Egerton Ryerson

Ryerson's study of educational systems elsewhere in the Western world led to three school acts, which would revolutionize education in Canada. His major innovations included libraries in every school, an educational journal and professional development conventions for teachers, a central textbook press using Canadian authors, and securing land grants for universities.

The Common School Bill of 1846, was an act that had established the First General School Board, where it would consist of Seven Members, that would each have their own responsibilities. Ryerson set the groundwork for compulsory education, which is what it has become today, he ensured that curriculums were made and that teaching and learning materials were provided and delivered to Schools, in the result of the best possible education. Ryerson did not believe that caucasian and Aboriginal children should not be taught in the same schools due to their different civilization and their upbringings.

Ryerson observed that previous educational legislation, most notably the Common School Act of 1843, was ineffective due to the limited powers of authority of the Superintendent of Schools. By comparing the office of the Superintendent to a corresponding office in New York State, namely the "State Superintendent", he noted that the 1843 Act allowed the Superintendent to draw up rules and responsibilities but no one was required to follow them.[8] In his draft of the bill, he included several responsibilities of the Superintendent for Upper Canada: apportioning Legislature funds among the twenty district councils (in existence at that point in time), discouragement of unsuitable texts for classroom and school library usage (no common texts were the norm), provide direction for normal schools, prepare recommended plans for school houses and school libraries, dissemination of information, and annual reporting to the Governor General. This considerably expanded the role of Superintendent and placed significantly more responsibility upon the office.

Further, he established the first General Board of Education (the one established in 1823 was by order of the Lieutenant Governor not by legislation). The board consisted of the Superintendent and six other members nominated by the Governor General.[2]

The bill provided provision for a new office, that of the District Superintendent. Ryerson recommended, although it did not become part of the legislation that followed from the 1846 bill, that as a savings measure the offices of Clerk of the District and District Superintendent be combined.[8]

The District Superintendents became important civil servants, apportioning District School Funds in proportion of the number of students, teacher payment, visit all schools in their district; reporting on progress, advising teachers on school management, examining teachers' qualifications, revoking unqualified teachers, and preventing the use of unauthorized textbooks.[2]

Ryerson advocated for uniform school textbooks across Upper Canada. Again, benchmarking the New York system, he noted that an Act passed in 1843 provided authority to the State Superintendent of Schools and county superintendents to reject any book in a school library. That system utilized University Regents to create a list of acceptable texts from which the schools purchased books. Ryerson did not propose absolute authority on book selection, rather, recommended that the Board of Education "make out a list of School Text Books, in each branch of learning that they would recommend, and another list they would not permit leaving Trustees to select from these lists."[8]

With the intent of providing education for all children, Ryerson began lobbying for the idea of free schools in 1846. His convictions on the matter were strengthened after studying systems of education in New York State and Massachusetts where financial provision for education was a cardinal one. Proving his point that education was a necessity, he was able to show, for example, in Toronto alone, less than half of the 4,450 children in the city were regular school attendees.[2]

In his Circular to the County Municipalities, in 1846, he argued the following:

"The basis of this only true system of universal Education is two fold":

1. that every inhabitant of a Country is bound to contribute to the support of its Public Institutions, according to the property which he acquires, or enjoys, under the Government of the Country.

2. That every child born, or brought up in the Country, has a right to that education which will fit him for the duties of a useful citizen of the Country, and is not to be deprived of it, on account of the inability, or poverty, of his parents, or guardians."

Among other noble intentions, he was determined to provide education to those less privileged, as a means of improving the opportunities of all; or as he so eloquently described it as the "only effectual remedy for the pernicious and pauperizing system which is at present. Many children are now kept from school on the alleged grounds of parental poverty." Ryerson was persuasive in his arguments such that principle for free education, in a permission form, was embodied into the School Law of 1850. Subsequent debate followed until 1871 when free school provision was included in the Comprehensive School Act of 1871.[9]

The Common School Act updated 1847 legislation creating school boards across Canada West. It required that municipalities meet the funding needs stated by their local school board and allows for schools to be paid for through provincial and municipal funds alone, allowing individual boards to eliminate school fees but not making this compulsory. The Act also allowed for the creation of separate schools leading to provincially funded Catholic schools and to racially segregated schools.[10]

The School Act made elementary education compulsory and free up to age 12.[11] The Act also created two streams of secondary education: high schools, the lower stream, and collegiate institutes, the higher stream. Extra funding was provided for collegiate institutes “with a daily average attendance of sixty boys studying Latin and Greek under a minimum of four masters.”[12]

Ryerson and his daughter Sophia had collected forms of art (buying a total of 236 paintings by more than one hundred artists) in Europe to add to The Educational Museum (which was to be affiliated with the Normal School) in Toronto, this museum would be open to teachers and the public. This resulted in the opening of cultural education and expanded urban centres. He did this to elevate cultural perspectives, Ryerson ensured that the paintings he came across. while travelling was touching in the sense that it would get the public to use their mind and spirit - throughout this trip with his daughter (Sophia) he kept in touch with John George Hodgins, his Deputy Superintendent in the Ontario Education Department.[22]

Egerton Ryerson was instrumental in building our current education system in Canada. His most notable achievement was the creation of the Normal School in Toronto which was a college for in-class training of teachers. The normal school was also home to the department of education and a museum which introduced people to art and different scientific activities that normalized publicly funded art galleries, museums and other places in Canada.[23]

Cultural education lead Ryerson to coin a theory in which he believed that family was the "link between individual and the society"[24] – the family is where individuals learn who they are and what role they will play in civilization.

Ryerson had thought society in terms of a "union of individuals"[24] people showed their basic premise to society. He strongly believed that a strong, well-intact government was important to society, because without individuals passions will cause chaos, so it was, therefore, important that interests were preserved for the greater good.

Ryerson was a believer that rising in social scale depends on the work you put into society and with the rise in this social scare; individuals would gain respect from others. Individuals needed to learn about this at a young age so they would have a stronger likelihood of being successful. He strongly suggested that the well-being of an individual and their scale in terms of society go hand-in-hand, he, therefore, did not develop any desire to have a strong footing in society for his benefit. Ryerson suggested that many societies problems are fixed by sharing historical experiences, from this Political Leaders would decide what their next decision would be. Due to the way Ryerson viewed how to solve for a societal problem he was viewed as a leader who strongly believed in symbolism and history.[24]

The Common School Bill of 1846, was an act that had established the First General School Board, where it would consist of Seven Members, that would each have their own responsibilities.[11] Ryerson set the groundwork for compulsory education, which is what it has become today, he ensured that curriculums were made and that teaching and learning materials were provided and delivered to Schools, in the result of the best possible education.[25]

The common school act of 1871 was created in hopes to improve the education system Ontario had at the time. This act was supposed to ensure free and standardized education for all. Religious teachings were made illegal in order to let people from all kinds of different religious backgrounds have access to proper education. This act also made it mandatory for kids to be in school until the age of 14. Egerton Ryerson believed by creating this act he would be closer to defeating issues in Ontario such as poverty, deviance and people being uneducated.[26][10]

Egerton Ryerson was also well known as an advocate for freedom of religion. He believed that freedom of religion and proper education were the keys to improving people and society as a whole.[27]

Ryerson was married twice and had several children. In 1828, he married Hannah Aikman. She died in 1832, soon after the birth of their second child. Their children were John and Lucilla Hannah. John died of dysentery in 1835 at age six, and Lucilla died of consumption in 1849 at age 17.[27]

In 1833, Ryerson married Mary Armstrong in York (Toronto). Together they had two children, Sophia in 1837 and Charles Egerton in 1847:[27]

• Charles Egerton Ryerson (July 5, 1847 – June 4, 1909) - secretary-treasurer and assistant librarian of Toronto; his children with Emily Eliza Beatty (1850- ) were:
  • Egerton Ryerson (1876– ), a missionary priest in Japan
  • Edward Stanley Ryerson (1879–1963)
    • Stanley Bréhaut Ryerson (1911-1998), historian and Communist politician
  • Mary Ella Ryerson (1882– )
  • Isabel Louise Ryerson (1884– )
  • John Egerton Ryerson (1887–1916)
• Sophie Ryerson Harris

Chris Ryerson, an engineer from Ottawa, is a descendant of Ryerson and a Ryerson University graduate.[28]

• Sissons, C.B., ed. Egerton Ryerson: His Life and Letters. 2 vols. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1937, 1947.
• Sissons, C.B., ed. My Dearest Sophie: Letters of Egerton Ryerson to His Daughter. Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1955.
• Ryerson, Egerton; Canada. Dept. of Indian Affairs. Statistics respecting Indian schools with Dr. Ryerson's report of 1847 attached. Ottawa: Government Print. Bureau, 1898.