Who is Bettina Welsh?

This is not a question easily answered. I will start with my concrete background and them try to explain my theoretical life. I am a Saskatchewan born white, middle class, married woman; I have lived in Regina, Saskatchewan most of my life and have been married for three years. I have a diverse family with many close relatives. I have 3 brothers, two of which have learning disabilities.

I have been involved in a variety of sports, gymanstics for five years, baseball, and curling. I enjoy just being outside most of all. My husband and I do a lot of camping, where I enjoy the outdoors and sitting by the campfire.

Ihave had many different types of occupations, waitress, gas attendant, cashier, care worker, etc. At age 19 I became owner/ manager of a service station, at age 20 I was an owner/ manager of two service stations. I considered myself successful in my entrpreneurial adventure, however, wanted more.

A few years ago I came to the decision I wanted to teach. I realized that I enjoy helping other people. I get personal satisfaction if I know that I have helped someone be successful. To me success is at the root of life. However, success is not necessarily the same for me as it is for you. I believe each person needs to define what success is for them. Now, this does not mean that individuals are the only person that defines success. I believe that often people need a mentor or some guidance in finding out what "real" success is in their lives. What about me, success for me is never touching the ceiling. When I'm sixty and look back at life I want to know that I never stopped learning and that I never stopped trying new things. I don't want to look back and realize that I sat on the roof for twenty years. Also, I want to know that I encouraged others to do the same.

Throughout the years I have been able to experience the same lifestyle many young children are facing today. The rising surge of divorce and complicated families seems to make me feel "normal." However, I have been married for three years and feel that this is"normal" is only what a person perceives it to be. Having such a diverse family has allowed me the chance to really think about who I am and what I want from this life. The decision to become a teacher was not one made on the spur of the moment.

Today, I'm definitely a different person than yesterday, last week, last year, etc. I believe that everyday I'm changed by the events and information that I'm exposed to. I believe that a person isn't learning unless they make changes to their life. I believe education has changed me more than can be imagined. I believe that people are like a blooming flower as the are educated, in school, or in everyday life, they just get more beautiful. My goal is that I am able to enrich and develop students lives so that they too can learn form education and shape their lives in a positive way. I believe that students must personalize information before they can really learn from it. I think that I will be able to help students personalize the material that I teach them.

I find that Bettina Welsh is someone that is dedicated to learning, for myself and others. I have special interests, however, just enjoy helping out. I'm especially interested in the learning disabled. This of course happened because two of my brothers have learning problems. However, I'm interested in teaching adults as well. As I mentioned earlier I don't want to reach the ceiling and my many interests I'm sure won't allow me to.

Bettina Welsh

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