What is a Normal School?
Although it may imply so, a normal school is actually not for average students. A normal school, also known as a teachers’ college, is a school that trains teacher, generally for the primary, or elementary, grades. The name was developed from French to indicate that a normal school was intended to be a model. Most likely it developed from a lesser known definition of the word normal: conforming with, adhering to, or constituting a norm, standard, pattern, level, or type. One of the first normal schools was founded in Paris in the late 1600s. By the early 1800s, the concept of normal schools moved to the U.S. Vermont opened a normal school in Concord in the 1820s. In 1839, Massachusetts opened the first state-funded school for training teachers in Lexington. Prior to this period, U.S. colleges existed for education in other fields such as law or medicine but not for teacher education. Before the establishment of normal schools, no formal teacher training existed. Most teachers were male
A normal school, or teachers college, was an educational institution for training teachers. Selected individuals were trained in the basic skills of reading, writing, arithmetic and related subjects with the thought that those individuals could then pass that knowledge on to groups of children for their improvement and enlightenment. The normal school is said to have been started in France, around 1685 with the establishment of the “Ecole Normale” at Rheims. Founded by Abbè de la Salle, it became the famous Christian Brothers School, forerunner of the system of schools still operating under the aegis of that same Catholic order today. Rev. James G. Carter is credited as the “father of the normal school” in America. As a member of the Massachusetts Legislature, he sought to divert Massachusetts’ share of surplus revenue to the cause of education. The passage by the Massachusetts’ Legislature of the Normal School Act of 1838 was said to be due solely to his efforts. In accordance with th
