A travel tutor shares how wealth helps students with special needs succeed

My experience has been incredibly diverse, but almost all of my clients involve students with special educational needs. This covers a range of learning disabilities, from autism spectrum disorders to dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia and anxiety disorders, which may not be supported by traditional classrooms.

I never expected to teach students with special educational needs, nor do I have the formal training or credentials to do so. But over the years I have worked with a wide range of children, from those with simple dyslexia to a student missing a piece of his brain from a motorcycle accident.

The first family I worked with had two children with dyslexia and attention deficit problems. I was with them for a year before moving on to other clients. Every child is unique and there is no one way to help every student understand a concept. My job is to think outside the box and determine the best approach for each child.

Weave guided journeys

One memorable job was during the pandemic from 2020 to 2023. I worked with a family in the film industry who traveled to shoot their movie in six countries. I became the child’s school for three years, allowing him to learn constantly despite a hectic filming schedule. He had special needs and is now at an Ivy League university.

It was a unique experience because we were among the few people who were allowed to travel freely, and the only people we met were the actors who were traveling with us.

Almost every job I’ve had has involved travel, either on a boat or moving from one country to another. So far, I have lived in 13 countries. As an educator, it is a wonderful opportunity for me as it allows me to weave aspects of local culture, history and geography into my lessons. It’s a rare circumstance where I can help them fall in love with the Latin language and Roman history in a way that they just can’t do sitting in the family home in the United States.

It allows children to learn

One memory I cherish was when I spent a summer tutoring a dyslexic student in chemistry and math to prepare him for the next school year. As a final exam, I got creative when his father cut gold dust from a wreck.

I challenged the boy to discover the purity percentage of gold. His father didn’t think he could do it, but after days of hard work, the boy did and brought his discoveries to his father, who was so moved that he actually cried.

Dad kept the gold dust in Lucite, and now it’s a paperweight on his desk so he can always remember when his son surprised him.

It’s a special thing to allow someone to do something they wouldn’t otherwise be able to do. Teaching to me goes much deeper than just teaching people facts; it also involves showing them new ways of doing academic things.

Wealth is an enabling factor

Many clients we have worked with have resources on par with country governments. However, I don’t think it’s much different in terms of teaching students of a certain socio-economic class – except that they probably couldn’t afford to hire me without their resources.

I used to think that money was the root of all evil, but what money does is allow people to behave in a way that no one else can. It gives you all the tools to exercise your counsel as deeply as possible, removing many societal restrictions.

I will do this until I no longer have to work for money. There is a children’s cancer hospital in Atlanta where children usually go for six to nine months of treatment. There is currently no provision for them to continue their education while being treated, so that is what I am going to do next.

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