Deena Beard has been a Feuerstein Mediator since 2002 and became a trainer in 2006. She has trained for the institute both abroad and in the United States. She currently trains Orthodox groups of teachers in upstate New York. Her undergraduate degree is in Psychology and she completed her MAT as a Reading Specialist in Louisville, Kentucky. In 2009, she developed a Cognitive Skills collegiate-style curriculum for the Home Educated population. The class utilizes FIE materials, MLE, and study materials to increase the efficiency of learning and academic performance. Deena has seen hundreds of home educated students benefit from following the Feuerstein path of self-mediation with a mindset of growth resulting in enhanced thinking with focused study. She freely shares the format of this class and has been thankful to see successful duplication of it in other states. Deena has four children and four grandchildren…so far. She resides in rural Kentucky with her husband.