The Beginning of My Academic Career

I've been in school for a long time.  A very, very long time.  So you might be wondering, when did this lifelong love of learning begin?  Did I always want to be a teacher?

In short, the love of learning began early (I think), but I never wanted to be a teacher.  When I was little, I liked to play business meeting.  I had a briefcase and a portfolio that said "Let's Do Business, Ontario Canada".  My Dad gave me the portfolio.  He apparently approved of my nerdiness.

I made my cousin negotiate contracts with me.  When I got a bit older, I convinced my cousin that we should go on strike from the job that we had at our family's factory.  We produced a whole song and dance (literally songs and dances) about why we deserved more money for our work.  Our Uncle was not amused.  He rarely was.

When I got to university, law school seemed like the natural path to take.  It appeared that I was headed toward a career on Bay Street.  I even practised telecommunications law at one of the Seven Sisters for a while.  But buried deep inside, there was a scholar just waiting to get out.  For better or for worse, I headed into academia.  As my kindergarten photo (below) suggests, I think that I knew at a young age that I was in this school business for life.

Even in Kindergarten, I knew that I was a Lifer.