Behind the Normal School was a model class used by the student teachers to practise lessons. A long hall separated the two buildings. The women had to walk on one side of the hall and the men on the other. They were not allowed to speak to one another in class. Emily didn’t understand the reason for this separation. Men and women in Norwich had talked and walked together.
All kinds of questions formed in Emily’s mind. Why were women not allowed into university? Why had she earned less money than a man? Why did she have to walk on the other side of the hall?
Training in Normal School lasted six months. She started school in November and graduated in May 1854, proving by her exceptional marks that she deserved a First Class Teacher’s Certificate.
EGERTON RYERSON
Ryerson signed Emily’s Teacher’s Certificate. In 1844, he had been appointed Superintendent of Education in Upper Canada. Ryerson believed in a useful, practical education. Although he was progressive in many areas, Ryerson still held Victorian views on the role of women. He thought that a university education was a waste of time, because it wouldn’t make women better mothers.
NORMAL SCHOOL
The Normal School, a training place for teachers, was built in 1852. This large school took up an entire city block on Gould Street in Toronto.