Emmy Noether, "...the greatest of women mathematicians, a great scientist, an amazing teacher, and an unforgettable person..." so it says in books. She lived from 1882-1935 in Erlangen, Germany. She lived there with her three brothers, all younger then her, but two died at a young age. Her only living brother was two years younger than her. The family was Jewish and they thought that learning was a very valued thing. Her father, whose name was Max, did mathematics and was a research scientist at the University of Erlangen. Her mother, Ida Amalie, was a very tidy woman. Emmy had very bad vision, so she wore thick glasses. She learned what the middle classes were learning. She also learned how to play the clavier, something like the piano. She did the dusting and cooking. She liked languages and learned French and English. After high school, she took a test and was then able to teach English and French at a school for girls. Her life was following the of pattern of young women of her time and place. But times were changing, and her family was not very ordinary. Many German universities had started something different. They were enrolling young women to earn degrees. Her brother, Fritz, was following his father footsteps by enrolling at the University of Erlangen. As an 18 year old, she began to sit in on her brother's classes. Mabye just because her brother was following her father's footsteps is why she sat her brother's classes, but who knows. She did this for 2 years. She did the examination for entrance as a doctoral student in mathmatics later on and passed. She was now a student in a good career opening. Later she became the second woman to get a mathmatics degree at the University. A year before the other woman that got a degree at the University got her degree. Emmy was ready to start her career. But one thing stood in her way. No plce in Germany would hire a woman with a math degree.