Living and working as a
Social Studies teacher in a small rural community in New Hampshire with minimal
diversity and sensing a lack of cultural heritage by my students inspired me to
investigate and create curriculum based on their ancestry. I wanted to create a
sense of community with our school, town, state, and region. By investigating
the culture and immigration of French Canadians I hoped to bring awareness of
the contributions, way of life, successes and challenges faced by early
immigrants to the Northeast. I started my journey in France, then to Canada and
finally to New England tracing the routes and learning about French culture.