Bettine Wallin

I am doing my interview on Bettine Wallin. She is not only a music teacher but a docent at the Botanic Gardens. I am one of her piano students! At the Botanic Gardens she also trains new docents, and is a tour guide (she also is the head of the committee that writes the tours.) To the right is a picture of Bettine Wallin standing next to a plant called "Evergreen Currant". It is an endangered species that grows on Santa Cruz Island. This is just one of all the endangered and common species that are in her amazing backyard garden.

She has lived in this area for 12 years. She has been teaching since she was in kindergarten! She already knew math and phonics, and could read when the other kids were learning thier ABC's! So they let her be assistant teacher (going up in front of the class, and helping the other kids)! When I asked her what she taught she said, "I've taught Preschool, Elementary, Special Edcucation, Graduate School, Children's Chorus, and I've been a tutor. I've just taught from here to there!" Right now she teaches music lessons and music classes. (I'm in her music lessons.) She said that what she likes most about teaching music is having students find out they can make music.

She thinks she's made a difference by going to 3rd grade schools as part of a program of the Santa Barbara Symphony League, training classroom teachers to include music in their classes, and pursuading private teachrs to use the Orff method, promoting music in school, and so many other things!

This page was written by Julia C.
This page was photographed by Julia C.

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