The first four days of the school year are under my belt! One hundred seventy-six days to go, but who’s counting? Last week I outlined my goals for the new school year, and yes, they are lofty.  They, for me, are also critical.  This week I’m talking exercise and goal number nine has and will always be a challenge for me.  It reads, “In leaving work at a decent time I will allow myself time for my favorite thing.  EXERCISE (not!). Despite my apparent dislike of exercise it is crucial not only for my health, but for my well-being.  I need to exercise everyday in order to stay sane, relatively speaking ;)” The jury is still out on whether I have a love-hate relationship with exercise, hate-love relationship with exercise, or simply a hate-hate relationship with exercise.  I will also admit, I am a Jazzercise junkie. I have been “jazzing” for twelve years.  It is fun, social, and I burn calories, lots of calories.   The bottom line is, it doesn’t matter we all need to move.

Jazzercise stuff I’ve earned or won!

I recently read Brain Rules:12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School  by John Medina and am working on how to apply the core principles outlined in the book into my work (and life).  Brain rule number 2: Exercise boosts brain power!  Historically, we have always moved and as we moved our brains developed. It is clear that a fit body can result in a longer and better life, but my interest is in how a fit body can affect my brain and how movement can improve how my students respond in therapy.

Medina writes, based on his research, that exercise can boost mental agility, reduce the possibility of dementia, and help in the treatment of depression and anxiety (I am living proof of that one).  More conclusive studies need to be completed, however, the current information points in the direction that physical activity is crucial in helping our students be more mentally alert, better behaved, and less anxious.

I have students for only 30 minutes per session, yet I plan on integrating more movement into my therapy sessions for all the reasons indicated above, but also because movement improves the automaticity of skills.

• So why not march or twist while practicing speech sounds?  
• Let’s use EET, but move from colored disk to colored disk while describing.  
• In June we played vocabulary kickball. I painted the bases with chalkboard paint and labeled them to  include antonym, synonym, category, etc.  
• Next week we are taking EET to the hopscotch area and using colored chalk circles as EEtchy.  
• Do you work with middle schoolers?  Ever notice that glazed look in their eyes when you just know they’re thinking “I’m gonna die in here,” (or they might not be thinking at all)?  When I see that tell-tale sign we jog or do jumping jacks or even dance.
• Do you work with teachers that take away recess for non completion of homework?  I will admit, in times of utter desperation, I have done the same.  Never again!  Perhaps, I will go out to recess with them and modify the homework to include activity.
• We have a beautiful nature trail on our campus.  This year we will be walking and talking along that trail.
• Standing, in and of itself, is more active than sitting.  This year I’m going to try doing speech therapy on our feet.
• The trek from classroom to speech room is often lost. My mind is full of all the things I have to do and and I frequently let go of valuable speech moments, moments that incorporate movement.  I am going to capture the moments this year!

For some comic relief I’ve included a video of one of my favorite Jazzercise routines.  Our unstoppable instructor Kristen and some true die-hard jazzercisers were gracious enough to allow themselves to be videoed.  THANK YOU!  By the way, I am the comic relief, not them!

This is only a start, I am very interested in knowing how all of my amazingly gifted colleagues use movement in speech therapy.  Please comment and give me some much needed help.

On another note, stuff happens and it is not always good stuff.  Going back to school can bring with it difficulties; misunderstandings, struggles, stress.  How I respond, how much I let these difficulties impact me, and how I interpret comments can shatter my confidence.  I follow a wonderful devotional and today’s was timely.  I thought I would share it here.

Last week was spent soaking up the sun “down the shore.” The Jersey shore that is.  We had a wonderful time visiting family, digging our toes in the sand, riding the surf, and EATING (pizza, bagels, taylor ham, oh my). Being back home means the reality of vacation ending is at hand.  Don’t misunderstand, I feel blessed to have seven weeks of vacation.
What always becomes difficult for me is the anxiety of getting back into work mode. I start out with good intentions and then fall quickly back into my old habits that ultimately lead to exhaustion, frustration, and burnout.
I have done some real intense soul searching the past eight months and I am committing myself to putting my family and my life at the forefront.  As I begin my school year I have established some goals.  I also recognize that it is entirely up to me whether I adhere to them, and I MUST actively make a decision to remain well.  As a whole, speech-language pathologists go above and beyond.  We do it, not for the glory, recognition, or big bucks, but because we are a gifted and generous group, a group I have great admiration for. What follows are my goals for the 2014-15 school year and I offer them with the knowledge that it has taken me 30 stinking years to get to this place!  Those of you who aren’t as “seasoned” as me, start now and you may prevent “grumpy old SLP syndrome.”

1. There will be times I need to stay late.  I accept that as a professional, however, as a practice it is not healthy.  I MUST leave at a reasonable hour. Eight o’clock on a regular basis is not a healthy practice!
2. Dovetailing with leaving at a reasonable hour, is making sure we dine together as a family, at the table.  No more take-out in front of the television. Not that that was a daily occurrence, but it happened enough where it became too easy. My daughter is a junior in high school, my son is a freshman.  Before we know it they will be off creating their own lives (sniff, sniff) and we need to enjoy every minute with them.
3. Schedule preparation periods and use them.  Many of us are part of collective bargaining and our contracts specify a certain number of preparation periods.  We do ourselves no good when we don’t put them in our schedules or eliminate them as we acquire more and more students. Preparation periods are necessary for report writing, lesson planning, activity creation, supervision of SLPAs, phone calling, teacher consult, and on and on and on.  I have to keep those times as sacred.
4. Make time to get get out of my speech room.  My speech room is lovely.  Lunch is also lovely.  I need to take my lunch, get out of my room and socialize with my friends for 30 minutes.  Again, contracts often specify a duty free lunch.  Take lunch and breathe!
5. I have a little problem: I am in awe of all the talented SLPs out in the great big world!  That’s not really my problem.  My problem is that they share amazing ideas and create a wealth of incredible products and I. WANT. THEM. ALL.  I spend waaaaaaaayyyyyy too much money. This year I will set a dollar limit per month and not go beyond it.  To all the TpT SLPs I follow, I won’t forget you, I’m simply going to exercise restraint.  Believe me when I say, this pains me!
6. You may not believe this: sometimes I decide not to drink water because I don’t think I have the time for the inevitable result!  WHAT?  Drink plenty of water, regardless of the time it takes for a potty break.  If I don’t have time for that, the thing that needs to change is not my water consumption, sheesh!!
7. I have enough materials to supply several schools (and yes, I own 80% of them).  This year I have decided to end the materials madness and purchase subscriptions rather than hard goods. That includes continuing my subscriptions to Therasimplicity, vocabulary A-Z, and lesson pix. They are great investments.
8. Sleep, wonderful, glorious sleep.  I need it.  Lots of it and I plan on making sure I get it.  I have to be careful of the book I just can’t put down or the desire to watch some mindless television. Enough said!
9. In leaving work at a decent time I will allow myself time for my “favorite” thing: EXERCISE (not!).  Despite my apparent dislike of exercise it is crucial not only for my health, but for my well-being.  I need to exercise everyday in order to stay sane (relatively speaking;-).
10. I always try to stay on the cutting edge. I also want to provide my students with motivating and effective treatment.  Sometimes I forget I don’t need to reinvent the wheel.  Simple can be awesome.  My planning has to reflect that less can be more.  I have only to look to our creative and brilliant SLP community to find fun and engaging activities that don’t require mega hours of prep or money.  I truly admire Lia Mantel Krief of TalkInTime for her clever and simple activities that get to the heart of therapy.  I plan on following her lead in easing my prep time and effort without sacrificing effectiveness.
11. Now for my mental preparedness!  I will strive to remember that what is said by other people is always a reflection of them and has absolutely nothing to do with me.  I erroneously believed that what others said was because I wasn’t liked, or smart enough, or competent enough.  NOT TRUE!  Remember that!!
12. Finally, I will remember who I am.  I am a highly trained speech-language pathologist with extensive and diverse experience.  I am the wife of a man who loves me and cares for me.  I am the mother of two magnificent, kind, and loving teenagers. I am a friend to those who know me and to those that don’t.  I am a woman with a story that needs to be embraced.  I am a daughter of the King of Heaven.  What more could I ask for? 

Here is a little back to school treat!  Enjoy your school year!  We can do it!!

SLP To Do List

Sparklle SLP has been doing a great series this week on “pushing-in” and I thought I might “push” passed my technological fears and limitations and “push-in” to the discussion (thank you Sparklle for the tutorial)! I have been pushing in to the classroom in some form or other for thirty-one years (YIKES!!).  I have had some great experiences and some, shall we say, not so great experiences.  I can relate to SLPs who have had to conduct whole group lessons in order to access the classroom.  I can relate to those who have been viewed as intruders and effectively ignored when allowed into the inner sanctum.  I know how uncomfortable it can feel when SLPs are relegated to the role of passive observer.  I know the frustration of being scheduled to push-in, only to find your students missing or contending with schedule changes or students reading silently.  I understand the challenge of targeting goals, keeping data, and feeling as though your time is not being used effectively.

I truly want push-in to work; it makes sense!  As an SLP working in the schools, my job is to help students with speech and language difficulties access the curriculum.  Where is the curriculum?  Why, it’s in the classroom proper.  Naturally, some pull-out is completely appropriate and necessary, but in the context of the Common Core State Standards, it just makes sense.  The thing is, I always want it to be an effective use of my time with my students.  The challenge, then, is how to make that happen.

My friend and soon to be “academic conversations mentor,” Carly, recommended a book called Academic Conversations: Classroom Talk That Fosters Critical Thinking and Content Understandings (I really want to underline the title, but my daughter tells me the correct MLA formatting is italics), written by Jeff Zwiers and Marie Crawford (available on Amazon here).  I believe this approach has the potential to make push-in a powerful experience for SLPs, students, and teachers.  In a nutshell, Zwiers and Crawford describe academic conversations as “sustained and purposeful conversations about school topics” (1).

Available on Amazon here

The first chapter outlines the rationale for integrating oral academic language in the classroom vs. the “trivial pursuit” strategy for learning.  The reasons are compelling, in particular that “oral language is the cornerstone on which we build our literacy and learning throughout life” (7).  The use of academic conversation expects that students collaborate, express their ideas and listen as they learn to “communicate with purpose” (13).  I love that line “communicate with purpose.”  Isn’t that what we desire to instill in our students?  Academic conversation not only allows for in-depth interaction with content, but it improves cognitive agility and gives students the tools they will need for the future.  In fact, the authors reason that the communication skills honed using this approach dovetail with what employers outline as the skills and qualities they desire in their employees.  The benefits of academic conversations are far reaching and encompass categories of language and literacy, cognitive, content learning, social and cultural, and psychological.

Zwiers and Crawford provide the recipe for getting started and provide the framework for academic conversations drawing on the five integral core skills; elaborate and clarify, support ideas with examples, build on and/or challenge a partner’s ideas. paraphrase, and synthesize conversation points. The book effectively explains how to create lessons, design conversation tasks, train students, and develop academic grammar and vocabulary thorough conversation.  Academic Conversations is a comprehensive book, rich with examples on how to integrate purposeful conversation into language arts, science, and history.

This all sounds awesome!  How am I going to do this?  I tend to jump in with both feet, however, I think I need to reign myself in and take baby steps.  First I need to seek out a couple of teachers who want to try this in their rooms.  I work with some amazing people and I am certain this won’t be a problem.  I would like to start in fifth through eighth.  Not that the little ones are too young to start this level of conversation, I just need to get good at it! It will be of paramount importance that we meet every week to discuss what is happening in the classrooms and how best to incorporate practice. Zwiers and Crawford provide absolutely fabulous activity suggestions  and mini-lessons for getting started and I suspect I will be camped in those chapters for a while.  As SLPs, we hold the keys to the conversation kingdom and I am excited about the potential that academic conversation promises for the future of education.

Click here for free conversation prompt bookmark

I will admit it, for many years I was not a member in my local state speech and language association. When we first moved to New Hampshire I joined in an effort to connect with other speechies.  I had moved from New Jersey, and NJSLHA was very active.  The membership was strong and a bevy of professional development opportunities were offered.  New Hampshire just seemed…a little slower to me.  After several years I allowed my membership to lapse and I noticed no difference.  I became one of the many who uttered the words, “What has the organization done for me?”  I did my job, connected with only a few SLPs in our SAU, and saved $60.00 per year (yes only $60.00).

Then came my incredible year of participation in LDP.  I suppose I grew up, finally, whew! This shouldn’t come as a surprise, it isn’t a huge revelation, but if everyone says, “What have they done for me,” then NOTHING will get done!  Really?  An organization is the sum of its parts, it can only be effective with effective participation.  We know this, yet still only a handful of people step up to the plate and plod ahead trying to do much with little.  So, I rejoined the ranks of NHSLHA and accepted a position on the executive board.  Public relations…AAAAAAGGGGGHHHH!!  An area I know virtually nothing about.  What I do know is I am willing to learn.  I know I must stop expecting others to do the work alone.  I know ASHA has staff that are ready and willing to help me and our state association experience a renaissance and become an active and proud representative of our profession.

Why should you join the ranks of your state speech and language association?

• Networking:  Your state association can connect you with professionals who share your passion. Those professionals possess a collective brainpower that can support you in a wealth of ways including, mentorship, problem solving, research, access to leadership in the profession, advocacy and general support.
• Conferences:  State associations provide continuing education opportunities that are often reasonably priced.  Additionally, registration costs are often reduced for members, another boon!
• Employment resources: Many state associations list job opportunities on their website.  Some can even assist in resume or cover letter writing, interview skills, or job search strategies.
• Advocacy: Your state association is hard at work behind the scenes advocating for the needs of our profession.  Representatives from associations tirelessly advocate on your behalf on the issues that impact us daily.  Through their efforts hot button issues like caseload size, insurance caps, paperwork burdens and licensure are brought to the attention of our legislators.  They also keep membership abreast of federal and state legislative developments that impact us as a profession.
• Professional Clout: Being a card carrying member of a professional organization provides members with some professional influence and who doesn’t want a little street cred?
• Publications:  Many associations provide their membership with access to newsletters and/or journals.

Join NHSLHA

I have highlighted probably the most obvious reasons to become involved in your state association and I suspect I have overlooked many others.  The point is, we are a collective (resistance is futile!), working toward common interests.  A collective needs members, so if you aren’t already a member of your state’s speech-language association I urge you to join.  Make a difference!

Alyssa and I at the trailhead

Another beautiful summer morning!  The summer of 2014 has been exceptional.  I am sitting on my porch sipping a cold glass of iced coffee and feeling pretty content, with the exception of my body.  My legs are toast, my knee is swollen, my lower back is aching, my toes feel like they have been stepped on (my pretty pink jamicure done in), the soles of my feet are throbbing, and the palms of my hands are sporting two lovely blisters smack dab in the middle.  “Why,” you may ask.  I hiked Mount Jackson yesterday.  Mount Jackson sits in the Presidential Range (although, it is not named for President Jackson, but rather for a geologist named Charles Jackson)  in NH, with a summit of 4,052 feet.  It is described as a moderate hike (really?) having rock scrambles and cascades.  “Rock scrambles are when a hiker needs to use their hands and feet to get over rocks, boulders, and ledges to get over the trail.  Rock scrambles can be a lot of fun, but also challenging, so scramble with caution, because this is dangerous and tumbles happen.” I felt like a mountain goat clinging for dear life to the rocks.  Once at the summit we were delighted by a stunning 360 degree view. It was beautiful to say the least and I felt a true sense of accomplishment. It’s strange to imagine that the hike up was the easy part, but it was.  Hiking down is tough.  It was precarious and my legs were rubbery.  Then it happened!  Yes, IT!  I smashed my already injured knee into a rock. Searing jolts of pain radiated through my knee and for a few minutes I questioned how I would get down.  We were about half a mile from the trailhead and I just went very slowly using my poles as supports.  I had also run out of water before I even reached the summit.  So I hobbled the rest of the way with my tongue sticking to the roof of my mouth.  It was awful.
With sweat pouring off my face I persevered, and as Brene Brown so eloquently stated in a TED talk, I “leaned into the discomfort,” forcing my body to do what it didn’t want to do.  It took over six hours and according to MapMyHike, I burned over 2,900 calories!  Certainly enough to offset the Coronas we enjoyed afterward!

The Summit Mt. Jackson

I did learn a few things for my next hike!

1. Bike gloves to protect my palms from the poles that I lean on so heavily.
2. Three bottles of water, not one!
3. Hiking shoes with ankle support.  Mine are low and my ankles felt it.
4.  Figure out how to prevent “toe jam.”

I try to stay fit, but exercise isn’t really my friend, I have to push myself.  I would much rather be reading or gardening, baking or crafting.  I do enjoy hiking “lite.”  A stroll with a gradual incline, no rock scrambles!  So why am I doing this? I lost my parents when I was a teenager.  I had just turned 15 when I lost my Mother.  Not a particularly easy time for such an experience, as if any time is.  Now I have a strong faith and have generally found living according to the tenets of my faith to be fairly easy. Even as a teenager it was easy for me to let’s say, “not kill anyone” or “covet my neighbor’s wife.” The tough one for me was that whole honoring your mother and father thing.  At fifteen I was in full blown adolescence, a period I’ve heard referred to as “transient psychosis!”  All those hormones flying around and all that neural pruning occurring!   I was an impulsive, egocentric kid and not always respectful to my parents.  In losing them early I was robbed of the opportunity to reconcile with them.

It’s been thirty-eight years and I have often wondered how I could make things right.  Running with a friend last summer, she asked if I had given any thought as to how I could honor my Mother.  I hadn’t. The past is the past, isn’t it?  What difference would it make now?  The difference is, I could do today what I didn’t do yesterday.  I could take on a challenge as a measure of respect.  Respect for the things I learned from my Mother but didn’t know I was learning because I was knee-deep in acting like, well, a teenager.  From her I learned to love God, to sacrifice for my children, to be brave, to be resilient, to persevere, to work hard.

So when I brought up this idea of doing something in memory of my Mother to my friend Scott, he didn’t skip a beat.  In true Scott fashion he said four words; “the four thousand footers!”  There are forty-eight four thousand foot mountains in New Hampshire and I plan on hiking every one of them in honor of my Mother.  It will take me years and I can’t imagine it will get any easier.

As for today, I sit on the summit of Mount Jackson with my friend, Alyssa, who has pledged to join me on this journey.  I am able to say, “Thank you, Mom, for giving me life and always doing the best with what you had.  Thank you for loving me.  I love you and will see you again in paradise.”

One of our favorite finds!

I’m not a New Hampshire native.  In fact, thirty seconds into a conversation with me and I can almost guarantee you’ll be remarking on my “standing on line to get cawfee at the mawl.”  Yup, I’m a Jersey girl, which made moving to NH a challenge to say the least!  I survived my first summer with a four month old terrified that the “coyotes would get my baby.”  I survived my first winter by ricocheting off the snow banks as I slid down the icy mountain road.  I survived my first mud season by hiking up and down the mountain in my wellies carrying a ten-month old and my groceries, proclaiming to the universe (and anyone that would listen) “I DON’T DO MUD!”  Well, apparently in NH we do mud and then black flies.  UGH!!

I have come to love my adoptive state, it is beautiful.  I was meant to be here.  It is the place I healed.  I have a fabulous community, wonderful friends, and I am happy.  Naturally, there are things I miss about NJ; my family, bagels, pizza, taylor ham, restaurants, movie theaters,  garbage.  I’m serious; garbage!  NJ has some of the best garbage picking ever.  It’s amazing what folks will toss!  One woman’s trash is another woman’s treasure as they say.   As a little girl my neighbors pitched their Barbies.  What?  With the clothes!!!  I still have them 46 years later and my daughter has had many happy hours playing with them.  We have a beautiful cast iron sink with a drainboard found on the side of the road in Montclair (that bad boy was heavy), a claw foot tub found in Hawthorne, a butcher block and 6 ladder-back rushed kitchen chairs found in Ridgewood. Yup, we schlepped them all to NH.  We haven’t found treasures like that since making the move to NH, people are more thrifty, using things and repairing them when necessary or selling them. The unofficial NH motto is: “Use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without.” Good for them, but not so good for us.

This was a cast off from school!

We do, however, have the dump.  Once Jim found a tricycle that he brought home.  It had a bum wheel; unrideable. When our friends saw it they laughed; they had taken it to the dump!  My friend’s father had given it to them, you guessed it, after finding it at the dump in MA.  Yes, we returned it to the dump!  I guess, no one decided to see if it actually worked before grabbing it.

I suppose we’ll just have to be content perusing the thrift shops for an occasional gem.  We don’t really have many thrift shops and unfortunately the prices can be high.  I have found some great books and  a few games this summer.  I’m not discouraged though, like any diehard picker, I persevere!!  Of course, that’s what makes it fun, knowing eventually I’ll hit pay-dirt.  So if you haven’t gotten out there scanned the sides of the road during your commute, I encourage you to keep your eyes wide open.  You never know what treasures you’ll find, or at least a conversation piece.  “So what was I thinking I could do with this?”

I had been on the search fro elefun for a while.  Yippee!

It was nearly one year ago that I embarked on a professional journey the impact of which I never could have anticipated.  In April my friend and colleague suggested we both apply for the Leadership Development Program through ASHA.  At the time I wasn’t sure what it was all about, but thought, “Hey, why not?”  I completed the application process, not thinking anything would come of it.  Surprise, surprise, I was accepted and in July 2013 I set out to Long Beach, CA for a whirlwind adventure.  What started out as a whim has become the single most important thing I could have done to jumpstart my career.  You see, I just finished my 30th year as a speech-language pathologist and  was beginning to feel the rumblings of burnout. I felt I had reached the apex, there was nothing I could do in my place of employment, things were stagnant.  Then came California and meeting amazing, vital, young, energetic and talented SLPs.  Over the course of the year we met virtually, worked on our projects, learned, commiserated and developed lifelong friendships.  To say it was a joy would be an understatement.

I have been blessed with many talents, professional and personal and now I have the confidence to use them.  What I learned is that in order to grow I don’t need to be confined to the walls of my employment.  What I have learned is that I don’t need an army of people to accomplish great things; I don’t need the planets to be in alignment to tackle a task; I don’t need permission to to do what I do well!  I know that God gave me that opportunity to recognize my own value, strengths and weaknesses.

Soooooo, while in CA we were given a journal the cover of which contained a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt; “Do one thing everyday that scares you.”  In the past year I have tackled many, many things that scare me.  One of the things I had wanted to do, but was too scared to undertake, was a blog.  “Who would want to read MY thoughts,” my inner naysayer ranted.  “Do one thing everyday that scares you.”  This scares me, so I”M DOING IT!!!

This blog will be a place for me to share the everyday scary stuff; SLP, Mom, wife, friend, believer, sister, etc.  I hope to share my professional experiences, but also my wisdom as a fifty-something year old SLP who isn’t all SLP all the time.  I hope if you follow that you can relate to my words and if not that at the very least you find my words entertaining.  Please comment, I have so enjoyed the connections I have made in this giant virtual world!!

Blessings,
Annie