Wells 1
Autobiography
Derek P. Wells
EDUC 111: Introduction to Teaching
Professor Stacy Stetzel
January 7, 2008
Wells 2
I was born on the nineteenth of August in 1987 in AuburnIndiana. I was born with my umbilical cord wrapped around my neck with turned my skin a blue color and because of this the doctors kept me in the hospital longer then normal. This turned out to be a good thing because they found that there was a problem with my heart that caused me to be taken down to RileyHospital at only three days old. At Riley they preformed a shunt on my right arm rewiring a vessel to my heart. I started kindergarten at age six but this was also the age of my first open heart surgery. I was sent to Riley once again and this procedure was done with great ease. Then in seventh grade I found out that I needed another open heart surgery and this time I was sent to Mayo Clinic. There they replaced my main heart valve (the one not working correctly) with a pig valve. This was said to have a long life and I was informed that I would not need another heart surgery until I was well into my eighties. However the surgeon put stunt on the valve which is not a good thing to do to a seventh grade boy. Since that valve was unable to grow with me I had to go back to Riley and in December 2006 they once again preformed another open heart surgery with a recovery time of four days. While I was in high school, around tenth grade, I started having seizures which I now believe are a result of having so many open heart surgeries.
When I was not having surgery I lived in Ashley Indiana. I have lived in the same house since I was two years old, it is out in the country and my whole family lives on the same road, this includes my four aunts and uncles (their kids) and my grandmother and grandfather. My father lived in Germany for ten years and brought back his daughter and
Wells 3
son from a marriage he had over there and those are my brother and sister. My father married my sister’s first grade teacher so naturally my mother has been a teacher my
whole life. My aunt and uncle (my mother’s sister and brother) are also teachers who went to Manchester college. I am sure this is where my spark for teaching comes from.
I grew up in the peace loving church of The Church of The Brethren, attending Pleasant Chapel my inter life. Being part of this church I attended CampMack every summer of my life, and now that I am too old to camp there I have become a summer employee. Growing up in The Church of The Brethren and around Manchester alumni my college pick was obvious. So in fourth grade I decided to become a teacher and attend ManchesterCollege. When I got to high school I worked on getting good grades so I would be able to get into my choice college and become a great teacher. My surgeries prevented me from partaking in any sports and I was not interested in being in plays or band. However even though I was not in play, musicals or band I had many friends that did take part in them and I thus went to support. As a result of being an audience member for four year I have grown to love musicals and all things music related. I find that fact strange because I played guitar for ten years of my life but did not like doing so and it was not a good experience.
I have had a fun life in and out of hospitals if not for surgery then for seizures (and I really do love the in and out of hospitals thing). My inter life has been moving toward my goal of becoming teacher of young children from working at a summer camp to being a professional clown. I am very glad that I have been met with great support from my
Wells 4
family and friends on everything in my life and I hope that as I now enter my second year of college everything goes just as well.