Daily Inspiration: Meet Christine Boothroy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christine Boothroy.

Hi Christine, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have been a Special Education Teacher for over 15 years in the public and private education system. My work focuses on teaching students with different abilities such as learning disabilities, autism, social/emotional disabilities, and cognitive disabilities. During Covid, my family decided to move from Wisconsin to Colorado. During the shutdown, I had the opportunity to contemplate how I should move forward with my career. I thought a lot about how I can better support students. I decided to get my Social Emotional Learning Facilitator license (SEL) and Yoga Teaching Certificate, so I could better support learning through mindfulness and self acceptance. Throughout my teaching journey I discovered many limitations in the public/private school setting. Those limitations included not having enough time with each student and restrictions regarding how and what I could teach. There was also a huge gap between strategies that are used at school and at home. I wanted to make supports consistent between all of the student’s environments. That is when I decided to start my own business. Become Boulder was born in 2020. I was excited to provide customized multi-sensory learning experiences for students that included collaborating with all of the student’s communities. Over the last 5 years, my supports have evolved to working with many college students at CU Boulder to support their transition to and from college. Watching my clients grow over the years has been my biggest joy!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My biggest struggle was being new to the boulder community. I really had to be diligent about building relationships and getting to know the school system. I had to find out where my expertise was needed the most, which took some time. Another challenge was learning how to network virtually when the community was shut down during Covid.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
What sets my work apart from other special education teachers and SEL coaches is that I work hard to get to know the entire family of the client I am working with. I have been able to form lasting relationships built on trust and understanding. I love that I can customize my programing based on the interests and needs of each client. Some clients need to move during our sessions so we can do sessions from the park or even on a trampoline! Some clients love art, so we may create something beautiful and healing during our session. Other clients simply need someone to talk to. My sessions are fun, yet effective and based on research backed practices. I want all of my clients to feel seen, heard, accepted, and supported. That looks different for everyone!

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I want to give my fellow sped teacher’s a shout out. Being a teacher definitely comes with its challenges. In my most challenging teaching moments, I have leaned on my fellow teachers for support. That includes shedding tears together in the classroom closet, working out together after school, or going on annual vacations together to de-compress. The need for teacher support is very real and that is why I decided to offer teacher wellness trainings as part of my business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.becomeboulder.com

Image Credits
Photos Taken by Taylor Lord
https://taylord-photo.com/