[interchange42]

You can view the page at http://urbantoronto.ca/content.php?1732-Heritage-Toronto-Mondays-Toronto-Normal-School

 

[Redroom Studios]

well, atleast we have photos to look back on... calling it the Normal School sounds hilarious and politically incorrect these days. No abnormal students wanted!

 

[Uncle Teddy]

That's why it was called that? lol

 

[AlbertHWagstaff]

I think in the context of the day "normal" probably meant what we think of as "standard" or "regular". If you look at old TTC route maps, they listed the routes that ran all day as "normal service routes". It does sound odd in the way we think of it today.

 

[Skeezix]

I looked that question up a few years ago and, IIRC, the term originates from the German or French, and is based on the fact that the first normal schools were actual schools - i.e. operating schools where young teachers were trained. The term obviously fell out of favour as the teacihing profession was increasingly professionalized over the course of the 20th century.