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Beatrice Weatherly is a gifted educator and a courageous woman with a message of “you can achieve anything if you truly believe”. This is a message her parents taught her and her five siblings during an amazing childhood growing up "in the house in the coulee" just south of Hughenden.
She models the unconditional love and acceptance she learned from her mother and challenges others to dream big just as her father inspired her to do. Bea realized her dream of becoming a teacher when she graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Education degree and began teaching in the Provost area. Reflecting her parents' positive outlook, she encouraged her students to be all they could be. Shortly after she started teaching, Bea married and soon had her own three children to guide toward setting their sights high and dedicating themselves to reach their lofty goals. This teacher and principal made a significant difference to her students' lives and education, as well as being an amazing mother to Nicole, Shelley and Edward.
Slowly cracks began breaking through the idyllic life. Bea became stronger through resolving many challenges, such as recovering from breast cancer, leaving unhealthy relationships, striking out on her own, embracing the “coming out” of her son and one daughter, all the while experiencing the roller coaster ride of her son's struggle with schizophrenia complicated by addictions. What she learned during this time, she incorporates in her book, A Gift of Grace: A Mother's Journey Through Her Son's Schizophrenia. As a mental health advocate, her goal is to remove the stigma of homosexuality, mental illness, addictions and homelessness to create a world of peace.
Retired from teaching elementary school students, Bea Weatherly retains the passion for education, which she now does through writing, speaking and life coaching. Meanwhile, she and two of her children, Nicole and Edward, formed a "social art media" company called Idego Multimedia Inc. whose mission is to raise awareness and understanding of diverse social issues within the context of art. They are currently producing a 3D-animated docudrama entitled "My Self, My Message," part of Idego's multimedia project. Visit the website at www.myselfmymessage.com to learn more.
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