Research
I have always been intrigued by how human beings make sense of the people around them who do not have the same skin colour or accent, who do not believe in the same God, and who are either more poor or rich than they are. I spent years reading, writing and reflecting on these issues, but somehow I still had many questions.

Illustration by Francesca Trop
 
I therefore decided to turn my attention to education and the little minds and little people we shape for society.  While living in Montreal, an engaging bilingual, multicultural city, I went in search of extraordinary teachers who, against discouraging odds, were making a vital difference in the lives of kids at school and in the community.  This search and the exemplary teachers I discovered laid the foundation for my doctoral work.
 
Over the following six years, I spent numerous hours with teachers whose hearts were in the right place.  They put the best interests of the kids first and over time saw the positive results of their approaches.  It was such an inspiration to be with these teachers.  I then needed to capture on paper the wonder of their work and began the arduous task of writing my findings in the form of a doctoral thesis, Transcending Difference.
 
In the end, I decided to use vignettes, or stories, to demonstrate how the teachers were thinking and why. Stories are powerful tools in helping us connect across our differences.  I hope I have done justice to the teachers’ beliefs and wisdom.  They deserve it.

Transcending Difference :
Montreal Educators’ Response to Diversity
 
Given the shifting racial and cultural composition of Canada's population, education must prepare students and teachers for life in a multicultural society. Teacher education programs must evolve to address the needs of changing racial and cultural student populations, and engage teachers to enhance their effectiveness in multicultural classrooms. At the heart of this inquiry are eight Montréal educators and their teaching experiences in multicultural schools and classrooms.  These female and male practitioners represent different racial, ethnic and linguistic groups.  My study considers how their understanding of diversity shapes and informs their teaching practices in the bilingual, multicultural city of Montréal, Quebec.  In affirming the harmony of cultures in their schools, the teachers breathe life into new multicultural spaces where cultures intersect, and where new forms of understanding are created.  My doctoral study concludes with recommendations for integrating multicultural perspectives in teacher education programs.
 
Introduction
The heart of this inquiry is a portrait of eight educators in Montreal (Quebec) and analy their teaching experiences as they face growing diversity in their schools and classrooms.  The focus of the study is to consider how their understanding of diversity has had an impact on their teaching.
 
Chapter Two
My experiences as a bicultural individual in Canada have given me an appreciation for the challenges that new Canadians encounter in this new land.  The cultural knowing and multicultural awareness I have developed has guided me in this inquiry and heightened my appreciation for diversity.
 
Chapter Three
My theoretical framework brings together the work of established scholarship of language, culture, and identity and how it has impacted on the individual in in schools and society.
 
Chapter Four
In profiling the wisdom of these experienced educators I selected case study methodology as a form of inquiry within qualitative research. Overall, there are forty stories in this study that provide practical insights into teaching.
 
Chapter Five
In this chapter I introduce the eight teachers through vignettes. The teachers represent different racial, ethnic, linguistic and class groups.  The women and men in this study are experienced educators with ten to forty years of teaching in Montreal. They share with us not only their present experiences but also their past, providing an important continuity to demonstrate how they have adapted to their changing teaching environment.
 
Chapter Six
The teachers provide their insights on the knowledge, attitudes, skills, awareness, and values that are useful in contributing to dialogue across difference. The teachers offer a framework of how to communicate and relate in pluralistic learning and teaching environments. 
 
Chapter Seven
In this chapter I provide an overview of the historical, linguistic, educational and sociopolitical issues that influence Montreal as the city’s cultural and racial fabric continues to change.  The Francophone, Anglophone and Allophone educators in this study discuss their concerns and wishes regarding Montreal’s linguistic debate.
 
Chapter Eight
The teachers describe, in practical and specific ways through stories, how they affirm the cultures in their classrooms.  The examples they cite address and transcend difference in meaningful ways.
 
Chapter Nine
There are several themes that emerge from the data presented in previous chapters and the four principal interpretative themes of the story are discussed in this chapter.
 
Chapter Ten
In this chapter I provide my principal findings and concluding remarks. I also discuss the contributions of the study and the implications for teacher education and for multiculturalism in Canada.