Rantakatu street 7 A, Seminar 7 A, Mediasauna, Pohde, Seminar courtyard side, first window on the left when viewed from the courtyard, outside door
The seminar was very important for women. They gained a profession and were able to live independent lives. Often, the elementary school teacher was the pillar of support for their community, participating in many associations.
"The significance of elementary school for the development of the Finnish people, its future, and its future position is great. Its work encompasses the entire nation and all its members without distinction. The Finnish people grow in the hands of teachers," said seminar director Väinö Helle in 1946.
The seminar was of great importance to women, who, after obtaining a profession, were able to earn a living and live independently. Elementary school teachers were often the pillars of their communities, participating in many associations.
The first seminar was established in Jyväskylä in 1863. In Raahe, the seminar began operating on August 22, 1896. It began as a four-class elementary school-based women's seminar.
The first elementary school teachers received their diplomas in 1900. Among the graduates were five women from Raahe. Here are two examples:
Jenny Grundström
Jenny Onnia Grundström was born on February 19, 1878, in Raahe. She qualified as a teacher in 1900. She got her first job that same autumn, when she was appointed acting assistant teacher at the Rakkolanjoki elementary school in the rural municipality of Viipuri. Rakkolanjoki is a 56-kilometer-long river that originates in Lappeenranta in South Karelia, Finland, and flows through the Vyborg district in the Leningrad region of Russia. She remained in this position for four years.
She spent her working life at the Ponkila school in Muhos, where she was hired in 1904. In addition to her regular duties, she taught Muhos youth in voluntary continuing education courses before the 1924–1925 school year, when continuing education became compulsory under the Compulsory Education Act.
In her spare time, Jenny enriched the cultural life of Muhos in many ways. She served on the board of the central library for several years and as its chair from 1916.
Jenny played a prominent role in the Muhos Youth Association, of which she was a board member. She was asked to serve as a judge in the performance competitions held in April 1915, which included storytelling and poetry recitation. She was also involved in the activities of the temperance society, reciting poems at the temperance committee's evening gatherings. She was a member of the Finnish Tourist Association.
In addition to her work as a teacher, she was involved in many social activities. She was active in the Lotta and Martta associations and in diaconal work. She was one of the key figures in the community.
The school board granted her a pension in 1938. Even as a pensioner in Raahe, Jenny Grundström closely followed events in Muhos.
Hilda Madetoja
Hilda Kristiina Madetoja was born on March 1, 1881, in Raahe, Katinhäntä, or "Kirkonkylä," as the residents liked to call their neighborhood. She was the second youngest of five children. After elementary school, she transferred to the Raahe Seminary, from which she graduated as a primary school teacher in 1903. Her education paid off, and Hilda did not have to worry about unemployment, as she was hired as a substitute teacher at the Haapavesi municipal primary school that same summer in 1903.
The following year, in April 1904, the board of the Kälviä parish school decided to appoint a female teacher, Hilda Kristiina Madetoja, as a temporary teacher. She served as a teacher in Kälviä for four decades.
She was a member of the municipal library board for years. She was elected to the board of the Tenho Temperance Society in 1915 and participated energetically in the society's activities year after year. In 1919, clothing aid packages arrived in Finland from America. When distributing the clothing aid, it was decided to give priority to elementary school children, and Hilda was given a place on the committee in charge of the matter.
Hilda also had enough energy to participate in the activities of the Kälviä Lotta Svärd organization. She served as secretary from at least 1919 to 1920 and was elected to the board and treasurer in 1928.
In 1925, Hilda was elected auditor of the Kälviä Savings Bank, after which she served on the bank's board for several years. In 1925, several local branches of the Mannerheim Child Welfare Association were established in Central Ostrobothnia, one of them in Kälviä, and Hilda was appointed to the board.
Hilda retired from her teaching position in 1946. During her retirement, Hilda returned to her roots, to her childhood home at Kirkkokatu street 3 in Raahe.
3,177 elementary school teachers from the Raahe seminar
The official decision to close the Raahe teacher training seminar was made on February 12, 1971, by Decree No. 170.
More information
Sari Salmela (ed.): Tuikkuja ja kynttilöitä – muistoja Raahen seminaarista vuosilta 1896-1971, Raahe-seura ry v. 1999
Back to the front page of the Old Town Raahe Advent Calendar