Becoming Educated

It was not easy for me to become a doctor. I am the first qualified female doctor in England and you can only imagine to journey I had to take to accomplish such a goal. Where I grew up, Aldeburgh, there was no school. My mother taught me reading, writing, and arithmetic on her own. When I was ten, my mother hired a poor gentlewoman to educate me and my sister. She did not have to do this, but it was very important to my mother, that we were were educated. I used to think I was so smart back then, I remember trying to outwit my teacher. When I was 13, my sister and I were went to private school by our father to become further educated. It was The Boarding School for Ladies, in Blacksmith, London. I finish my private education in 1851, I was so happy to be done with that school. I did not like the way the teachers taught. They did not incorporate enough reading into the study. Reading is very important to me, it is the foundation and the continuation of learning.


After school, I fell into nine years of domestic duties. This of course was not the best time period in my life, I did not enjoy the simply expected lifestyle I was living. During this time, I studied Latin and arithmetic in the morning when I had time to myself. I met my long time friend, Emily Davies, when I was 18 years old. She gave me great advice to pursue a career. I read about the first female doctor in the Unites States, Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, and instantly became inspired. When she came to visit London, I traveled to the capital to meet her. I then joined the Society for Promoting the Employment of Women, and decided that I want to pursue a career in the medical profession. When I announced my plan to my husband, he was filled with doubt, but eventually came around. I am a very determined woman and it would be a shame to doubt my abilities.