Choose Positivity

Caution: Real talk ahead.... If you've been around here for a while, you know that I like to keep things positive.That is intentional. Trust me, I am not surrounded by rainbows and butterflies. These speech hills are not always alive with the sound of music. ;)

There are days that it takes every ounce of restraint that I have not to vent and air frustration. After all, venting feels good in that immediate moment, doesn't it? However, just as positivity creates a ripple effect, so does negativity. Only negativity creates waves that can quickly become toxic.

Is venting productive? Some would argue no but in reality the answer is yes, sometimes it is. Chances are, you can think of at least one person who no one seems to mess with because they push back the most. So why avoid it then? Vent, complain, sulk your little heart out, right? Nope. Say what? Why?

The answer is simple. Eager eyes are watching. Those eyes may be your students, parents, colleagues, prospective SLPs, etc. As a speech-language pathologist, YOU are a role model for effective communication. What you put out there for the world creates your ripple. What do you want that ripple to carry?

This does not mean that you have to blindly agree to whatever comes your way. There will be times when in order to advocate for you, your students, or your family, you may need to respectfully disagree. Here are some tips to do so productively that maintains the greater good.

WAIT 24 HOURS: It is harder to see the picture when you are inside the frame, right? So before you click send on an email or post on social media, take the time to step back, reflect and let your knee-jerk emotions level out a bit. 

OFFER SOLUTIONS: Your concerns will hold more merit when paired with possible solutions. Try to think of at least 2 solutions that you can offer to help solve the problem. Your suggested solutions may or may not be used but you will know that YOU have done YOUR due diligence in a productive manner that encourages a positive outcome.

CIRCLE OF TRUST: We all need them. Make sure that your small, carefully selected circle of trust has your best intentions at heart and will lovingly call you out if you are overreacting. This circle of trust should be helpful in brainstorming solutions too. (Stating the obvious here... maintain your ethical responsibility of confidentiality. It may not be your story to tell.)

REFRAME YOUR THINKING: YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE, YOU REALLY DO. You don't need to take my word for it though. This is a great time to pull out that file, box, notebook, etc. of "feel good" moments. You know the one. The treasured place that houses sweet letters from students, parents, coworkers, awards or recognition you have received, that sweet handcrafted token from a student... what gets us by on the toughest days. If you don't have one yet, start today. Write down some of those sweet memories, moments of success, kid sayings that have you belly laughing.  Your future self will thank you.

KNOW WHEN TO WALK AWAY: This is perhaps the most difficult one and will differ for each of us. We all have our own unique circumstances and only you will know where to draw the line in the sand. This one is an absolute last resort. Ideally you won't ever need to use this tip but if you do,  do so knowing that you have exhausted all other options.

DANCE IT OUT: Whether you have moves like jagger or are two steps behind (like yours truly), sometimes you just need to dance it out. Throw those feel good songs on. Jam out to on the way to school. Use them to debrief on the way home.

You'll never feel happy until you try! Listening just puts a spring in your step, doesn't it? ;)

What helps you keep your positivity? Let me know! Wishing you all a HAPPY day full of POSITIVITY!

Escape the Speech Room

I was recently invited to participate in a career fair at my son's elementary school. I was excited to participate and share my passion for speech-language pathology with them! I did not learn what speech-language pathology was until I was in college (gasp!) but am so thankful that I was blessed to be housed in the dorms across from a SLP major. Watching her creatively develop materials for her client in her clinical inspired me to take an introductory course to check out what speech-language pathology was all about. The rest is history!

In speaking with my son, one suggestion that he had was for the presentation to be interactive and engaging. I couldn't agree more so I decided to create an "Escape the Speech Room" activity that would introduce the students to various aspects of communication with missions in Articulation, Language, Fluency, Voice and Pragmatics! The students had a blast and they learned a bunch along the way! 

Knowing that the students would likely be listening to various presentations throughout the day, I wanted to give them the opportunity to get up and move while learning in the process.

Escape the Speech Room was broken up into 5 “missions” which were broken up into centers. Each of the 5 Missions reflected on an area within our scope of practice: Articulation, Language, Voice, Fluency, and Pragmatics.

Each mission contained a Debriefing Sheet with information about that particular area. It also included a list of materials that they needed as well as a description of their mission. Each mission uncovered a key to the help unlock the individual padlocks on the box. Once the groups solved their missions, they came together to learn about some of our work settings and decode the final clue. The individual padlocks all contained a card with a setting an SLP may work in. The students used those cards to collectively determine what the passcode to the final word lock was.

When the students completed their challenge, they filled out a Reflections sheet to show what they learned and share it with the other students. This allowed students to learn about the different centers or areas of speech-language pathology by reading their fellow classmates' reflections.

Does this sound like something that you would be interested in using in YOUR setting? Let me know what you think! {Update: If you missed the copy sent out in my newsletter, don't fret! Per your requests, I included it here in my Teachers Pay Teachers Store. Sign up for my newsletter if you would like to have first dibs and try out some new products for free.}

Incorporating Literacy into Your Sensory Bin

Sensory bins are a great way to engage students with a high interest activity that can be easily incorporated into your day. 

I love to use this Recollections storage container that I purchased from Michael's Craft Store as a portable sensory bin that has a storage tray inside. The storage tray makes it so convenient to switch out the items in the sensory bin at a moment's notice. My sensory bin may have sand, water beads, rocks, cut straws, or colored rice/pasta within it. 

One way I love to incorporate literacy into my mixed groups is by using Open Ended Literacy Task Cards in my Sensory bin. I have several mixed groups so I print each target group on a different color of paper so it is easy for me to differentiate between target goals in my therapy sessions. One less task to juggle during one of those "all hands on deck" mixed groups does wonders to save my sanity.

You can check out how I created a colorful sensory bin using pasta in this video here.

{For more information on how I make my rice/pasta brightly colored, check out my blog post on DIY Sensory Bins over at Conversations from the Classroom. You can watch a step by step tutorial in this video here.}

BSHM Freebie Alert

Just like the end of the school year, Better Speech and Hearing Month is just around the corner (not that I am counting 😉).  I have several goodies up my sleeve for you but let's start with this fun, no prep freebie. You can download this SLP Fortune Teller here or click on the image below. The directions are built in with visuals to help you along the way. Have fun! 

P.S. When you download, make sure that you click "Follow" beside the green star (if you haven't already) so you will be the first to know about new uploads that come your way. 

Quick DIY Tip & Update

Happy Spring everyone! I just wanted to pop in to let you know about a quick DIY tip I blogged about over on Conversations from the Classroom using what you may already have! Hope on over to see what I crafted up using Easter egg dye and clothespins that I picked up from my local dollar store.

Wow, it has been a while since I have hopped on here. If you have been wondering what I have been up to, here is a quick glimpse into some of the happenings in my therapy room (and beyond). 

We have been trying out these awesome Pop Phones. They are a great companion to the app Seesaw (a digital learning portfolio that I use with my students).

Speaking of going digital, I used the No Prep version of my Cup Stacking paired with these rubber bunnies which was a huge crowd pleaser. 

While we are on the subject of Target, my home away from home, look at these fun mouth molds I found in the gag gift section! They were perfect to make dough molds of our mouths and compare/contrast target sounds.

My graduate intern and I got our head in the game with the annual Staff vs. Students basketball game.  We made it through the game with no injuries and our pride intact as the staff maintained our undefeated record. Phew!

Last, but certainly not least, I was privileged to attend a balloon release to celebrate a special little Hall & Oates fan's birthday and educate others on lissencephaly. 

I hope that you have enjoyed a great month too! My students continue to be unstoppable and inspire me each and every day. Leave a comment below or email me to let me know what you have going on in your corner of the speech world. I'd love to hear from you!