OUR STORY
The Inspiration for Whole Family Learning Center
The terms that I grew up hearing were “Gifted” “Highly Gifted” or “Profoundly Gifted”, but the terms 2E or Neurodiverse or ADHD or Autism (ASD) were not part of the vocabulary at that time. Those labels have come about over the last few decades, and not necessarily for the better.
I always knew that the school system was broken. I was often completely bored in school, felt so much of what we did was a waste of time, and I learned to go through the motions to do what was expected to make my parents and teachers happy. I learned more outside of school because my parents were natural homeschoolers. They would take me out of school to attend Senate hearings, go to the Smithsonian to see a special exhibit, or just take me out to travel for an extended period of time.
I also discovered that learning within the school system could be amazing! I was blessed to be a part of a Gifted Program for “Profoundly Gifted” kids during Jr. High. Now, normally I would say that Jr. High is the worst time to be in public school, however, my time in this program instilled a deep desire in me to be a teacher and bring out the best in students like me, and anyone who learned better outside of the “traditional” method of teaching.
I stayed in the “traditional” school setting all the way through Law School and was tortured by the “academia” mindset at both undergrad and Law School. I loved my time at The College of William & Mary and Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, but the constriction of evaluating me in a way that I did not thrive was frustrating. Experience and application of knowledge are crucial for me to thrive.
Despite my detour into Law, I have returned to my dream of being a Teacher and Mentor to students and families. Through my own, very scary, leap of faith into homeschooling my own 4 children, God has brought me full circle to the path that He had for me all along.
Through my experiences homeschooling my own, opening learning programs, running learning programs (both online and in person), teaching, consulting with thousands of students and their families, I have developed systems to help parents reclaim their child’s education and I am passionate about sharing that with as many families as possible.
Meet Our Founder
Leslee Dirnberger, J. D.
Founder, Whole Family Ministries & Aspire Education™
Leslee's journey from homeschooling mom to educator and mentor to homeschool advocate has been driven by a passion for empowering neurodiverse and gifted learners.
Her own learning experiences, her 4 children, and the thousands of neurodiverse and gifted students she has been blessed to work with are the inspiration behind the creation of Whole Family Learning Center.
Homeschooled 4 kids through High School
Established a Neurodiverse Homeschool Program
Helped to build an online School to over 30,000 families
Teaching thousands of students since 2008
Established and/or ran numerous Homeschool Co-ops
Teaching online since 2011
Consultant with hundreds of students and families
Former Litigator so I love to implement the Socratic method!
Founder's Story
My "why" is simple
God has called me to strengthen and empower families and help parents reclaim their child’s education. There is an epidemic of anxious, fearful, depressed kids and teens, largely due to our broken education system. The good news is that we can change that!
I want to empower you, parents, to reclaim your authority over your child’s education so you can get them out of the public school system that has been separating your kids from you for decades! My own education journey was what most of us have experienced - go to public school K-12, go to a good college, then possibly graduate school; I went to Law School. I was a good student, but just did what I needed to do to get where I needed to go. In high school, and a lot of college, I would study for the test then promptly forget everything.
Two things saved me. Two things fed my natural curiosity and passion for learning: my parents and Junior High School. I know that sounds strange, but Jr. High was one anomaly in my school journey that planted a seed of how learning could be...exciting, creative, relevant, and geared to my strengths. The goal was learning, not checking boxes, not teaching to a test. It was individualized learning, but I didn’t know to call it that at the time. It was just awesome.
When I was in 6th grade I was called to the Principal’s office. You know - over the loudspeaker, everyone ‘Oooooing’ and ‘Aaahhhhing’ at you. Totally embarrassing.
Well, the meeting I had that day was the first step in changing how I forever viewed school and learning. After some testing, which were games that involved speaking and not writing, which I thoroughly enjoyed since my brain is connected to my mouth, I was selected for a Gifted program; only me and 15 other kids from all over the county.
Once I got past the fact that I had to leave most of my friends and I stopped sleepwalking, it was the best school experience of my life, especially the block English and Social Studies class. Our teachers for that block were amazing because they let us shine in our own ways for assignments, helped us to dive deeper into areas that fascinated us, and understood that we were a room full of perfectionists with heightened emotions that weren’t always in keeping with our intellectual abilities. In short, they empowered us to embrace our strengths, gave us a safe space to fail forward, and ALWAYS challenged us to think more deeply and critically about everything.
It was life changing.
Join us in shaping brighter futures through education.
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