October 5, 2009 - We Canadians often fail to see the value in what surrounds us until someone from away points it out.

In his dual role as teacher and local historian, Faculty of Education alum Max Foran has found much to value in this country.

"I find Alberta particularly interesting because of its self-imposed maverick identity," he says.

"I think it’s good to live in a province that is so darned different. You either love us or you hate us. It nurtures a good synergy and platform for debate."

Before immigrating to Canada in the early '60s, Foran taught for 10 years in his home of New South Wales Australia where he was expected to do a lot with a little.

"We had far fewer materials back then than we have now in schools. We didn’t have libraries and I once taught a Grade 8 class of 72," he recalls.

Despite these challenges Foran says teaching has always been very rewarding.

"I found what made my adjustment very easy in this country was teaching."

"In the early 1960s when I came to Canada, I found Canadian children to be quite amenable. Strangely, their general knowledge was as not as strong as Australians’, but they were better readers. And so I felt it was a good trade-off."

Beyond Alberta’s well-behaved students another advantage Foran discovered while working toward a BEd was that he had the freedom to indulge in his passion for history.

"Because the Faculty of Education was so new in those days, it pretty well let me take Arts courses. So here I was in a BEd programme and by the time I got to my third year, I was taking graduate courses in History."

But the freewheeling U of C of the '60s was only part of the reason Foran studied Canada’s colorful history.

"If you’re going to live in a country and you’re going to be a part of it, then you’d better know about it."

Being married to the daughter of history maker Grant MacEwan didn’t hurt either.

"He encouraged me to go into western Canadian history – really encouraged me," says Foran of MacEwan with genuine emotion. "He gave me access to his files and helped me in any way he could."

Foran went on to receive both an MA and PhD in history, all the while publishing books about Alberta, including: Trails & Trials: Markets and Land Use in the Alberta Beef Cattle Industry, 1881-1948, Icon, Brand, Myth: The Calgary Exhibition and Stampede and Expansive Discourses: Urban Sprawl in Calgary, 1945-1978.

After 30 years with the Calgary Board of Education Foran joined the U of C in 1990 but despite his successful publishing career has never left the classroom. This is because he believes teaching and writing are inseparable.

"I think one informs the other. Writing – knowing how to compose an argument yourself – has implications for the way you present your evidence, your material in the classroom.

"Plus the fact that it’s good to get away from writing to teach, it’s good to get away from teaching to write. I think there’s a balance there."

Foran says one day he will realize he does not want to teach anymore and will walk away. Until that day, he will continue helping Canadians find worth in the past while preparing students for the future.