My site has been up for just over a month now and I am proud to announce that I have had over 1000 visitors. I would never of immagined such an overnight success but this has been the case, so I want to thank all of you for visiting me and please continue to do so. Aniya (The English Teacher)

As you can see by the image (no it’s not me) but an English teacher from 1925 a certain Miss Ella Miller images are of kind courtesy of the Archives of Ontario

Miss Ella Miller, a school teacher in Longlac, 1925, C 267-3-2-2-38, Archives of Ontario.

To obtain a teaching certificate the student teacher would be required to conduct classes at a model school. Model schools were “practical schools” established in public schools partnered with the normal school. Teachers graduating from normal school courses would be issued aFirst or Second Class Certificate qualifying them to teach elementary or high school for higher wages and eventually become school principals or school inspectors.

Practice teaching evaluations for Mr. Joseph Sherman, 1885, RG 2-128-5-6, Archives of Ontario.

The poem underneath recalls one student’s experience practice teaching in front of his peers. Training registers, such as the one below, document praise and criticism, teaching suggestions, and grading of the practice teaching assignments. Very similar to the CELTA training course I did.

“Experience of a Normal School Student”, Rhapsodist, 1895, RG 2-253, box 2114, file 58, Archives of Ontario.

www.archives.gov.on.ca