Acknowledgements
To my supervisor and committee members: You continue to push and pull without making it feel like pressure or obligation. You always support my efforts and encourage me to reach deeper and clarify my thinking.
To the participants in this research: Your stories and insights, shared through conversations and laughter, bring compassion and joy to this research. Your openness in teaching and learning enrich the field of teacher education within your individual faculties, the communities in which you share, and the global network who gains so much from these Canadian experiences.
To my parents – mem and heit: As your daughter I am shaped by your journey as post-war immigrants leaving your home in the Netherlands to find new opportunities to farm and raise a family in Canada. I am forever in awe of your accomplishments as I remember your presence in my life. You are gone but your legacy and light lives on.
To my husband: You are my partner in life and are always supportive of my new ventures into teaching and learning. You are there when I need a push to move forward and support me when I need to retract from it all.
To my children: I am always amazed at your presences, personalities, and relationships. You are the gifts that add light to my journey.
To my siblings: We may not be on the same paths, but we are connected, together. As a first-generation post-secondary attender and the first in my family to work towards a PhD, I rely on your honest and critical support.
To Mag 8: Friends from near and afar, sisters from other mothers, your enthusiasm and words of encouragement mean so much.
To critical friends and extended PLN, particularly the GO-GN group: I reach out and you are there, found across the world. Your voices resonate.
To my Joint PhD cohort and classmates: our conversations always enlighten and entertain. May you all reach the goal you hope to achieve in our shared academic journey.