelled to work in factories or mills in order to help provide for their families. When children did have the chance to attend school, classes were often focused on preparing students to transition into their expected gender roles. Many schools aimed to give even very young children a technical education that would enable them to join the workforce as soon as possible. Check out these fascinating photographs from the past that show how very differently Massachusetts approached education only a handful of decades ago.
1. Children eating at their desks at an open-air school in Boston, dressed in heavy clothing. (1900)
3. Immigrant children attending night school in Boston. Many of these children would not have had the luxury of attending class during working hours.(1909)
