SENDcast Spotlight – Welcome Lou Barnes

I was a primary school teacher for 20 years. I loved teaching and but was aware of bright, creative children struggling with literacy every year.

 

Eventually I found it too painful and frustrating to see them struggle. The way we were ‘helping them’ was not working. Despite school intervention, extra phonics groups etc, they were not improving. I hated seeing many of them lose confidence or get labelled as naughty or lazy. 

I decided that there had to be a better way. 

 

Then I came across Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP). I was instantly fascinated. I felt it could hold real answers so  I left full-time teaching to study NLP in depth.

 

I learned was that our subconscious brains are incredibly powerful, and that by working with it, I could rapidly make reading (and spelling) easier to understand for people who previously just couldn’t make sense of letters and words. I found out WHY my students struggled and HOW to change that. I believe it’s the missing piece for helping dyslexic students. 

 

Over the next years, I developed a process and started working with children and adults one-to-one. The results of blending NLP with my teaching knowledge and experience were extraordinary. In the end, I took the plunge to be totally self-employed and set up Unlock Learning.

 

For the past 15 years I’ve been working, as Unlock Learning, with dyslexic children, and some adults using my 2-part  process. First the NLP ‘magic’ to get the brain ready to see, store and be comfortable with letters and words. Then I pop on my teacher hat and teach reading and spelling because what was once so hard is now easy for that child.

 

It’s my passion and purpose. I love doing what I do and the way I do it. I’

 

Now I’m on a mission to share what I know so more children can be spared the agony of struggling to read and write, and the mental health issues that can accompany it. 

 

I live in a beautiful part of Sussex, with my husband in a very quiet spot where I really enjoy my garden, especially growing as much as possible in my veg patch and sitting with friends around a fire in the evenings. 

 

I love walking with Tilly, my dog; sunrise at the beach is a favourite way to start the day. 

 

Although I’m mostly content to be at home, I also love adventures, travel and the chance to try new things which in the past has included living in Thailand, riding motorbikes and being in a band.