I arrived in Canada at the turn of the century with an EdM in Learning and Teaching from Harvard University, and a PhD in Teaching, Curriculum, and Social Policy, with a concentration in Teacher Education from Michigan State University. At Ryerson, the focus of my research shifted from international development and girls’ education to immigration and settlement. I joined the SSHRC funded CERIS – The Ontario Metropolis Centre as the domain leader for Education and then for Children, Youth and Families, and finally served as a co-director. My work in these positions included developing and maintaining a network of researchers, conducting and facilitating pan-Canadian studies, adjudicating research proposals, organizing conferences, editing a series of working papers and co-leading the research centre. I also helped to set up the master’s program in Immigration and Settlement (ISS) at Ryerson, and the Ryerson Centre for Immigration and Settlement (RCIS).
I currently teach and supervise students in three graduate programs: Early Childhood Studies, Immigration and Settlement, and Policy Studies. Moments when students realize that they, too, can ‘create knowledge’ bring me joy. I try to encourage respect for learners and teachers, whether they are young children and their families, or university students and their instructors.