"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!