Interview With a Student Teacher: Part 3 of the Blog Chronicles

We are fortunate in our community to have a state university. As a result our K-8 school assumes an active role in new teacher preparation. (The university does NOT have a speech language pathology major, but that is a conversation for another day!) Between students completing observation requirements, practicums, and student teaching, young and enthusiastic future teachers are ever present. These young men and women typically keep things fresh and bring an energy into the building. One such student teacher was willing to share her thoughts here and I am most appreciative of her candor.

How do you see a true multidisciplinary team functioning?

I see a true multidisciplinary team collaborating successfully together (being able to pass ideas off one another, not letting frustrations or emotions build up). I feel as though all members of the team need to be able to openly communicate with one another and support each other through moments of tension or need.

What message do you have for the powers that be (administration, DOE, elected officials, etc. Your choice).

I think that we need to stop focusing so much on standardized testing. Although it is important, I strongly feel like preparing for the test and teaching to the test takes away from a teacher’s ability to spark lights in students and their interest and engagement in school. Also, all of the standardized testing is frustrating as someone looking to get a teaching job. With so many people applying for a single teaching position, it is encouraged to stand out and have all of these creative ideas and experiences. How do those things help you when you are so intensely following programs that are aligned to standards and testing? I feel like our focus on testing has taken away from the uniqueness, imagination, and creativity that school should harvest in both its students and educators.

What do you see as the most pressing issue impacting our students today? Why?

I believe that the most pressing issue for a lot of our students today are if their basic needs are being met. In a lot of cases across the country, students are not getting enough to eat, having the opportunity to shower, or a safe and nurturing home. I think that these factors greatly impact a students ability to successfully function in a classroom.

What energizes you to come to work everyday? What keeps it “fresh” for you?

The major thing that keeps me motivated to continue my schooling in elementary education is seeing the positivity school brings to students’ lives and how happy they feel when they understand something that they struggle with. Also, having such a positive group of mentor teachers makes ALL the difference. I am extremely comfortable with my education role-models and I cannot imagine my road to teacher certification being more successful than it has been.

Describe your dream work environment? How does your dream compare with your reality?How can you make it a reality?

I believe that my dream work environment is very similar to the environment that I am currently student teaching in. I hope to have the opportunity to work in a school that is similar to where I am today.

It makes me happy to read such positive and enthusiastic commentary form a prospective teacher particularly when the trend for young teachers to abandon the field is increasing (and disheartening).

Photo credit: Woodley Wonder Works

For further reading on teacher dropout check out these articles here  and here. 

Say It With Tats

I don’t have a tattoo. I have no desire to see words or pictures forever emblazoned on my body. I especially don’t want to see what those cool tattoos melt into as I age and my skin loses its elasticity. I am very comfortable expressing my likes and feelings verbally or in paper and pencil writing. My desire to keep my skin ink free might be old fashioned by today’s standards. According to an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, 40% of Americans sport some ink (NBC Nightly News May 2, 2014).

As I was thinking of the blank canvas that is my skin I started to imagine what sort of tats a speech language pathologist might like, outside of the obvious lips. If I were to subject myself to the tattoo artist’s needles (YIKES) I might consider something like one of these; my top five SLP tattoo creations. Please understand, this is meant as a parody! The ideas are just for fun and by no means suggest that I believe having a tattoo is a no-no!

I credit my husband with “Lisp Free or Try,” which is a play on our NH State motto “Live Free or Die.” The “Speech Rocks” tattoo is New Hampshire’s Old Man of the Mountain which came crashing down in 2003. 
Which one is your favorite? Do you have any tattoo ideas?
*I created these using powerpoint, PicMonkey, and/or piZap.com

The Fib Revealed

We hope you had as much fun hopping through all our April first posts as we did writing them! Well, how did you do? It’s now time for the big reveal.
I played the role of a munchkin in a 2009 production of The Wizard of Oz
This is a fact! Plymouth State University is located in the town in which we live. Each year PSU, through the Educational Theater Collaborative, stages a musical. This is a highly coordinated and involved show that showcases college students, community members, third through twelfth graders and some professional actors. This particular show was replete with flying monkeys and witches (really, a company from California was hired to fly our actors). Both of our children and I were cast as munchkins and after three intensive weeks of rehearsal made our way down the yellow brick road!

I poached the course at the 2013 Run Like a Diva Half Marathon in San Juan, PR.

Fib!!! I did go to San Juan to meet my friend (also an SLP) and run in the half marathon. When we went to the registration area I was told registration was full. My friend was diligent and had registered earlier online. I, on the other hand, was a slacker and thought I would register in PR. I debated about poaching the course, running without registering, but then decided running 13 miles early in the morning in the heat and rain wasn’t really that appealing. Soooo, I stayed in bed. My friend ran and finished first in her age group. If my memory is correct she finished in 1 hour, 45 minutes. Very impressive!! 
In my defense two weeks earlier I had completed a half in NH. I did not finish first in my age group. I finished. Period.

I drove and did speech language therapy in NJ in a repurposed school bus.
This is a fact. In 1985 I worked for Essex County Educational Services Commission in NJ. ECESC provided supplemental instruction, compensatory education and speech therapy to the non public schools in Essex and Passaic Counties. Some of these schools were parochial and therefore, since we were a county commission, we couldn’t work in the buildings. This was due to the “separation of church and state.” Pretty silly, since that’s not exactly what the separation of church and state was established to do. In any case, we worked in repurposed school buses, campers and trailers that parked 20 feet from the building and connected with a giant plug for power. It was an interesting two years. 
If you participated in the blog hop, I do hope you had fun trying to figure out what was myth and what was reality. I thought it was a blast and was surprised by what I learned about my fellow bloggers. What an interesting and diverse group!

Ode to Mud

Summer in New Hampshire is delightful. We do have a few days of intense heat, but overall, we can get away with a summer sans air conditioning, a fan no, but air conditioning, yes. Autumn is what we are famous for. Crisp, clear days of vibrant color. Winter begins around Thanksgiving and lasts until at least the end of March, often. In fact the last weekend of March 2015 saw snow and 20 degree temperatures. Then comes the most dreaded of all seasons MUD, I mean spring.

While the rest of the country is basking in the beauty of the Earth’s rebirth, we in NH are slogging through feet of ooey, gooey mud. We live on a picturesque dirt road, but the melting snows and a frost line that descends to five feet creates a driving nightmare.  I have had to don my Wellies and carry a 3 year old and 1 year old up the mountain because my car was up to its fenders in muck, all the while trying not to fall and lose my babies to the demon mud. Walking through the brown goop is a form of aerobic exercise as it sucks you in with sheer delight. Forget getting the car washed; it’s like, well, throwing money in the mud! Yes, I believe the mud is hell bent on making my life muddy! Mud season, as it is called here was one of the hardest things for me to accept when we moved. With longer days I am ready for spring, for crocuses, for daffodils, for warmth.

What’s a New Jersey transplant to do? Roll up my pants and slog through! I’ve decided to embrace all things mud and work a week of speech activities that are mud related. Why not? MUD HAPPENS!

In the spirit of nature (and mud) and following Amy’s lead, with my third through fifth grade students we are going to embark on haiku writing. A simple formula consisting of three lines all about our demon beloved mud.

My fifth through eighth grade students will be expanding their language horizons with some muddy figurative language. Here is what I came up with:
  • It’s as clear as mud.
  • Don’t be a stick in the mud!
  • He’s as happy as a pig in mud.
  • Sea of mud
  • It’s as slick as mud
  • mud slinger
  • Sling mud at someone.
  • His name is mud
  • Hey, mud sticks!
  • Here’s to mud in your eye!
  • Mud duck: I wasn’t familiar with this one, but it means an unattractive person 😦
  • Drag someone’s name through the mud
  • Mud happens: an original!

What would mud season be without mud crafts and songs. An old favorite is “I Love Mud,” but I found this very funny video I think my younger students will enjoy.

Mud crafts? How about some chocolate scented play-doh? This recipe can be found on I Can Teach My Child. Click the picture below for the instructions.

I also thought a fun and easy craft could be done by cutting out mud splats from brown paper and gluing them on a larger piece of paper. This can be the inspiration for a creative writing activity, sequencing activity or vocabulary activity.  And finally some “dirty words.” Click on the link below for a simple articulation activity that can be given as homework.
I’m hoping my attempts at embracing mud season will help me get through it. For those of you who haven’t experienced mud season first hand I hope this glimpse into NH mud is enough to encourage visits during our other three magnificent seasons. If you do venture here during the infamous mud, don’t say I didn’t warn you 🙂

Two Facts and a Fib SLP Blog Hop

I have mentioned MANY times how the social media and blogging experience has opened a whole new world for me. I have made some really special friends. Recently while sharing something in a Facebook group, it occurred to me that some of these folks are the “best friends I have never met!” I am confident that someday we will meet, but for now I will have to be satisfied with our virtual relationship.

Most of these friends know what I look like and how many children we have. They know what state I live in. With some I have shared my fears, heart and faith. Some of us have even sent and received treats via snail mail. With some I have had honest, relaxing and fun chats. These opportunities have allowed us to get to know each other on a more authentic level, sharing life experiences, likes, and dislikes. But really, who’s to say anything I’ve shared is true!? Hmmmmm. Who is the real Annie Doyle? Am I five feet tall or four feet, twelve inches tall? Do I have gray hair or silver hair? Am I a Gemini or a Cancer? Am I a NJ defector or reluctant NH resident? Is my ancestry Northern Italian or Southern? Am I a “play by the rules” sort of gal or do I fly by the seat of my pants? These are pressing questions and inquiring minds want to know (or NOT)!

Here I am participating in my first blog hop. I won’t mention how the techie stuff nearly caused hyperventilation. Oh yes, I will, the techie stuff nearly caused hyperventilation!

Two facts and a fib. Here are the rules: I have listed two facts and a fib. Try and figure out which are the truths and which is the fib. Hop to each blog and write down down your best guesses as to the fib. At the end you can take a quiz for a chance to win a $50.00 Amazon gift card! The person with the most correct guesses will win the gift card. In the event of a tie, we will use random.org to determine the winner.

How well do think you know me?
A. I played the role of munchkin in a 2009 production of The Wizard of Oz.

B. I poached the course at the 2013 Run Like a Diva Half Marathon In San Juan, PR.
C. I drove and did speech language therapy in NJ in a repurposed school bus.

Check out the next blog by clicking on the picture below! Have fun and good luck!!

Another Oldie But Goodie

Sorry about the pic! The overhead
lights in my room are so
bright and the glare is terrible!
As many of you know I’ve been doing this speech gig for quite some time. You also may know that I have a hard time disposing of some of my older materials (and trash). Why discard something awesome? One such material is The WORD Kit and The WORD Book. These products were authored by Linda Zachman, Rosemary Huisingh, Jane Orman, Carolyn Balgden, and Mark Barrett and published by LinguiSystems. When LinguiSystems was LinguiSystems it was very SLP centered. LinguiSystems offered wonderful free CEU opportunities, free shipping, and product previews. I hostessed several product previews whereby I selected products to preview at school. LinguiSystems shipped the products via UPS, participants previewed the products and signed an attendance sheet. Following the preview I boxed them up, UPS picked them up at school and I could keep one product for hostessing the event. It was a great way to determine whether a product was worth purchasing, connecting with colleagues, and having some fun. Unfortunately, those days are gone, but I still have my materials and the WORD Kit was one I was given through a preview event!

The game is played by placing one of six same colored pawns at the end of each spoke. The spokes
each target a different semantic skill area. Students answer questions correlating to each spoke moving spaces when correct. The player who gets all his/her pawns in the center hub is the winner. This product has been my touchstone to the early years and a stalwart therapy friend! While the kit and book themselves target expressive vocabulary and semantic skills I have found it easy to modify for any therapy goal. I have amassed an amazing collection of spoke overlays targeting comprehension, vocabulary, expressive reasoning, categorization, articulation, etc. My recent adaptation was to create overlays that correspond to the Expanding Expression Tool by Sara L. Smith, M.S., CCC-SLP. Sometimes you just need to shake things up and modifying games is a fun way to do that without having to start from scratch. Some of my students refer to these adaptations as “Doylified!”

These are only a few of my overlays targeting
vocabulary, social language, categorization, and comprehension.

I would love to know what “antique” materials you can’t part with and how you have modified materials to meet multiple targets!

"Interview with a Teacher " Part 2 of the Blog Chronicles

The first installment is ready to go. Thanks to my good friend and teacher extraordinaire Patty for sharing her vision and her willingness to add to our understanding of how we can best work together.

How do you see a true multidisciplinary team functioning?
I see a true multidisciplinary team having a significant amount of time to plan daily. Team members have a common goal for the outcome and they plan together to get there. Team members share, collaborate, change, create, and laugh together. 
What message do you have for the powers that be (administration, DOE, elected officials, etc. Your choice).
For the powers that be, please know that I love the students. Their energy charges me up when I walk in the door. In an instant, however, that same energy can suck all life and patience out of me. It’s a fine line that I balance every moment. When in balance, I am able to engage my students and stir up their interest and willingness to explore, try, learn, and smile. When “you guys” layer on testing requirements, data, mandated programs and the like, I tend to lose interest and my balance is shaken. Education has improved over my career in helping manage students’ varied needs, resources, technology, and overall standards, however, I feel like my ability to be creative is being pushed into the corner. And no one puts baby in the corner.

What do you see as the most pressing issue impacting our students today? Why?

The most pressing issue impacting our students today is that there is not enough time in the day for everything to be done well. We – students, parents, teachers, colleagues – can fit it all in, but not well. School, homework, athletics, dance, instruments, clubs, family, exercise….students (and the adults in their lives) get pulled in so many directions. The students who are not pulled often don’t have the parents at home who have the interest to pull but unfortunately that correlates to not having the interest to help with homework or basic human interests. And that’s a whole other pressing issue…

What energizes you to come to work everyday? What keeps it “fresh” for you?

My students, colleagues, and professional obligation energize me to come to school everyday. I keep those fresh with exercise, sleep, professional discussions, not-so-professional discussions, and beer.

Describe your dream work environment? How does your dream compare with your reality?How can you make it a reality?

My dream work environment would involve small classes (12 kids maybe?… an even number please), larger classrooms with space for a large conference table, comfy seating and individual work space. All students would have a Mac book. Several white boards balanced with an equal number of windows around the room. A school day that started at 8:00 and ended at 4:00 Monday-Thursday. Homework would not exist except for reading. The massage therapist would come in each day and rotate around the room giving us all a shoulder massages. The physical trainer would stop in randomly for a 5 minute energy workout. After lunch we would have a 20 minute silent chill time for reading and/or meditating followed by a sing along/dance movement session. We would not have a foreign language, art, technology, music, or computer class. Those teachers would come in and work collaboratively with the classroom teacher throughout the week. Physical education would be @ 4:00 upon dismissal where all students were required to either join a team sport or participate in a school organized club activity (i.e. walking, snowshoeing, tennis, yoga). In my top drawer I would have a year’s worth of fairy dust to sprinkle on students when they are struggling academically, socially, & emotionally).
Well, there you  have it! When do the interviews begin to work in your school, Patty?

"Interview with a_____" Part 1 of the Blog Chronicles

I was reminded last October of a book series I read many years ago and really enjoyed, The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice. Yes, they could be somewhat dark, somewhat macabre but they were generally well written and entertaining. I especially liked the first two, Interview With a Vampire and The Vampire Lestat. From my recollections of enjoyable books my train of thought (which can follow it’s very own and unique track), led me to thinking about a potential blog series that consisted of interviews with those professionals we as SLPs work and consult with on a regular basis.

We are often part of an intricate web of professionals who, when working together, are integral to intervention. When we work together we are a well oiled machine and the impact we make is substantial. When we don’t, progress is slow, inefficient, and ineffective. These are the voices from whom I don’t often hear. I really want to know what those voices have to say.

I have created a set of questions and have asked different individuals to answer them as candidly as possible. My hope is that we can all learn from each other and improve what we do for our students.
The respondents include:

  • School Principal
  • Physical Therapist
  • Occupational Therapist
  • Special Educator
  • School Nurse
  • Parent
  • Speech Language Pathologist (not me)
  • Speech Language Pathology Assistant
  • Classroom Teacher
  • Behavioral Consultant
  • Preschool Teacher
  • Director of Special Education 
  • Psychologist
Each individual has graciously agreed to answer the following questions:
  1. How do you see a true multidisciplinary team functioning?
  2. What message do you have for the powers that be (administration, DOE, elected officials, etc. Your choice).
  3. What do you see as the most pressing issue impacting our students today? Why?
  4. What energizes you to come to work everyday? What keeps it “fresh” for you?
  5. Describe your dream work environment? How does your dream compare with your reality?How can you make it a reality?
I am very excited to see what everyone shares. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if after compiling the
responses we could work together to make our dream a reality? Yup, dreaming is good!

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I Love Trash

I originally thought this would be a great post for Earth Day, but I’m a bit impulsive and I couldn’t wait. I may have overshared this already: I am an SLP hoarder. I can’t seem to discard my old cards and books, old blue dittos that still make great homework. I did discard the masters, deciding to step into the 21st century and making “xerox” copies of the blue gems. My little problem extends a wee bit beyond my ancient materials. I save, well I’ll just say it, trash! My assistant, Chelsea cheers out loud when I reluctantly pitch a tissue box. I like to think of myself more as a steward of the Earth than an all out garbage hoarder! But old boxes and containers make such nifty storage! Here are a few of my recycled treasures and how I have repurposed them.

The bags from sheets or curtains are awesome for storing loose items. This one contains my “collection” of boggle cubes  and scrabble tiles. What’s really nice about this is they have a little hook for hanging.

I have saved all manner of nut container, but these are my faves! They are great for any loose items.
Sometimes I am a brand name snob. I am a Tide junkie. My all time favorite was always Tide powder with bleach. That stuff can get the stains out of anything and I have been known to simmer newly acquired antique linens (another hoarding habit) in a pot on the stove using Tide powder with bleach. Unfortunately with water saving washers I had to let go of my lovely Tide powder. It was a sad, sad day in the life of Annie Doyle. My only consolation was the Tide Pod containers! Slap on a pretty label and voilà, instant storage!
Clear egg cartons are great fun. I use them all year long to keep track of little items. Recently, though I used a clear egg carton for my green eggs. 
I love antipasto! I can make a meal of mozzarella balls, olives, marinated mushrooms and good crusty Italian bread. I also love antipasto containers. I use this one for office supplies, but I also use them to contain embellishments for scrapbooking and card making!
I used to belong to a Stampin’ Up club and every month we would place an order. Needless to say I have amassed quite a collection of rubber stamps. Storage became an issue, as you can imagine. I learned of a new way to store stamps whereby I removed the rubber stamp from the block and adhered it to a sticky backed piece of vinyl. Of course, I saved the blocks as…blocks. The stamp could then be used with an acrylic block and I could store my rubber stamps in binders. What I was left with was a multitude of plastic boxes. They became perfect storage for all my Boardmaker pics!
Tin cans make pretty and functional storage for all kinds of tall items. I use the cans to store pointers, pacing sticks, etc. This one stores HOT question strips. 
My most recent favorite is part of the packaging from 3D SLP. I ordered one of Amy’s wonderful boxes and the cutest little gold box was included. I kept looking at this little box and thinking there must be something I can do with it. The “peekaboo” box was born. The possibilities are limitless with this cutie. Students can hide items and describe them for others and little toys targeting specific sounds can be stowed inside. It can be used for communication temptation by hiding desired items inside. 
  
Believe me, I have more converted trash than Carter has “little liver pills,” but I think I’d better call it quits. I would love to hear from some kindred spirits out there. How have you helped the planet by repurposing containers in your speech rooms?

The Week in Review

Another wonderful link up with Mary of Old School Speech fame. This post is especially fun because WE WERE ON VACATION!!! February ended with winter break. The timing was perfect. I was in dire need of rest and that is what I got!
The view at Ragged Mountain
Mack, me, and Nora
The kids and I skied three days this week despite the bitter cold. We skied at both Ragged Mountain and Waterville Valley, both in NH. Ragged is only 25 minutes from home and we love it. It’s a typical New England ski mountain with plenty of green circles and blue squares for me. I will say one of the blue squares has an impressive headwall at the beginning. Needless to say, on one of of my runs I slid three-quarters of the way down, fast, very fast! Does anyone have any suggestions for how to keep eye glasses from fogging under ski goggles. It was vexing! 
I’m not a selfie sort of gal; my arms are too short, but I did think about speech language pathology once this week. I had an appointment with an endocrinologist. I have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease whereby the immune system attacks the thyroid. Great, big, fat bummer for my metabolism! I sat with this very smart doctor for two and half hours and listened to her talk nonstop. I left more overwhelmed and confused than when I arrived. This experience gave me some insight as to how parents and perhaps teachers feel as they listen to us explain heady test results and diagnoses that they are unfamiliar with. I do my utmost to avoid jargon and explain things as simplistically as I can without condescension, but WOW, this was eye opening for me.
3D SLP
3D SLP 
I arrived home from skiing one day to a fabulous treat! I have been following the reviews of 3D SLP’s delight, de-stress, and deliver boxes and finally ordered one. It’s like a red cross box for SLPs! It’s my first, but it definitely won’t be my last. Thanks, Amy!
Sometime last summer my Instagram friend Speechreka posted some delicious looking creations she made using her Spiralizer. She extolled its virtues and suggested I buy one. Well, it took me a while to order one, but after seeing the dishes that could be prepared with this baby I bit the bullet. Mack and I prepared this absolutely scrumptious Zucchini Linguine with Garlic Clam Sauce. This recipe was found in Ali Maffucci’s book Inspiralized. I had a little difficulty finding fresh clams because apparently the clammers can’t harvest them because of the snow!

For my brain this week I finished a 1000 piece puzzle I began on February 1st, on a snow day. Believe it or not the entire puzzle was complete except ONE piece. I found the piece the next day in between two floorboards. Whew!
I also read Unbroken. This book is remarkable and if it’s on your list and you haven’t gotten to it yet, drop everything and read it. Some of it was difficult as the human rights abuses Louie Zamperini suffered were abhorrent. The overarching theme, however of the human capacity to survive is inspiring.
Tomorrow is back to reality as I complete lesson plans and check my meeting schedule. It’s time to get back into our schedule, but I am so thankful that I had this week to rest my weary mind and body!