Goodbye Until Tomorrow: An Open Letter To My Students

Dear students,

I can’t believe another year is coming to a close. This year was full of lessons learned, highs and lows, and more twists and turns than I can count. I’m choosing to focus on the positives of our year.

This was a year full of firsts. I joined a new school team, and you welcomed me with open arms. Some of you were new to the school and new to me. We learned how to communicate with each other, share with each other, and laugh with each other. You’ve taught me more than you’ll ever know.

To my Kindergartners, what a way to experience school for the first time. You helped me learn and laugh and taught me that digital learning can still be fun. You let your personalities shine no matter what, and kept me on my toes.

My elementary students, you have kept me creative and innovative all year. Your ideas for digital instruction never failed to impress me. You adapted so quickly and were so excited to see me once we started digital learning. Though it’s certainly easier to do speech therapy in person, you made my day whenever you were on my screen.

My secondary students, thanks for keeping me current. I learned about your favorite YouTubers, inside jokes, songs, and what was going on in your lives. You trusted me with stories of your days and plans for the futures. I am happy to be a part of your lives and educational experience. Thanks for helping me take my lessons beyond the classroom.

To my SLP friends and colleagues, I don’t know how you keep me sane but I’m grateful for it. Thanks for teaching me your strategies and talking me down many stressful days. Working together is the only way we can get through this profession.

To my special education teammates, you are all amazing. I don’t know how you do as much as you do. We laughed together, stressed together, assessed and treated students together, and completed another year together. I couldn’t do this job without you.

To my students’ families, thank you. This year began together in person, and is wrapping up together virtually. None of us have ever experienced anything like this, but we made it work. Thank you for all you do for your students. You took on a new role in this educational model, and that has not gone unnoticed.

I know we all need summer break and a break from screens. I look forward to seeing you soon, in whatever capacity that may be. Have a wonderful summer and know that I am here for you, however I can be.

Keep playing with words and see what your message creates,

Stef the StageSLP

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It’s All Part of the Gig: Better Speech and Hearing Month Gone Digital

May is usually when I give tips for vocal hygiene and hearing protection in the school setting. My plans for this post have changed so many times, which is why I’m posting later than usual. This week, my school district announced closure through the rest of the academic year. Initially, I had planned to share my advice with my staff during our monthly staff meeting. Obviously, our staff meeting objectives have shifted, as has my method of providing services for students. Today, I’m writing this post to celebrate some amazing teachers and speech pathologists making products on Teachers Pay Teachers.

• Fun In SpeechI’ve  been loving all of her articulation activities, including her word searches and scavenger hunts. The parents I work with have been loving these as well. Super engaging and a great break from screens for the kids with lots of practice opportunities. Raves across the board!
• A Kinderteacher LifeI have been loving the category sorts from this shop. I have been using them as they are with the sorting images provided, as well as having my students look around their home and see what else fits into these sorts. This shop has a sort for just about everything, from community helpers to social skills. My parents love how easy they are to use and how it gets the kids doing more than a paper/pencil task.
• Miss D’s Autism HomeroomThese activities have been lifesavers! This educator created social inferences on Google slides! Easy for my students to access and relatable scenarios for my upper elementary and middle school students. They want more activities like this and so do their families.
• Lone Star Lit LadyThis educator makes amazing cause and effect and inference products. My students, their families, and I LOVE the graphic organizers that go along with the pictures. It has helped my students to get really organized and make really informed inferences and fully comprehend cause and effect relationships.
• Stacy CrouseStacy Crouse is another articulation lifesaver. I have been loving her picture searches and speech scenes for articulation practice. My students have loved these products and my parents love the amount of practice per page, as do I. It’s a great way to practice articulation targets without a screen, as well as a great no-print option for my students who are more motivated by digital materials. Win-win!
• Speech Therapy PlansThis educator made some fantastic no-print inferences for my older students. Super relatable and easy to access. It also gets my students talking about their own experiences, allowing for sentence expansion and text to self connections.
• Language Speech and LiteracyI love this shop, and I’m currently loving the no print-no prep spring inferences. These are not only great for inferences but also great for WH questions, explaining opinions, and encouraging increased sentence length in student responses.
• My Speech ToolsMy favorite product from this shop is the no-prep Cause and Effect activity. The pictures remove the reading aspect for my students who have challenges with decoding and fluency. They can rely entirely on the picture to make solid cause and effect relationships. This has given my students a more confident way in to understanding cause and effect.
• Kayla SLPMy articulation kids love this SLP’s spin and say activities. The parents think it’s a great way to practice sounds in different capacities and it’s a great carryover activity as well. I’ve used these activities before digital learning, and they make for great practice for all ages.
• Nicole AllisonI love this seller’s nonfiction texts for mixed groups and nonfiction texts for ELA targets. I’ve used them before distance learning, and they’re great either as practice or a virtual session. The parents love how full of information they are and the teacher keys that go along with the student copy.

I don’t know when school ends for you, but we have a month left of digital learning. I am more of a performing arts kid of girl, so I am extremely grateful for the creative, visual arts SLPs who are making amazing products that are easy to use and super engaging. Each seller’s Teacher’s Pay Teachers shop is linked above the products I’ve mentioned. Check out their shops, and you’ll discover a plethora of great activities for practice, homework, virtual sessions, and more.

Keep playing with words and see what your message creates!
Stef the StageSLP