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.
Who We Are
Our story begins with our founder, Margaret. While still a college student, she began working in special education. She loved the work and in watching students grow to enjoy discovery and learning. Following her undergraduate, she set out to provide intervention services to homeschooling families and private schools. She has continued to pursue further training and research in literacy and special education.
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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After being introduced to special education and literacy intervention, Margaret wanted to make this type of service accessible to families who valued classical education and the primacy of parents in the education of their children, whether that was homeschool or private school. She didn’t want any of these students to “fall through the cracks” because there wasn’t public school support for these choices of education. She has spent over 10 years now supporting students in this underserved sector of education and helped form the lives and direction of hundreds of students! In her free time, she enjoys hiking with her dog, trying new foods, and going to classical concerts.
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Devyn joined Secret Garden in 2025 after working for many years as an elementary grade teacher, specialist and mentor teacher. She speaks Spanish, is a voracious reader and enjoy outdoor activities with her husband and daughter.
Teacher
Devyn Hogan has 10 years of experience as a classroom educator, 3 years of experience mentoring teachers via the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education, and five years of working one-on-one with students who require and benefit from extra learning support. She received her BS in Human Development and Family Studies with a concentration in Early Childhood Education from Colorado State University and is working towards a MA in Classical Education from the University of Dallas.
She holds a:
B.S. in Human Development (concentration is Early Childhood)
M.A. in Classical Education (in progress)
Trained in:
Edwards Orton Gillingham
Equipping Minds Cognitive Therapy (in progress)
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Laura joined Secret Garden in 2025 after working in both early elementary and high school. She is a mother of five, very involved in sports and is enjoying her time with her children when she isn’t working.
Teacher
Laura worked for several years in early elementary grades including Kindergarten and 2nd Grade, after which God called her to be with high school students at a classical high school as an Academic Advisor. At the high school, her favorite task was doing intervention work with students. She enjoyed the one-on-one time with the students and to witness their growth in the classroom was a fruitful experience. Laura is gentle, yet firm with her students and is able to encourage them to their highest potential.
She holds a:
B.A. in Psychology (concentration in Developmental Psychology)
Trained in:
Edwards Orton Gillingham
Equipping Minds Cognitive Therapy (in progress)
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Susanna has worked with Secret Garden for 8 years now and changed the lives of hundreds of students with us! She is a kind and fun teacher who is great at directing students in each activity so that they grow in their abilities and confidence. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her growing family and trying new foods and activities with her sisters.
Lead Teacher
After graduating from Franciscan University of Steubenville, with a B. A. in Psychology, Susanna wanted to apply her knowledge and experience to teaching. She has worked at Secret Garden the past eight years, bringing her compassion and expertise to the families she serves. She has helped support the growth of Secret Garden and will be continuing her work as the lead teacher and mentor.
She holds a:
B.A. in Psychology
Trained in:
Lindamood Bell Seeing Stars
Lindamood Bell Visualizing and Verbalizing
Equipping Minds Cognitive Therapy
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Rocio joined Secret Garden in 2025 after working for many years as a high school advisor and teacher. She speaks Spanish, is involved in parish events and loves gardening.
Teacher
Rocio served at a Catholic, classical high school for the last seven years and integrates faith and service into educational ministry. Rocio has partnered with teachers, families, and community to co-create service-learning initiatives, ensuring every student is known, valued, and prepared for compassionate leadership rooted in Christ. Rocio is intuitive in understanding what a student needs and how to direct them to meet their goals. Faith is central to all she does and she brings this to all her work with students.
She holds a:
B.A. in Human Services (concentration in Mental Health Counseling)
Trained in:
Lindamood Bell Visualizing and Verbalizing
Equipping Minds Cognitive Therapy (in progress)
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.
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We use materials that incorporate classical literature like “50 Famous People” or “50 Famous Stories” and poetry. These build not only the intellectual capabilities of the students but also expand their moral understanding of the Good, True and Beautiful.
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In addition to the classics used in our Classical Curriculum, we incorporate stories of the Saints, as well as Catholic legends and stories that exemplify theological truths contained in the Faith.
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.