Janet Alexander is an experienced educator, author, and speaker whose work is guided by a commitment to helping children feel capable, understood, and engaged in their learning. Her mission is to help restore confidence and curiosity in students by attending not only to academic readiness but also to emotional well-being, by teaching children who they are, what they are about, and what motivates them.
She carries this mission forward through several interconnected avenues, most notably Hearts and Minds Learning Center, along with her forthcoming book and an accompanying course for teachers. Across each of these efforts, Alexander focuses on human-centered education that emphasizes how children learn rather than how systems expect them to.
Hearts and Minds Learning Center grew from Alexander's years in traditional classrooms and her observation that many children, particularly neurodivergent learners, struggled to feel seen within standardized environments. Alexander states, "I was a neurodivergent child myself, and I noticed that when learning felt rushed or impersonal, children often internalized unhelpful stories about their self-perception and abilities." This realization eventually led her to imagine a different kind of learning space, designed around connection first and academics second, trusting that the latter would follow.
Serving children who learn differently, Hearts and Minds Learning Center rehabilitates a child's relationship to learning by catering to those with attention differences, processing variations, and challenges in reading and writing. The center also welcomes learners who simply need a more personalized pace. Its primary focus remains on neurodivergent students, with an approach that treats differences as potentially informative rather than limiting. Instruction is interactive and tailored, shaped through careful conversations with both parents and children before any learning plan is created. These early one-to-one sessions aim to help educators understand a child's interests, experiences, and emotional landscape, which then informs how instruction unfolds.
The learning environment at Hearts and Minds Learning Center is intentionally screen-free, allowing sessions to remain grounded in direct human interaction. Lessons are built around conversation, hands-on materials, and shared attention, creating space for trust to develop naturally. Alexander notes, "We believe that relationship is the soil everything else grows from, that it's not just a strategy to layer on top of teaching." This belief influences how teachers are trained to notice emotional cues and respond with steadiness and care.
Hearts and Minds Learning Center also takes a collaborative view of support. Families are invited into ongoing dialogue, and when appropriate, classroom teachers are included to create continuity for the child. Services extend beyond tutoring to include educational consultation, personalized planning, and guidance that helps families navigate learning decisions with greater clarity.
The story of the center is inseparable from Alexander's own journey. After stepping away from traditional school settings, she continued working in education while refining her philosophy around relationship-centered and individualized learning. "By meeting a child where they are and how they function, we are able to increase academic skills and confidence," Alexander states. Over time, her practice grew organically through relationships and trust, reinforcing her belief that meaningful work expands when it resonates authentically. That same belief now informs her authorship.
Alexander's upcoming book, The Highly Valued Teacher, scheduled for release in early 2026, extends her mission from students to educators. The book traces her personal journey of leaving public schools, questioning long-held assumptions about worth, and rediscovering her identity through teaching. Rather than offering prescriptive solutions, it invites reflection on how educators view themselves and their work. "We cannot separate how we teach from how we see ourselves," she states. "The classroom reflects the relationship we hold with our own values."
The book also explores how educators can rethink behavior, learning differences, and classroom stress through a more compassionate lens. By sharing her methodology and experiences, Alexander hopes to encourage teachers to experiment with approaches that emphasize readiness, relationship, and responsiveness. The narrative is both personal and practical, designed to resonate with educators seeking renewal and agency in their profession.
Drawing on psychological concepts of mirroring, Alexander reflects on how inner work reshaped her perspective on value and teaching. She argues that ADHD behaviors may be understood as adaptive responses to stress, suggesting that when children feel supported in foundational skills, their relationship with learning can shift. These insights are presented as invitations for teachers to consider how their own beliefs and approaches influence classroom dynamics.
Complementing the book is a linked course developed to translate its ideas into practice. The course addresses areas such as behavior management, foundational human needs, visual processing, and the science of reading, all through a relational framework. Its goal is to equip teachers with tools they can adapt to their own contexts while remaining grounded in connection. The course is an invitation to teach with intention, skill, and self-trust, reinforcing her belief that empowered teachers create more responsive learning environments.
It is within this context that Alexander introduces her I Am a Highly Valued Teacher Mantra, a guiding affirmation designed to help educators reclaim their sense of purpose and agency. One of the mantras declares, "My role as a teacher is more than a job. It is a calling to shape minds and nurture hearts." Other mantras speak about themes of empowerment, confidence, and reflection, encouraging teachers to reclaim their presence, trust their capacity to create, and recognize how their own growth mirrors the growth of their students. Together, these affirmations reinforce her belief that when teachers honor their own values, they can create classrooms where students feel equally valued and empowered.
Janet Alexander envisions continued growth across all facets of her work. She plans to expand her presence as a speaker, share her perspectives with wider educational communities, and further develop Hearts and Minds Learning Center in thoughtful ways. At the heart of these plans is a consistent aim to keep learning responsive and rooted in relationships.
