The Society of New France There were many early expeditions from Europe to North America, most in search of a
Northwest Passage that linked the Atlantic to the Pacific, thus leading to the wealth of Asia .
These excursions alerted Europeans of the resources North America offered and this attraction of fish and furs stimulated annual voyages from Europe to reap the benefits of the New World. As appealing as this discovery was, Europeans considered this New World a harsh environment and few thought of settling permanently , but eventually political and economic interests inspired
Europeans establish settlements in North America . Overseas colonies were regarded as an opportunity to gain political advantage amongst European
The colony’s childrearing practices were brought over from France, but gradually church teachings and the examples of Natives who showed kindness and affection towards their children, inspired a less disciplinarian approach . The educational aims, curricula, pedagogy, and instructional materials of the New France schools were also transferred from the mother country . With the church as the “handmaiden of the state” in New France, it was charged with maintaining schools . Although the schools were in private hands, they demonstrated an egalitarian character by providing education for children of all social-class backgrounds thought this was limited by the fact that the schools of New
France were not evenly distributed across the colony. Educational facilities were centered in urban areas and so learning suffered in rural communities . Despite the location of schools, even girls who would have previously received no formal instruction were singled out for education after female teachers were brought to the colony to found schools for girls. In an effort to socialize the First Nations peoples and impose onto them their French culture and
Catholic Christianity , the French also focused on educating Aboriginal children of families open to conversion. Similar to the childrearing practices, the schoolchildren of New France were treated less harshly than those in France and enjoyed a greater degree of