Voices Unheard: Stories of Immigrant Teachers in Alberta

Abstract

This paper presents the stories of four immigrant teachers as they endeavor to resume their teaching careers in Calgary, Alberta. The teachers in this study participated in a six-month professional bridging program in Calgary in 2008 in order to upgrade their professional knowledge and to meet Alberta certification requirements before seeking employment in local school boards. A narrative inquiry methodology was used and data was collected from a series of unstructured interviews over a two and a half year period from September 2008 until May 2011. Data from the interviews were compiled into individual narratives that chronicle experiences of professional transformation and acculturation. In a changing educational Alberta landscape that is becoming increasingly diverse, stories of internationally educated professionals are increasingly relevant, yet seldom found in the literature on teaching.