Becoming a Teacher

While looking through my father’s papers I found a newspaper clipping from the Globe and Mail dated June 28th 1951. It was entitled  “Results of 1951 Examinations of Ontario of Education Are Announced. In the first paragraph was a familiar name: Gordon Russell Brooks, who was a successful candidate in the High School Assistants, Type A, Intramural examinations for Vocal and Instrumental Music. Interesting, I thought. Obviously I knew that my father was a teacher but what exactly was a High School Assistant, Type A and how did one become one?

My dad’s journey to becoming a teacher started much earlier. I had written earlier about how he obtained his Bachelor of Music degree thanks to the Veteran’s Charter. Russ loved music and had always dreamed of becoming a teacher. He enrolled in the new School Music program at the University of Toronto in 1947 after returning from service in Europe in 1946. 

The class was a small, select group of 21 students with 5 professors and 3 lecturers. The program was rigorous. In his 3rd year Russ would have studied the History of Music, Keyboard Harmony. Arranging, Choral Technique, Band and Orchestral Technique, Conducting and more. Students were also given “general instruction in programme planning and musical aptitude and achievement testing” to prepare them for their future teaching career. English and Physics were also required, the latter for acoustics. Fees of $210 were charged with an incidental fee of $39 which covered Hart House access, health services and the cost of the degree itself.

By the time he entered the Ontario College of Education in the fall of 1950 Russ was well positioned to become a teacher. He had met the qualifications for admission to the music teacher’s program by completing his Bachelor of Music degree. The fees for the year program were $125 for academic including the examination and $26 for incidentals including Hart House access, health service and the medical examination for admission to the College. The Faculty of Education was located in the building that now house UTS on Bloor Street West between Spadina and Huron. 

City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1244, Item 3256

There were two streams for the Interim High School Assistant Type A certificate. the first covered Agriculture, Classics, English and French, English and Latin, English, Geography, History, French and German, French and Italian, French and Spanish, Latin and French, Latin and Greek, Mathematics, Mathematics and Physics, Science,  Physics and Chemistry, Physics and Biology, Chemistry and Biology, and Home Economics. The second stream including Physical Education, Arts and Crafts, Instrumental Music and Vocal music. This is the stream that my dad entered.  Examinations for the music stream were to be held as follows: 

Russ was successful in his studies and quickly obtained a job at Uxbridge and Port Perry High Schools

Schools and teachers in the Province of Ontario. Ontario Department of Education 1951. Internet Archive  

Interesting how the directory lists the teachers’ salaries. Russ earned the princely sum of $2,800 which works out to $29,000 in today’s money. Teachers did not earn high salaries in those pre union days. My parents rented an apartment on Brock Street in Uxbridge, a 5 minute drive to Uxbridge Secondary School on Planks Lane

and a 15 minute drive to Port Perry High School on Rosa Street in Port Perry.

Both schools had been erected in the 1920s and would soon have additions built to accommodate the baby boomer generation. But in 1951 the student body was a modest size, both around 200, and the faculty small. Both schools had 11 teachers including the principal.

Uxbridge staff 1951-52

It was at the Port Perry High School that my dad first staged one of his beloved Gilbert and Sullivan operettas starting a tradition that lasted throughout his career.

   

Russ worked at the two schools for 3 years until 1954 when he moved to Oakville to teach at Oakville Trafalgar High School. He then moved on to Newmarket High School where he finished his career as a music teacher.

So what was a High School Assistant, Type A, Intramural? The difference between Intramural and extramural isn’t defined in the calendar but it appears to refer to students completing their studies in class at U of T and those studying off campus. The definition of the certificates is noted here:

Sure enough, when I next find Russ in a teacher directory he is teaching at Oakville Trafalgar High School in 1956. He is described at a HSS (High School Specialist) with special certificate in Interim and Art and earning $4,800.

Mystery solved and congratulations to my dad on this major achievement, 70 years ago!

National Sibling Day

April 10th is National Sibling Day. Most people have siblings, though not as many as in earlier times. My 4x great-grandmother Elizabeth McKay Thomson was one of eleven siblings, all of whom survived to adulthood. She had nine children herself, and most of her siblings had families of the same size.

I have one younger sister. Here's a picture of us from a few years back - she's the little blonde:

She's ok though she insists I tried to kill her when she was a baby. My story is that I was just looking into the crib to see what they brought home when it tipped over. She survived.

My father liked to joke.



















Speaking of my father, he also had a younger sibling. My dad and his brother Mel were close. They were two and a half years apart in age.

My dad on the left, my uncle on the right

Jones Falls, 1938

They remained close into adulthood. My mother recently shared a lovely story about the brothers. Upon his return from WWII my dad underwent major surgery on his leg which left him with a permanent limp. After his discharge from Sunnybrook Hospital he needed to use crutches for a period  of time. At the same time he had fulfilled his lifelong dream of attending the University of Toronto and studying music. Travelling from East York to downtown Toronto by streetcar on crutches would have been a nightmare. My uncle volunteered to drive my dad to class then pick him up later to bring   

him home. This would have been on top of holding down a full time job. 

My grandma Gertie was Russ and Mel's mother. She was one of twelve children, eight of whom survived to adulthood. The Kingswell clan was a close one. My grandmother's photo album is filled with pictures of her sisters and brothers. 

The family moved from Kingston to Toronto, and most of the family remained in the Toronto area. The exception was my great uncle Alf who moved to Buffalo. He was only a year older than Gertie and they remained close with many visits between the families over the years, even during war times. 

Gertie was also close with her younger sister Chrissie, the baby of the family. Chrissie spent lots of time with Gertie's family when the boys were young. My dad had fond memories of going to the movies with his aunt before the war. Gertie was close with her other two sisters Ollie and Liz as well.

So not a lot of heavy research in this post, just a bunch of fun pictures and memories of some of the siblings in my family.

Work, work, work...

First post of the year! A little late I know but my full time job has taken up a large part of my time and energy to date. It seems appropriate therefore to write about work on this Labour Day weekend. In particular, the work of my ancestors. I have personal knowledge of what my parents and grandparents did for a living. Through voter lists. census returns and death/marriage certificates I have been able to document how my earlier ancestors earned their keep.

My parents are easy. After graduating from high school my father worked as a sales clerk at Birks Jewelers in Toronto. That experience left him with a love of jewelry that we always appreciated! He completed a degree in Music at the University of Toronto then earned his teaching certificate. He spent many enjoyable years as a high school teacher teaching Music, English and Art. 

Originally he taught vocal music as not all schools could afford the cost of instruments for a full band. 

Teaching vocal music in Uxbridge. From the writer's collection.

Newmarket High School eventually developed an instrumental program. Many of his former students will remember this look!

Mr. Brooks in class. From the writer's collection

As was common at the time my mother stopped working when she had me. Before that time she worked as a bookkeeper for several companies using her excellent math skills. I love this picture of her at work at her first job at Sinnott News in Winnipeg.

Nellie Besler at work. From the writer's collection

Many of my ancestors were farmers as many people were in earlier times. My maternal grandfather Jacob Besler emigrated from Galicia to McNutt Saskatchewan to become a farmer. The Depression was difficult for prairie farmers and Jacob lost the farm. The family later moved to Winnipeg where my grandfather worked for Canadian National Railway. Here is one of the few photographs that we have of the farm.

Jacob Besler in McNutt Saskatchewan, date unknown. From the writer's collection

I know a bit more about my paternal grandparents. My grandfather William Thomas Brooks trained as a stenographer. After serving in World War One he found work with the John Hillock Company, a refrigerator manufacturer in Toronto.

William T. Brooks, from the writer's collection

He worked there for several years until he lost his job in the Depression. After moving around to Brantford and Owen Sound the family returned to Toronto and Bill began working for the East York Fire department. He worked there for many years before retiring.

Member of the fire department, with Gertie in the background, from the writer's collection

This picture makes me smile - the firemen were testing the equipment at the new fire station for an article in the Evening Telegram. Not sure what year this was but my grandfather was the test subject!

Tough day at the office, from the writer's collection

Finally my paternal grandmother Gertrude Kingswell Brooks was also trained as a stenographer. However, she stopped working when she was married in 1921 as was the custom at the time. She eventually did go back to work in the offices of the Toronto Telegram. Here's a picture taken at her retirement party.

Gardening time anyone? From the writer's collection

Retirement sounds good but until then Happy Labour Day everyone!

In honour of my father on Remembrance Day

From the writer's collection

Remembrance Day is very important to me. I am the daughter and grand daughter of men who served in both World Wars. Their service and sacrifice was valued at the time and I'd like to do my part to have it remembered. 

This post is about my father Gordon Russell Brooks.

My father was born on August 17th 1922. He was 17 years old when Canada joined World War Two on September 10th 1939. Joining up was always on his mind but he continued on with his education, graduating from East York Collegiate with his junior matriculation (grade 12) in June 1940. His dream was to attend the University of Toronto to continue with the music studies he had begun at the Royal Conservatory of Music but unfortunately he could not afford university at that time. Toronto was still in the grips of the Depression and money was scarce. The economic situation was a big part of so many young men and women enlisting in the war. 

The story my dad always told was that he kept trying to enlist until they dropped the height requirement down low enough (my dad was only 5'2"). In the meantime he worked as a piano teacher and as a clerk at Harry Boddy & Co, then at Birks (then Birks-Ellis-Ryrie), both jewellery companies. As an aside, my father's name is on a plaque listing Birks' employees who served in World War Two. We were able to see the plaque when the store was first moved to the Eatons Centre from Yonge Street. Not sure where it is now as the store has severely downsized. Wish I'd taken a picture!

On May 25th 1943 Russ successfully enlisted. He spent 9 months in Canada before shipping out to the UK on February 16th 1944. Another story he used to tell centered around his stint in basic training at Camp Borden near Barrie. He was not much of a marksman and claims that he only passed the shooting exam by hitting the target of his neighbour. After that his rifle was taken away from him and he joined the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps as a clerk. As the initial interview noted "he does not seem to be an aggressive type" and lucky for us he had a clerical position.

From the writer's collection

After landing in England Russ spent 6 1/2 months waiting to sail to Europe. On September 6th 1944 he landed in France. I remember him telling me that even though it was three months after D-Day there was still fighting going on. Russ spent the next year in France, Belgium and England. VE day was May 8th 1945. My dad was in London on that day and claims to have seen Winston Churchill drive by looking quite happy. According to his military file he was granted 9 days leave in the UK starting May 3rd 1945 so it is quite possible he did see the Prime Minister on that day. On his return to France he volunteered for the Pacific Theatre but that transfer was not to be. On July 6th 1945 he was transferred to the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps and promoted to Corporal on July 19th 1945. Russ spent the last months of his was service in the Provost Corps as part of the military police. Here's a photo of him in his Jeep. He always joked that he had a strapping private in the jeep to do the hard work such as arresting delinquent soldiers. He finished the war as a Sergeant.

From the writer's own collection

My dad was discharged on August 23rd 1946 returning to Toronto. These are his ID tags. He received the 1939-45 Star, France-Germany Star and Canadian Volunteer Service Medal.

Above all from the writer's own collection

Ironically Russ returned from France without a scratch. However, he became ill with rheumatic fever upon his return to Canada and was admitted to Sunnybrook Hospital as one of the first veteran patients. For some reason the doctors decided to operate on his knee and he was left with a limp for the rest of his life. Thanks to the Veteran's Act he was able to fulfill his dream, attending the University of Toronto and graduating with Mus. Bac.
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This blog is dedicated to my dad - Part one

From the writer's collection - Baby Russ c. 1923

Tomorrow is Father's Day and I've been thinking about my Dad - Gordon Russell Brooks. When I was a kid I seem to remember him talking about writing a column under the title Babbling Brooks. So I'm using that name for my blog. There are a few other blogs under that name out there but the name means something to me so I'm using it anyway. So there.

From the writer's collection - my Dad the musician c. 1966

So where did my dad write his column? He attended the University of Toronto and completed a Mus Bac (bachelor of music) degree in 1950. He was lucky enough to study under Sir Ernest MacMillan and had talented classmates like Elmer Iseler (Mendelssohn Choir) According to the Torontonensis (U of T year book)he wrote a column for the Varsity, the university's newspaper.

Ancestry.ca - Canada, Selected School Yearbooks, 1908-2010, Torontonensis, 1950, page 179

Two weeks ago I attended the Ontario Genealogical Society Conference: Genealogy on the Cutting Edge. I sat in on an excellent session on how to use Evernote by Thomas MacEntee. I used my new skills to find the Varsity on line and clip and save my dad's columns. I found two from 1949:

The Varsity, September 22, 1949 - March 24, 1950 - November 7th 1949, page 4 Archive.org

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This blog is dedicated to my dad - Part two

And here's the second article (please read the post below first):

The Varsity, November 18 1949, page 5

The Arts - Music - Drama column was buried at the back of the paper after the sports, clearly the most important topic in the paper. Much like how music was prioritized at high school! The paper was printed in blue ink when there was a Varsity Blues football game in the works.

It was interesting to see that there was also a writer by the name of Gordon G.L. Brooks, quite the coincidence. The Varsity had famous columnist such as Northrop Frye.

And great ads!

Archive.org has a great selection of periodicals. The Varsity papers are a great slice of university life though not indexed. 
Never did find "Babbling Brooks" but enjoyed finding the A-M-D columns.