Hi, my name is Julie and I am a child educator with 14 years of experience and Master’s degrees in both Special Education and Elementary Education. My area of expertise is working with dyslexic students as I am certified Wilson Dyslexia Practitioner for the Wilson Reading System to help support your child’s learning.

For more information, please see my Offerings page.

I have been on a spiritual path for many years and this influences the way I teach and work with children. I specialize working with children with special needs, many which also happen to be known as Indigos. These children are born spiritually aware and are highly sensitive and empathic. Indigos are known to have highly developed senses such as acute hearing and eyesight, and extreme sensitivities to foods, sounds, smells, emotions, radiation and chemicals.

According to Molecular Biologist Dr. Lena Ohlson, PhD, children that struggle in the current educational system and have been labeled as ADD/ADHD, Autistic, Asperger, and Dyslexic are what she calls “letter people.” Dr. Ohlson believes she is a “letter person” herself (with Aspergers/ADHD) that has explored her spiritual experiences and sensitivities from a practical and scientific perspective.

These children struggle to socialize and cope with the pressures and conditioning they feel modern society places on them. “Letter people” or those students that are considered to have “special needs” are not interested in traditional learning because of the imposed conditioning, they instead have an interest in “higher knowledge”.

Many of these children feel that a traditional educational system is a waste of time, and thrive in environments where they can self-direct their education. Children instinctually want to learn about the environment around them and items of interest to them.

Growing up I was very sensitive and empathic, although I did not understand the reason at the time. I was drawn to nature and animals. I was the child who made friends with all the new kids, or the ones that had a hard time fitting in. Even as a young child, I was aware of the foods I would put into my body. Some foods just did not “feel right” to me and I would eat fruits and vegetables and drink water to cleanse myself.

In my twenties, I was bitten by a tick. Shortly afterward I developed strange neurological symptoms, and even though I was tested and treated for lyme, the results came back negative. Fast forward fifteen years and the neurological symptoms became so severe that I would lose my ability to walk at points in time when flare-ups would occur. I was tested again for lyme, and it still came back negative, so the diagnosis became Multiple Sclerosis (it was lyme BTW).

It was at that time in my life when I felt lost and sick from the beta interferons that I was on for a period of time that I found an amazing holistic physician that changed my life and outlook on the dis-ease. I completely altered the way I ate, began exercising regularly, and using holistic modalities of healing such as meditation, breath-work and essential oils, but most of all I was able to get off the medicines. I went from feeling like I had the flu 24/7 to feeling that I had my health and life back. I was not going to let a disease and fear rule my life. I began looking inward to help heal myself that brought me to connecting to my spiritual self more strongly.

It is during this time that I developed a passion and interest in healing foods, homeopathic remedies, nutrition, health and wellness. I read everything I could get my hands on and learned a great deal on how to live a balanced life. It took discipline and perseverance, but I was able to get my life back and was healthier and stronger than I was before the sickness.

It is this background that allows me to see the benefits of how diet, proper supplementation and exercise is so vital for these children. I know first-hand how foreign medications made my body feel, and it gives me empathy for what many of these children go through to “fit in” to what is considered “normal” society.

It is this sensitivity that draws me to work these students, and the intuition to recognize what a child may need. Throughout my educational journeys I have learned ways to make learning more accessible to all students. This combination helps me to specialize in a way to help students in a way traditional education cannot.

These experiences have taught me to see everything in my life differently, and with more appreciation. I can relate to many of the struggles children have. Many of my colleagues have said to me that I “see the whole child” and that allows me to see past the struggles in the classroom and sometimes challenging personalities and behaviors as they try to express themselves authentically.

My Feelings on Alternative Education

It’s remarkable how many times in my teaching career I have seen children that struggle in a traditional classroom and have said to myself “this child would thrive if they were in an alternative or self-directed educational setting.” Fortunately, this option is more highly available to parents and students today. A self-directed education is a more effective and natural learning environment for many students.

Many times children feel stagnant or stuck in a traditional educational environment whereas they thrive in environments where they can self-direct. Children instinctively want to learn about the environment around them and things that interest them. This natural interest becomes a powerful catalyst for learning in a self-directed environment. I know from experience that I learn much more deeply that which personally interests me.

Self-directed education is “education that derives from the self-chosen activities and life experiences of the person becoming educated, whether or not those activities were chosen deliberately for the purpose of education.” (Self-directed.org) This reflects how we naturally learn in every environment.

So this means the classroom can be absolutely anywhere… outdoors, at home, online, in the work place, and any place the natural environment fosters learning. By choosing unique and varied environments for children, their learning experiences will be just as rich so they become well-rounded individuals.

Custom image made for me by Sequoia.  Much love, gratitude, and thanks to you Dear Brother.