I was born and raised on the prairies of Saskatchewan, Canada. This is where I received my formal education including a Bachelor of Education from the University of Saskatchewan. I moved to New York in 1985 when I met and married my husband Jennings Michael Burch, author of They Cage the Animals at Night. My teaching career at PQ began in 1997. I became a proud Naturalized American Citizen in 2001. During that time, I earned a Masters of Science in Curriculum from Western Connecticut University.