===================================================

Now...

How it all got started with Neale Donald Walsch...

A Little HeartLight History

and information about

Linda Lee Ratto, Ed.M.

HeartLight Education (HLE) Co-Founder

The Initial Visionary

The word “HeartLight” was coined by Neale Donald Walsch in many of his best selling Conversations with God books. (1)  In his books, Neale questions the content of standard schooling throughout the world and poses to his readers the challenge of creating a different way of educating our young. He suggests building an out-of-the-box curriculum centered around awareness, honesty and responsibility, through classes and experiences that encourage learners and leaders to discover and create answers for themselves.

The Vision and 1^st Founding Teams

Neale and his non-profit foundation staff put their heads together and produced numerous brochures and beginning guides that included the concepts written in Neale’s books. Parents and educators flew from across the globe to Ashland, Oregon,  Neale’s home base, to help with the new HeartLight concept. The materials and collaboration in the first two powerful HeartLight conferences, in the summers of 2000 and 2001. Hundreds of educators and parents gathered together to define a new way to “school.”  These founding groups quickly discovered that words such as “school” and “curriculum” did not accurately explain the full HeartLight concept.

2000-2001 HeartLight Angels Arrive

Neale hired Linda Lee Ratto, Ed.M. to write a series of grants to jumpstart the HeartLight concept throughout 2000-2001.  And out of the first HeartLight Conference in August 2000, a team of four angels volunteered – yes without pay – to dedicate their time, talent and expertise to open the first HeartLight  in Ashland.  Brian Davis of Toledo, Ohio and a seasoned public school principal was the first director. He co-teamed with three teachers who moved across the country to be HeartLight Lead-Leaners: David Sherwin of South Carolina, Kelly Tisdel of Chicago and Tom Shelstad of Minnesota. On the second floor of the ReCreation Foundation building, close to a dozen children of all ages lived learning together.  However, without a written framework, guide and no capital, the team came together under HeartLight co-director Lisette Larkins and announced at the August 2001 HL conference that the first school was closing unless funding and deeper guidance became available.

Conscious Competence teams with

Creativity, Collaboration and Compassion!

As it happened, a world renown education reformist was driven by the HeartLight Vision written in Neale’s books, to also attend that second HL conference in August 2001.  Five time author Dr. William G. Spady, of Colorado and South Africa, stepped up to rally the HL conference attendees into an understanding of his core work “The Five Cs” (2) as it could be placed into the HeartLight learning vision. A new leadership team was born out of that conference. This group gathered in a HeartLight Leadership team workshop in Portland, Oregon in January 2002.Nineteen souls over three days created the first “HeartLight Inverted Pyramid” framework which was to eventually guide four teams into action by opening HeartLight Learning Communities (HLCs). Learning is deeply personal and difficult to place into words. Yet through heart-felt vision, hard work and numerous years of dedication, HeartLight Education’s paradigm-shifting learning system has developed into a framework dynamic in Purpose, Premises, Principles, Priorities, Practices, and Processes.

Enthused by the newly evolved leadership team that was grounded-in decades of child-centered, person-honoring education, administration and out-of-the-box reformation experience, Neale gifted “HeartLight” – its name, vision and concepts – to the new HeartLight founding team.

Based on Neale's core New Spirituality principles, HeartLight International was incorporated as a non-profit education leadership service organization in March of 2002. (Please review the archives for newsletters and specific details of our accomplishments to date. ) HeartLight’s co-founders were: Bill Spady, PhD,  Linda Lee Ratto, EdM,  James Colen, Shaktari Belew, Scott Kiere, Deborah Oliff, and Pam Spady, with special service leadership by Ken Miller, MD.

First “Domino” of the HL Non-Profit Organization

As reported by the first HeartLight teachers in Ashland, salaries and expertise were needed to open learning communities and sustain them. James Colen, a Harvard graduate and heart-centered philanthropist, pledged millions to see the HeartLight Vision in practice. A single man, he wanted to build HeartLight Learning Communities so his own children would one day attend an HLC.  Three schools were born in 2002.  Under HeartLight International and HeartLight Education’s (HLE) leadership, HeartLight South Africa (Port Elizabeth), HeartLight Toledo (Ohio, USA) and HeartLight Chicago (Illinois, USA) were opened and received their independent charitable status as non-profit learning environments in 2003.

Another Phase

However, as you most probably are aware if you have read this far, traditional school systems throughout the world are not eager to make room for independent privates schools. Yet we persist.  Parents, grandparents, teachers, and administrators in local, state, regional, and country systems see the overwhelming need for a different way of learning for children whose needs are not met in current programs. In the United States alone, some two million families homeschool their children. This is one way to create a individualized learning environment for our young.

Another hard fact is that opening a full day school is not only costly and time-encompassing, but often times regulations do not permit or may even stop private school creation in its tracks. Given the red tape labyrinth, numerous families who had been poised to give their children a chance for a different way of learning chose not to take the leap and register. This weary community environment, along with limits in self-sustained funding, caused the Toledo and Chicagoprograms to close. 

Now in 2007, HeartLight Port Elizabeth is still a learning community, though it encompasses all ages rather than their original teen focus in 2003-04.  The HeartLight South African Trust remains viable and numerous New Spirituality programs are underway in various parts of the world, though not exclusively under the HeartLight name or its non-profit corporation umbrella. 

New Spirituality Programs

March 2006

Late in 2005, Neale refocused on education for the next generations. Wishing to boost his efforts and allow a New Spirituality education to lace the planet further, the HLE board members votedunanimously to combine their 501(c)3 non-profit with Neale's renewed education vision. HeartLight was renamed the "School of the New Spirituality" and became specifically focused on part-time enrichment programs honoring the spirit and heart+mind+ body of each child.  SNS programs are building in a grassroots, community-based way in Europe, Canada and across the USA.  There is a new professional SNS Board of Directors and Neale Donald Walsch, as Founder, is now an Emeritus Member.

Please see www.SchooloftheNewSpirituality.com  for numerous programs, workshops and events, including a KIDSpirit websection launching in the summer of 2007. There are dozens of HeartLight lessons in the "SNS STEPS," which guide any one who desires to start a New Spirituality program.  The SNS STEPS are downloadable and combined form the SNS Manual.  Navigate the SNS website and see how HeartLight has grown into an international presence. Keep visiting because SNS is blossoming and evolving every week!  Learner-center research and a Legacy Fund are part of the SNS Business Plan.  A KIDSpirit websection is soon to be open. Please stay tuned...

Come, join us in helping children whose learning style and learning needs are not met in existing schools and programs. Contact us with your plan and founding team’s wishes. Together, let us co-create fresh, local learning environs which allow children to flourish in a framework that fosters, models and thus teaches co-responsibility for what is learned.   The HeartLight Learning Modelused by SNS Teams offers a “Homeschool Away From Home” approach and  “Honours the Greatness in Every Learner.”  The HL Model embraces all cultures and spiritual or religious traditions. In any SNS after school, camp or retreat programs for children or their adult leaders, the learners and leaders’ dreams are the center of the learning program.

SNS develops programs that embody the "Civil Rights of the Child's Soul." Join us in making a difference in our children’s lives today. Contact Linda or SNS today.  Be the change you wish to see in the world!

(1)   NDW’s books may be viewed & researched via:   www.cwg.org   and    www.nealedonaldwalsch.com

(2) The Five Cs are within the fifth level of the HLE "V" Vision and are HL's Intentions and Priorities.

Linda Lee Ratto, Ed.M.

HLE Co-Founder

Linda Lee Ratto began her HeartLight work writing grants for NY Times best-selling author Neale Donald Walsch in 2000-2001. Just as the word "HeartLight" was coined by the world renown author, funding was sought. This would allow Neale's CwG Foundationto release the educational concept of HeartLight into the world in a self-sustaining way. In February 2003, HeartLight was incorporated and Linda has served as a co-founder and secretary for six years until the non-profit was renamed SNS, Inc. in March 2006, when she became CEO and Executive Director.

Linda is a life-long child advocate and a three decades veteran educator, administrator and business owner. She has been a classroom teacher (pre-K through grade 8 and adults), co-founder of schools, principal, and CEO.  She has spent the past 15 years traveling the globe as a guest professor and keynote, teaching her child-first approach to rehabilitation teams consisting of MD’s, RN’s, PT’s, OT’s, orthotists, prosthetists, and educators who work with children experiencing disabilities. Linda’s award-winning counseling books for families and professionals empower readers to listen to children and uplift them into the wellness team’s “Captain” position.

Linda has served on numerous boards for child treatment reform.  She was the president and co-founder of the Amputee Foundation of Greater Atlanta.  (Her daughter is a congenital amputee.) She has served on Northwestern University’s Medical CollegeRehabilitation Engineering Board. Additionally, she has conducted research at NYU, teaches “Children’s Gifts & Multiple Intelligences” staff development accredited seminars, and has directed symposia for the society of Children’s Book Writers for years. Linda’s career stands as her commitment to bridging the old and new child-treatment paradigms.  Through the responsible sharing of information and learning from one another, we can create a fresh way of living in Awareness, Responsibility, Honesty, and Gratitude, honouring all life.

Linda recently returned from a World Vision Conference on "Integrating Children with Disabilities" into schools and society in Azerbaijan, where she served as keynote speaker. Her book, WHERE DREAMS COME TRUE was translated into Azeri and is now a reading book at thousands of Azerbaijani schools.  Over #150,000 of her children's book for ages 7-12 years are in all primary school in Azerbaijan.  Linda was hosted by the USAAmbassador Reno Harnish and his wife Leslie.

Linda lives in Atlanta on a lake with her husband of 30 years, David. She has three grown children: Courtney, Eric and Ryan.  Linda thrives on writing, opening 501C3 non-profit organizations and learning centers, reading spiritually empowering materials, traveling, water sports, mountain hiking, and living her dreams.

Write to Linda asking about her ten books, multitude of workshops and the SNS - Atlanta area programs.

---------------------------------------------------

William G. Spady, PhD

HLE & HLSA Co-Founder, President & Advisor

After a thirty-five year career as a professor, author, lecturer, researcher, editor, international consultant, and leader of major change efforts in education, Dr. William Spady joined the HeartLight Education team as its Director and leader of its Learning System Development team.  Bill’s five books and numerous published articles all reflect his incisive outside-the-box approach to educational change.  They contain many original concepts, frameworks, models, and practical strategies that present significant learner-centered, future-focused, personally empowering alternatives to traditional practice.  He joined the HeartLight family at the August, 2001 Symposium and served on a three-person leadership team until February, 2002 when Neale Donald Walsch asked him to lead the HeartLight initiative.  Bill’s wife Pam is currently coordinating the HeartLight effort in the country of South Africa with HLE Advisor John Ryan.  Bill's major enjoyments include listening to classical music, skiing, bicycling, scuba diving and reading anything that expands his awareness and deepens his spirituality.