Miss Annie Willard brings a unique combination of special education expertise, teaching experience, and a passion for helping every student succeed. After more than two decades as a Special Education teacher in an SXI classroom, Annie has dedicated her career to understanding how students learn best and creating environments where every child has the opportunity to grow.
An award-winning teacher, Miss Annie has built her career around advocacy, compassion, and a commitment to helping students receive the support they need to succeed. Throughout her teaching career, she has been known as someone who will stand up for her students and work tirelessly to ensure they have access to the resources, services, and educational plans that best fit their individual needs. She understands that every child is unique, and sometimes helping a student succeed requires looking beyond assumptions and finding the approach that truly meets their needs.
Miss Annie’s dedication to her students has included advocating for proper evaluations, appropriate services, and individualized education plans that allow students to reach their full potential. Her ability to understand each child as an individual—not simply by a label—has helped change the lives of many students and families. She has seen firsthand how the right support, instruction, and environment can unlock potential that others may not have recognized.
Miss Annie’s journey with Aspire Performance Center began when she and Master Roger Willard created the sensory-friendly martial arts program as a passion project they could build together. After more than three decades together, their partnership has been built on understanding each other’s strengths and a shared commitment to helping others. Master Roger brought his martial arts expertise, while Miss Annie brought her special education experience and understanding of how to best support students with different learning needs. Together, they created a program centered around patience, acceptance, confidence, and individualized instruction.
Long before the sensory-friendly program was created, Annie’s dedication to her students extended beyond the classroom. She welcomed students into her home for activities such as water therapy in the Willard family pool and provided respite support during a time when qualified caregivers were difficult to find. Through those experiences, Master Roger developed a deeper understanding and appreciation for children with special needs and learned the importance of communication, patience, and meeting each student where they are.
Over the years, Miss Annie has grown from helping design the structure of the sensory-friendly program into a skilled martial arts instructor herself. While her background began with special education, she has developed a strong understanding of Taekwondo techniques and regularly teaches martial arts skills to students at Aspire. Her ability to combine effective teaching strategies with martial arts instruction allows students to learn in a way that builds confidence, independence, and success.
Miss Annie’s greatest strength is her ability to see the individual behind the challenge. She understands that every student learns differently and believes that with the right approach, encouragement, and support, every person can achieve more than they thought possible.
Miss Annie is proud to be part of the Aspire Performance Center team, where the mission is to build confident students, strong character, and an inclusive community where every person has the opportunity to succeed.
