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, but found the clinical environment detrimental and decided to create a comfortable, safe environment for students. And so, Secret Garden Education Pathways was born.
Our Teachers
The teachers at Secret Garden Educational Pathways are specialists in their fields. They are trained and hold teacher’s certificates in research-based methods and curricula, enabling them to give you the professional help you need. Our teachers are Catholic to the core and bring their Faith into the classes to share and explore alongside their students.
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Our Education Specialists
Margaret Walsh
The primary specialist and founder is Margaret Walsh. Margaret graduated with a Bachelor’s in Liberal Arts from Thomas Aquinas College. 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. More recently she completed a M.S. in Special Education and works constantly to provide the best help possible. She is a kind and understanding teacher, while at the same time encouraging high standards, and loves to have fun with and see her students succeed.
Anna Conroy
Anna Conroy graduated from Thomas Aquinas College with a Bachelor’s in Liberal Arts, and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Theology at the University of Notre Dame. She trained with Lindamood Bell Learning Processes, having worked in education since 2014. She has a passion for learning and loves to help her students come to an understanding of school work as a joy and a privilege. She understands the challenges that arise in education and feels privileged to be able to share with students the tools available to them to achieve academic excellence.
Susanna Durbin
After graduating from Franciscan University of Steubenville, with a Bachelor’s in Psychology, Susanna wanted to apply her knowledge and experience to teaching. She has completed specialized training at Lindamood Bell Learning Processes and became certified in Equipping Minds. With her experience in psychology, Susanna can grasp the struggles that both families and students encounter when there are learning or behavior challenges. She is a fun, kind and sympathetic teacher who seeks to find the key to each student’s difficulties and help them reach success.
Our Other Specialized Therapists
God has greatly blessed us yet again by sending us just the right specialists who are also strong Catholics. For these specialists, their Catholic Faith molds their approach to therapy in their specialized areas.
Ann Walsh~Nutritional Consultant
Ann Walsh is our certified nutritional therapy counselor. Ann is an RN, mother of six and completed her certification through the Nutritional Therapy Association. Her journey towards nutrition started 20 years ago when she decided to take the nutritional route when helping one of her daughters who was severely ill, which turned into a life-changing choice for her whole family. In researching proper nutrition, Ann found that not only does nutrition help with physical health, but there is a strong connection between good health and education/learning challenges. She has helped numerous people throughout the years with her nutritional and nursing skills, and she is now very excited to be helping families and students with the nutritional healing they need.
Clare McCullough~Occupational Therapist
Clare is our resident Occupational Therapist. She looks for answers to problems by checking her own knowledge and experience while also collaborating with other specialists. She thinks outside the box and loves to help families problem solve for the best solution for their students. Clare is excited to start counseling families on the best course of action that parents can implement at home for their students.