If you follow me on Instagram, then you might know that I acquired SEVEN new students within a week recently. And y’all, it almost threw me over the edge. It wasn’t kids I had tested and added myself, they were new students to our school. An influx of sorts. But every time I got the email, I was like…really??? are you kidding me? I have students coming out of my EARS.
It’s so easy to be overwhelmed. Often, school SLPs, much like any other person in education, are overworked and underpaid. I am no exception to that generalization. I have a caseload that is higher than what I wish it was. I can’t possibly be the SLP for them I always want to be because of time constraints. And because, I’m a human. Shocker.
Then, I read a chapter in this book I’m reading and it brought me back to earth.
I don’t want to think of adding a new case to my heavy load as a burden. I want to think of it as an opportunity.
This child was brought to my life for a purpose. However big or small, they are there for a reason, even if I don’t know why. Because, let’s face it, I may never know.
So this week, I’ve made the effort to take that positive view. I’m here to make a difference for each little face I see every day. And when I start to feel the weight of all that responsibility, I say to myself “God gave me the opportunity to be this child’s SLP”…
How lucky am I to be given such an awesome gift?
Perspective is a beautiful thing 🙂
xoxo,
![Using open ended activities and games in speech therapy can make planning sessions so much easier! Here are a few suggestions that worked well for me. Do you remember the first time you were faced with a mixed group and were realllllllllly unsure about what to do? I do… picture it, St. Augustine 2007 😅 I was […]](https://i.pinimg.com/236x/db/72/cf/db72cf1f6f5da00cb2a13a90872871ea.jpg)
![Using open ended activities and games in speech therapy can make planning sessions so much easier! Here are a few suggestions that worked well for me. Do you remember the first time you were faced with a mixed group and were realllllllllly unsure about what to do? I do… picture it, St. Augustine 2007 😅 I was […]](https://i.pinimg.com/236x/ae/c5/56/aec55688010e2d3489baf744dde59582.jpg)
![Using open ended activities and games in speech therapy can make planning sessions so much easier! Here are a few suggestions that worked well for me. Do you remember the first time you were faced with a mixed group and were realllllllllly unsure about what to do? I do… picture it, St. Augustine 2007 😅 I was […]](https://i.pinimg.com/236x/18/b9/e8/18b9e80227dfe1789e20a21629254f79.jpg)
![Using open ended activities and games in speech therapy can make planning sessions so much easier! Here are a few suggestions that worked well for me. Do you remember the first time you were faced with a mixed group and were realllllllllly unsure about what to do? I do… picture it, St. Augustine 2007 😅 I was […]](https://i.pinimg.com/236x/4d/34/85/4d3485a753178d000223a89b09162317.jpg)
![Using open ended activities and games in speech therapy can make planning sessions so much easier! Here are a few suggestions that worked well for me. Do you remember the first time you were faced with a mixed group and were realllllllllly unsure about what to do? I do… picture it, St. Augustine 2007 😅 I was […]](https://i.pinimg.com/236x/da/7b/c1/da7bc16b9530451d989a578236bc2bff.jpg)
![Using open ended activities and games in speech therapy can make planning sessions so much easier! Here are a few suggestions that worked well for me. Do you remember the first time you were faced with a mixed group and were realllllllllly unsure about what to do? I do… picture it, St. Augustine 2007 😅 I was […]](https://i.pinimg.com/236x/e0/21/a4/e021a465474b16201d23d0a77857935b.jpg)
![Using open ended activities and games in speech therapy can make planning sessions so much easier! Here are a few suggestions that worked well for me. Do you remember the first time you were faced with a mixed group and were realllllllllly unsure about what to do? I do… picture it, St. Augustine 2007 😅 I was […]](https://i.pinimg.com/236x/fa/94/be/fa94be15b6f184b64e2e408bc762a7e8.jpg)
I like to assume that many of the students we meet are angels in disguise(…..yes & especially the challenging ones!) It is our daily response that counts and not actual speech-language therapy session success. At the end of each day & regardless of the outcome of our intervention efforts, as SLPs we must simply answer did we do all we could for each child?
Thank you, Jenn. That is a great attitude to have. Thanks for reminding me. I
Love this….so true! YOU are a blessing to so many! I hope you KNOW that!!! Thank you for sharing your perspective, time and materials with others!!
I like your attitude that each child is a blessing ! It’s so easy to become overwhelmed.
Thank you , thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart! I so desperately needed to read this today… you are a blessing to this frazzled SLP!!!
Amen. Thanks for reminding us of the reason why we are in this field, working with kids to overcome challenges in learning. We can’t be in the mode of a fast paced world but adjust our pace to meet our students.
Thank you for this reminder. I initially took the wrong perspective and was feeling overwhelmed this week too and I arrived Friday morning with a change in mindset also! Breathe, refocus, remember purpose!
I really neede to see this….it really blessed me and gave me a new way to view my “caseload”
Way to reframe!!! I must look like a lunatic with all the self-talk I’ve been engaged in lately, but it sure does work. Great points, because I have been applying the strategies in terms of my relationships, but you reminded me I can choose to apply them to my “job” as well! Thank you!
I am so thankful to be part of such a rewarding profession. After 16 years at it, all in a public school, I daily marvel at the growth in my students and my own personal/professional growth in each session. I am reminded, today being the anniversary of the way too soon passing of a former mentor, that we must always “put our oxygen mask on first before assisting our child”, in that if we do not advocate for our employers to provide enough staffing to minimally meet these precious students’ needs, we are not doing nearly enough to keep these students progressing as they should, and we likely are contributing to our own early death from the real damage of stress related illnesses. Keep forward focused to leave a positive legacy.
I saw this post and was curious about your mention of a book you were reading for SLP Bible study and I immediately ordered the book and workbook by Angela Watson. So good!!! And it was just what was needed to move me from negativity and being bogged down to bringing joy and love back to my students and colleagues. AND I was so encouraged, I also got her book Unshakeable. It’s for classroom teachers but almost all of it can be applied to my own work. I was feeling that I couldn’t go on after 18 years in the schools and now I’m excited and focused every day! Thanks for this hint that lead me to these great resources. I could really relate to this blog post as I get overwhelmed with all there is to do, but if I just bring it back to loving and appreciating the children, then I have to say, that is my real calling. So
I am so glad to read this! I hope you find the book to be an inspiration <3