Push-In: How I Make it Work!
Push-in. One of the most dreaded words by many SLP's. Many of us have tried to avoid it, especially when our experiences weren’t so positive. Times have changed however. Principals and supervisors are pushing more and more for this method of therapy. Instead of focusing on the negative, I want to talk about the positive things I've experienced this year with push-in and how I try to make it work!
Teacher: First and foremost, having a good relationship with the teacher you're pushing in with is key. I know it's not always possible, but if you have the option of choosing a class to push in with, choose one where the teacher wants you there. I've had teachers who are so happy to see me walk through the door. Others will text me to make sure I’m coming in that day. It might be because I deal with the most needy students, but that’s okay! When you find a teacher who values you, it will make a world of a difference. I love getting e-mails from a teachers who just wants to check in to see how I think things are going. It’s a gesture that’s really appreciated.
Frequency: I am currently pushing into a 7th grade ELA class 4x a week with 6 speech students in the same class (kids with mandates of 2x40x3). It happened that all those students were in the same class with the exception of one (who I asked to be moved into that block). I've never pushed in so frequent within the same class. I have to say, this made a huge difference. In the past, I'd feel lost coming into the classroom. I'd just get the hang of things and the next week they'd already moved on. Now, I'm able to follow units smoothly. The one day I'm not in there, the teacher can quickly catch me up. I feel like I’m really able to make sure my students are keeping up with their work!
Support: I am able to support my students from beginning to end of a reading or writing unit. I will pull small groups out during larger class instructions or to the back of the classroom. I will often modify materials or make graphic organizers that go with the unit. I often ask teachers to share lesson plans with me so I can keep up. I've found other students who I don't even work with ask for help or use the organizers. I once caught a student copying off one of my speech kids graphic organizers. Obvi I had to take a picture: you can see the actual graphic organizer on the right corner, and then student copied it onto his own paper. It was a proud speechie moment (even though the student refused to admit that he copied the organizer LOL).
These are just some of the ways I’ve found push-in to work for me this year. Does it always work? No. Do I sometimes wish that I could do ALL my sessions in my communications room? Yes. But this is what I need to do. Instead of being negative about it, I just need to make it work.
How about you? How have you made push-in successful? Post your comments on my instagram page or fill out the contact form!!