DONE!

It’s a wrap folks, another school year done! I am beyond excited for summer and doing things on my own time. It’s so hard to believe that I’ve officially completed my 4th year as a school SLP! Today’s post is a reflection on this school year and some highlights.

I started the year off with being granted tenure, which is HUGE for me. In NYC, we’re required to submit a portfolio, which ends up taking a life of its own. It contains all the work you’ve done over three years, and has to include student growth (e.g., data), student work, collaboration with teachers, involvement in the school, and a bunch of other stuff. It doesn’t change anything in terms of my position or salary, but it does grant me job security. I also felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders about how I do therapy. I felt like I could actually focus on what the kids needed rather than worry about what I need to put into my data binder to show growth.

I also started my @MiddleschoolSLP instagram page!! This was probably the best thing I did this year because it allowed me to connect with all of YOU! I LOVE sharing ideas and seeing what other SLP’s do with their older students. I remember my first year working with this age-group and it was just such a tough place to navigate, especially on your own. I also created this blog page which I was able to post some therapy activities/ideas that needed further explaining. I don’t think I devoted as much time as I could have, but my I did keep my instagram flowing!

In November, I was able to attend the ASHA convention in Orlando! It was my first time attending as a professional and not a student. Most of the conferences I attended were geared towards older students which I thought was super informative. I felt like I learned a lot of practical strategies and therapy ideas that I was able to (or will) implement. I was also able to meet some of the bloggers I follow and say hi! I’m already thinking about the convention in Denver! I hope to see some of you there.

Something different for me this year was the push towards push-in by my school administration. I was really opposed to this in the beginning of the year, but decided to give it a chance with a few students. In the end, I think it was pretty successful once I let go of the “this isn’t going to work” mind set. I think one of the reasons for this success was spending 4 days a week in the same classroom. It made a HUGE difference being in a room consistently throughout the week. I felt like I knew what was going on (because of excellent teacher-therapist communication), and simply because if you’re there pretty much every day, you catch on quickly with what’s going on. I was able to help my students with their reading/writing using actual classroom materials. Surprisingly, my kids were happy with me being in the classroom (this is not often the case as you know). My favorite part was getting to know kids that weren’t on my caseload. Sometimes they even asked for help or wanted to show me their work. Was it perfect? No. Do I now love push-in? Still not my favorite. However, it did push me to think about how I can tailor my therapy depending on the situation.

I feel like each year I grow a little more confident in myself as a therapist. The first two years were particularly tough for me (as I’ve mentioned several times), but slowly I’m working on myself. I no longer stress about things I can’t change about students or their abilities. Instead, my goals are to continue teaching my students skills to be able to compensate. I just want them to be successful in life, whatever that might mean for them.

Overall, it’s been a great year. My relationships with students continue to grow with each passing year. Being in a 6-12th grade school, I have seen some of my kids grow from middle school “babies” to mature high school teenagers. I look forward to attending a high school graduation for some of these kids in a few short years! Things are not perfect for us school SLPs. I’m choosing to focus on the positive instead of writing about all the things I wish I would change. Whether we feel it or not, we are helping these kids. Whether it’s a simple conversation when a student is having a bad day, or working on skills, we’re there for them….and we’re awesome.

I hope everyone has an AMAZING summer filled with fun and plenty of relaxation. We deserve it!