About Us
Everyone knows the story of a girl who found a secret garden,
in great disrepair, hidden on the grounds of a mansion. With tender care and the help of a gardener and friends, she transformed this secret garden into the most lovely arbor of flowers and treasures.
Students with learning weaknesses are very similar to that garden in disrepair. Their cognitive pathways are worn out or not even there and the only way to achieve success is if those pathways are cleared and cultivated. Our mind is made of a myriad of neurological connections that comprise processes like processing speed, working memory, short and long term memory, visual processing, phonological awareness, digit span, etc. Our specialists help the student cultivate and clear mental pathways to overcome their weaknesses. By strengthening mental pathways, the students are able to discover their strengths, overcome their weaknesses, and see beauty they had not known before in order to blossom into successful and happy students. Just as the girl, Mary, found the key to the garden and the vision to transform it into something beautiful, Secret Garden Educational Pathway's mission is to find the key to your student's success and vision to help the student overcome his/her weakness to achieve success.
How We Began
Our story begins with our founder, Margaret. While still a college student, she began working in special education. She delighted in the work and in watching students grow to love discovery and learning. Following her undergraduate, she set out to provide intervention services to homeschooling families and private schools.
She holds degrees in:
B.A. in Liberal Arts
M.S. in Special Education
Trained in:
Lindamood Bell Seeing Stars (with some LiPS)
Lindamood Bell Visualizing and Verbalizing
Equipping Minds Cognitive Therapy
Yoshimoto Orton Gillingham
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Founder and DirectorThe primary specialist and founder is Margaret Walsh. Margaret graduated with a Bachelor’s in Liberal Arts from Thomas Aquinas College and a Master's in Special Education from the University of North Dakota. She was trained and worked at Lindamood Bell Learning Processes during her summers between college. She pursued further specialized training and education with Equipping Minds and is a certified instructor of the Equipping Minds therapy program. She is currently developing curriculum and training for students and teachers.
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Lead TeacherAfter graduating from Franciscan University of Steubenville, with a B. A. in Psychology, Susanna wanted to apply her knowledge and experience to teaching.
She holds a:
B.A. in Psychology
Trained in:
Lindamood Bell Seeing Stars
Lindamood Bell Visualizing and Verbalizing
Equipping Minds Cognitive Therapy
Solutions that last.
Secret Garden aims to provide schools and families with viable solutions to learning struggles that go beyond accommodations and build the skills needed to learn effectively.
We use research-based intervention methods to increase student learning outcomes by strengthening cognitive processing abilities. This enables students to engage with their materials and learn the Truth through their studies.
We offer two curriculum options for schools and families. A Catholic curriculum for students, families and schools who are Catholic. And a classical curriculum that is a great option for all students, families and schools, who seek a non-religious affiliated program.
Why Catholic?
Many students who struggle with learning need to feel that they can trust the teachers they work with and build that student/mentor relationship that leads to success. For many students who are Catholic, there are few professionals in the special education sector that share their beliefs, which limits the trust and feeling of safety that many students seek when working with therapists, counselors and tutors. When working with us, students can strengthen their mental processes while also expressing, discussing, and discovering their love of God with teachers who share the same beliefs. Many students and families have called our company an answer to prayer.
In addition, learning and God do not need to be exclusive to one another; indeed, they go hand in hand, for without the right perspective, knowledge loses its purpose. St John Bosco says, "Remember that knowledge without morals is a soul's ruination."
Our educational materials support true Christian principles to help the students come to an understanding of the subject matter in light of knowledge of God.
Our patron saints are Our Lady Seat of Wisdom, Saint Thomas Aquinas, and Saint John Bosco.
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We work with all students who struggle, regardless of whether there is a formal diagnosis. We interview parents and teachers to determine what struggles are present in a student’s academic life and then determine the best approach for that student. For many students who struggle with learning, regardless of what “box” they fit in, there is a lot of overlap with different basic processes being weak, which is why we can work with students without a diagnosis. That being said, we do gather a history of student weaknesses from the parents and teachers to individualize our approach and make sure it will be specifically targeting certain weaknesses your student is struggling with.
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We are different because we provide an environment of academic and intellectual growth that goes above and beyond modification of curriculum. Special service departments in schools typically help modify and adapt the curriculum to make it easier for your student to access. This is an important part of supporting students with learning struggles. However, there is more! You can actually help your student improve their learning potential through specific therapy and remediation! Instead of stopping with only modifications, which do not promote increased potential of abilities, you can move beyond that to real growth in skills and academics.
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Classes we offer are fast paced and we have worked with many students who have had ADHD. This would not be an issue.
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We are 100% online! You can easily access form the comfort of home or online at your school.