Thoughts from the Back Porch: Summer Post 1

School officially ended for me on June 16th and let me tell you, I was ready! I love what I do, really, I do, but this year was quite challenging. I completed a TON of evaluations, IEPs and assorted other paperwork. It seems I was scheduled for a meeting before school nearly every day! Consider the math; an extra 30 minutes every morning times 180 days amounts to 90 additional hours per school year!  If I was to be more conservative and cut that down to three mornings a week (atypical), that is 90 minutes per week times 36 weeks (180 days ÷ 5 weekdays= 36 weeks) yields 3,240 minutes converted to a whopping 54 additional hours! Add to that the 1-2 hours added to the end of the day to catch up on lesson planning, writing those evals, and anything else that needs completing! It seems the expectation to silently consent to extra, extra, extra has become our new normal.

I prefer not to carp and would like to be part of a positive work environment, so I went through the proper channels and was effectively shut down. I suggested the flexible service delivery model, dedicated meeting days, etc. I was told, "nothing is going to change." How should I respond to such stonewalling? What do I say while trying to maintain professionalism and grace under fire? Speech-language pathology, and in larger part education, can be such a joy, and yet, it is often disappointing to be part of a bureaucracy. I crave the respect that is afforded to other professions. I often feel cornered into behaving like a petulant child ("Well, I guess I just won't be available before school any longer!")

The above scenario illustrates what I would consider thinking from a fixed perspective. I am reading Mindset by Carol Dwerk, Ph.D. and LOVE IT. I began reading it at the suggestion of Jennifer Hatfield, MHS, CCC-SLP of Therapy and Learning Services, Inc. (who is helping us with executive functioning as a family. More about that in a future post.) This is what I have gleaned so far; I spent a good part of my life in a fixed mindset, not accepting challenges for fear of failure, thinking I lacked innate abilities, seeking validation from others, etc. At some point that all changed. I remember a very distinct turning point. I was at bootcamp and I shared that I had decided to run a half marathon. Someone asked me "Why?" I responded, "I don't know why. I just think I can." That to me exemplifies a shift toward growth mindset thinking.

You might be wondering, what does this have to do with WORK? In as much as I have approached my personal life of late with a growth mindset, I truly believe much of my work life has been viewed through the lens of a fixed mindset or at the very least a "mixed" mindset. This past school year I saw much of my situation as untenable, never changing, out of my control, and that resulted in considerable anxiety. As I reflect on the stresses that come with my position, I am thinking, much of it was created by my thinking. Yes, we are often asked to complete tasks with herculean strength, but what if I can view these tasks as an opportunity for growth? No...what if I CHOOSE to view these tasks as an opportunity for growth?  I, more than likely, won't feel that crushing sensation in my chest.

I am very fortunate. I get to spend my summer recharging my batteries, passing many restful hours on my back porch. I read.  I look at my flowers. I watch the butterflies and hummingbirds. I ignore the begging chickens and I think.

This provides a wonderful opportunity to reevaluate the previous school year. What worked? What didn't? This school year has allowed me to see that when the pressure mounts, I struggle to maintain a healthy balance, I get cranky and "fixed." As part of my growth mindset practice this summer, I am setting goals: attainable, realistic goals that allow me to capitalize on my momentum. For instance, last week my goals were to run 11 miles (not all at once), transplant some deeply entrenched perennials, bake and read three chapters of Mindset. CHECK!! I found having clear expectations of what I wanted to accomplish helped me stay the course.

My approach toward the stresses of my job can be growth oriented too, just as it is for my personal life. In fact, it really should be. So as I look at my math computation above I can reframe my thinking from "I have added anywhere from 54-90 additional hours of work to my job," to "We haven't found a solution to the meeting debacle...yet, but we will!"

Rush Hour for the Win!!

I have not had a moment in the past three weeks to blog! I thought about it every few days, but could not muster the time or the brain power to put pen to paper, or at least finger to keyboard. Interestingly, I found I missed connecting and sharing ideas! I suspect your end of the year activities have you completely immersed as well.

As the end of the year approaches, I feel the need to stay sane and centered, so I print less, create less, and depend on the tried and true more. I have written before about how adapting games for multiple speech and language targets is a win-win. It's great to use games kids already know the rules for and infuse them with language rich content. One of the games that provides a real bang for the buck is Railroad Rush Hour.  This game involves arranging train cars on a plastic tray and then maneuvering them in order to get a little, red engine out. The version pictured below is the Rush Hour Jr. edition, where younger players move vehicles in order to get an ice cream truck out of a traffic jam.

What you can do:

Grammar

• Have your students verbalize each move they make in a grammatical sentence. They can practice verb tenses, pronouns, and word order.  Students can also verbalize what you or other players are doing.

Articulation

• All descriptions can be accompanied by perfect speech (or almost perfect).

Describing/Sentence Formulation

• Have one student describe the arrangement of the vehicles as they are displayed on the card to another student. The emphasis can be on size, color, directional orientation (horizontal, vertical), positional concepts (under, beside, over). After all vehicles are in place the puzzle can be solved.
• The solutions to each puzzle are depicted on the back of the cards. Have one student give verbal directions as to how to solve each puzzle to a partner, referencing the solution. The solutions are in a sort of code that the student has to interpret.  For instance, if U3 is pictured on a green locomotive, it means move the green locomotive up three spaces. 

Concept development

• Number, size, color, position, and direction concepts can all be incorporated while playing any of the Rush Hour games.

Listening and Following Directions

• Have students become the hands of a Rush Hour puzzle solver. This involves attentive listening and comprehension of directions and concepts.  Students can also be encouraged to use listening strategies such as requesting clarification and repetition.

Executive Function Skills

• Puzzle solving is an amazing opportunity to talk about planning, action, and review as well as brainstorming possible "road blocks."

Add on decks are available. For a little variety try Safari Rush Hour, too! Happy driving!

The Frenzied SLPs are on the Downhill Slide

It's that time of year for school-based SLPs, where a visual reminder to "breathe in, breathe out, and repeat" becomes all too necessary. The Frenzied SLPs are joining forces once again to offer suggestions as to how to make the end of the school year more manageable. Thank you to this month's frenzied hostesses Tracy, of Gold Country Speech, Laura of All Y'all Need, and Linda of Looks Like Language for coordinating the behind the scenes organization.

Our school district usually ends the school year within the first two weeks of June. We begin before Labor Day, but our snow days are not factored into the calendar, so we typically end up having to make up missed weather days. This year our winter was so mild we only had ONE snow day (very unusual for NH). From the beginning of May until the middle of June I have about six weeks of school and it goes FAST! Here is how I manage to stay relatively sane.

The first week of May comes on the heels of our spring break and includes kindergarten screenings. We have a larger than usual number of kindergarten students registered this year, so we had to add another 1/2 day for screenings. The key for this week is organization, time management, and optimism. I had the pleasure of taking Sparklle SLP's soon to be published kindergarten screening out for a test drive. It took me 5-7 minutes to administer (yes, I timed it), depending on the child and when I was finished I felt I had a really good sense of each child. Organization: for screening days, having everything printed and laminated with names and birthdays already entered is most helpful. Time management: it is also helpful to have an idea of what you would like to accomplish during those periods when you are not screening, like during lunch when the cafeteria is unavailable. I got some evaluations and IEPs written in the down time. Optimism: it is very easy to become overwhelmed when faced with the prospect of a new and needy cohort entering kindergarten. I have to remind myself I am only getting a snapshot of a child and much can change in the four months between now and the beginning of school.

The end of the school year brings an onslaught of evaluations and IEPs. In order to avoid becoming anxious I have to stay very organized and focused. When I am at work I have to avoid relaxing. I know that sounds awful, but I have to close my door, not chat with friends and chip away at the to do list. I keep a list of all evals, IEPs, progress monitoring, etc. I often prioritize the items on my do to list by number. this too keeps me organized. I enter due dates and meeting dates on my paper calendar and google calendar and set alarms for 30 minutes and 10 minutes before a scheduled meeting. Sounds a little over the top, I know, but this scattered brain needs over the top! There are also a million special class activities, school wide activities, and field trips that impact therapy. It is crucial to know what it going on in order to prevent having to plan and prep therapy that will never happen. That is a time waster! All this allows me to leave at a reasonable hour and have time for exercise and my family. I used to neglect those things and work to the exclusion of all else and then I got smart. The work will always be there, my health may not!

I have mentioned before how I love to exploit a theme. The end of the year is the perfect time for theme exploitation! After screenings we have two weeks of bug week, two weeks of camping and two weeks of wheel of fortune. I do two weeks of each theme because my students look forward to them every year and I have amassed a wealth of materials to support the themes. I have listed only a few of the wonderful activities available around bugs and camping.

Spin and Speak Bugs Articulation

I love to use these worksheets as a therapy activity by placing them in page protectors and then sending them as homework.

Bug Collecting Concepts

Pam of Small Talk SLP authored this versatile product that can be used to target so many skills. I love this one!

Don't Bug Out...Apologize

I needed an activity for my intermediate and middle school students with social needs, so in the spirit of capitalizing on a theme I created Don't Bug Out...Apologize, which targets when and how to apologize.

Getting Buggy Articulation

Sparklle SLP has a wonderful freebie that is just right for homework. I'm just itching to use this one again!

I love a craftivity to complement a book. This is actually a craft I did with my own little ones when we read the book A Firefly Named Torchy. The craft itself is simple. The only extra supplies needed are clear sequins and wax paper. I drew templates for the body and wings on cardstock and have students trace them independently.

Camping affords so many opportunities for activities and fun. I found this recipe last year after camping week(s) was finished, but I am definitely making them this year; Nutter Butter Camping Cookies. You can find the recipe on the blog Party Pinching: Budget Friendly Party Ideas and Cute Food Inspiration. 

Pathways for Articulation and Language

I just love this activity for articulation and language targets, and so many can be addressed. It was a hit with my students, too.

Camp-In Speech and Language

This baby is so comprehensive targeting articulation, details, grammar, following directions, similarities and differences, conversation skills and more. Sparklle SLP is my hero (and camping buddy).

If you don't have LessonPix, I recommend it highly. It is an amazing alternative to Boardmaker, which, in my not so humble opinion, has become overpriced and inaccessible. LessonPix allows you to make games, dice, communication boards, visuals and more, so for $36.00 a year it is well worth it. We used these dice for sentence  formulation and expansion.

So grab your inflatable fire, pretend food and canteen and go camping. Isn't it nice to get away?

Last but not least is one of our all time favorites. Wheel. Of. Fortune. This happy take on hangman is perfect for any speech-language goal. Last year I had a brainstorm and started using the colors on the wheel to coordinate with the colors used with the Expanding Expression Tool. I downloaded the music and use the sound effects from the show including spinning and buzzers.

I hope these activities give you some nice ideas for finishing out your school year without too much stress. One consolation is, you know it is going to go fast and then, if you are anything like me, you will be sitting on your porch with your coffee and a book relishing summer!

We would love to have you link up and share your ideas for rounding out the school year.

An InLinkz Link-up

Speechy and Teachers Pay Teachers Appreciation Sale

It's May! Better Hearing and Speech Month, Teacher Appreciation Day, AND a Teachers Pay Teachers sale!!  Add to that the frenzy of IEPs, progress reports and evaluation reviews.  Busy, busy days, so to help our friends, the Frenzied SLPs are hosting a linky highlighting a couple of our own products and some products in our carts.

My Editable Vocabulary Playing Card Decks consists of standard playing cards for middle and high school vocabulary development including:

Two 52-card decks addressing:
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word in sentence
Definition 
Part of speech sound
Multiple meaning
Association
Category
Taste
Smell
Texture
Sound
Location
Parts
Size, Shape, Color

This product has an added bonus of  52 editable cards so you can add your own option of deck.
These decks can be used while playing any traditional card game. Print the desired deck and pair with vocabulary specific to your students needs. My students LOVE these decks, they are fun, functional, and versatile!

My Spring in New England Nonfiction Text Passages for Middle School contains 6 nonfiction passages relating to springtime in New England. When I made this product I had my middle school students in mind and wanted to expose them to material that was relevant to our region. I think it is appropriate for high school speech-language students as well. Each passage is followed by several comprehension questions calling for higher-order thinking and context clues. Also included are vocabulary matching worksheets for each topic.

Topics include: Vernal pools
Peepers
Black flies (blech)
Ice out
Mud season
Frost heaves
Download includes:
4 SCOPE editing strategy cue cards
6 Passages
6 Vocabulary-definition matching pages
1 Vocabulary organizer page

Now, what am I buying?  Decisions, decisions! My wish list (I am ashamed to admit) is TEN pages long and has close to 200 items. Crazy. However, there are couple of items I have been waiting for sale day for.

The first is Little Red's Reading Comprehension Passages Bundle. This bundle looks amazing and should keep my students well supplied with informational text materials with 160 reading passages and corresponding comprehension questions. I can think of so many uses in language therapy for these passages!

The second product I am really looking forward to snagging is Panda Speech's Language Blocks. I have the articulation version and my students truly enjoy them.  This bad boy is chock full of language targets including vocabulary, following directions, grammar and so much more.

I hope this short list of my fave products is helpful. We would love to know what products you have to offer as well as what you may be purchasing, so link up and show us your cart!

An InLinkz Link-up

Taking Therapy Outside

It is finally starting to look like Spring in NH! It was a fairly mild winter in terms of snow, but the rain!  There was some serious cabin fever happening in my speech room this winter!

With the weather improving it is a perfect time for a change of therapy venue and the Frenzied SLPs are taking it to the streets!  Well, the playground anyway!  I have a couple of ideas for you, some I have done, some I will be doing! As always, thanks to Nanette (Speech 2 Me), Kelly (Speech 2 U) and Jen (My Speech Universe) for the behind the scenes linky work!

• Chalk rocks! I was thinking it would be fun to take our chalk and work on narrative development outside using the amazing Story Grammar Marker by Mindwing Concepts. On a beautiful sunny day, read a book outside and then have your students become screevers.  Oh, by the way, a screever is an artist who draws on sidewalks using colored chalks. Students can draw Braidy on the playground adding narrative elements as a means of story retell. 
• Who remembers this game? "A my name is Annie and my husbands name is Andy. We come from Alabama and we sell apples." This rhyme is said while bouncing a ball while progressing through the alphabet stating your name, your husband's name, where you're from and what you sell, using alliteration. Great vocabulary work and super simple!
• I always loved hopscotch as a little girl.  I still sometimes play a game with students when I'm on playground duty.  A variation could be played where following directions is targeted. Offer students a series of numbers or square positions to jump in a pattern.  

• Two years or so ago I bought cardboard cake rounds and painted them with chalkboard paint. We use these as bases when playing kickball. You can also draw EET beads on them and use them for describing.  We had a blast doing this!
• Finally, who says an outdoor theme can't be an inside activity?  At the end of each school year my students look forward to two activities, Camping and Wheel of Fortune.  During camping week we pull out Curious George Goes Camping, an inflatable fire, toy food, s'more dip, and camping gear. We tell stories and sing songs around the campfire.

I am always up for some new ideas, so link up and share.  How are you taking therapy outside?

Social Media and Truth

A Madness Most Discreet by Nora Doyle

I am going to let you all in on a little secret that you might not infer from reading my posts; I can be a jerk. Yes, it's true! Sometimes I yell at my kids. They can frustrate me. Sometimes I bicker with my husband. No, he isn't perfect either, despite my rosy picture of him. I am prone to envy when I see the beautiful pictures of homes and vacations and clothing on social media. There are occasions at work (more than I would like to admit) that I am annoyed with circumstances or colleagues or administration. There are even days...wait for it...that I don't feel like doing speech therapy. <GASP> Worse, I have even done some really crappy speech therapy, with full on mistakes. There are days I tick people off. It's true, I can be defensive and I can behave like a victim. I can be triggered by something I read on social media, a look, a comment.

I've been thinking about how I represent myself in my blog and other social media platforms. Our perceptions of ourselves are deeply rooted in what we are viewing on social media and I want to be very clear, I am flawed. You know all those great photos you see on Instagram? Well, you should know that there may have been six before that were deleted. Photos that showed my belly and hips, the dirty dishes in the sink, the piles of stuff on my desk at work, or the dog and cat hair on the floor. After I post, I too, look to see how many people liked my post, commented on my post, shared my post, bought my product, or followed me. (Oh look, XYZ liked my post! It must be good, because he/she has 10 million followers or has been blogging for longer than me). Oh, and the comments. The comments that tell me I'm awesome, brilliant, creative, funny! I just love those and while they are all true :), they are not true all the time. I think it's important to be real and so to be real I am saying out loud, I can be very unfunny, very uncreative, very "unbrilliant." Here's the thing, I can be poopy, stuck, and dull. There I said it!

I was "talking" with my friend Pam, author of the blog Chit Chat and Small Talk, and we were discussing Brené Brown's TED Talk on vulnerability. I looked back on the notes I had taken and I came across this quote, "We perfect, but we are wired for struggle, we are imperfect, yet we are worthy of love and belonging." She further states, "We must believe we are enough." My being imperfect is okay! It makes me uniquely me. That I can wake up one day feeling blue and can wake up the next day restored is human. I want to FEEL everything I was designed to feel. I don't want to be, in the words of Pink Floyd, "comfortably numb." I am enough!

When did this happen? When did the number of likes, the number of followers become the standard by which we measure our value or our impact? When did whether we are invited to join this social media group or that social media group define our worth? Social media allows us to learn and share and connect in a very two-dimensional way, yet we are three-dimensional beings in a three-dimensional world.

My goal then, is to represent myself in a more three-dimensional, whole person sort of way. I am Annie Doyle. I am overweight, my hair is gray. I run really, really slowly. I went to an okay college 33 years ago. I don't know all there is to know in this field. I make mistakes and I learn from those mistakes. I can be hurtful and I know that. I will always be accountable and ask for forgiveness. Sometimes, I am all Jersey and I swear and I'm loud. My house can be messy and sometimes we have cereal for dinner. I drive a clunker and have no auto debt, yet I can be envious of those with nicer "things." I have anxiety and often have reactions that don't match the size of the problem. For better or worse, I wear my heart on my sleeve.

I also love God. I love my family. I love my friends, even those I have never met. I cherish the conversations we have together online. I will always do my utmost to be supportive. I love my chosen profession and strive to be awesome even when I fall short. I love to learn and exhaust myself with trying to remain current. I love old kitchen glass and spend far too much money on it. I think, a lot, and will always try to seek wisdom, understanding, and counsel. I am resilient and face hardships with fortitude. I am three-dimensional!

I do know that not everyone is comfortable with the soft, white underbelly exposed. Perhaps that is not everyone's goal with social media. I would simply leave you, dear readers, with this caveat, what you see on Instagram and Facebook and Twitter is only a small portion of the person posting. It is the piece they want you to see. Don't fret, don't compare. Call a three-dimensional friend and go for walk. Grab your kids and go for some three-dimensional ice cream. Grab your three-dimensional husband and snuggle on the couch with a crossword puzzle.

"Let yourself be seen, deeply seen, be vulnerably seen. To love with your whole heart, even though there is no guarantee; that is hard."

Brené Brown

All About Water in Speech-Language Therapy: A Frenzied SLP Linky

The Frenzied SLPs are back with some fun ideas for using water themed activities in speech-language therapy. Thanks to Laura, Nanette, and Linda for hostessing this week. Just click on their names to be directed to their amazing sites.

I haven't done a lot of actual water play lately. I used to do it all the time! I think I just forgot! You know how you tend to go on an activity jag for a period and then move on to something else! I am, however, using my water themed activities and books during April.

• YouTube is a wonderful resource for books and videos that are well suited to speech-language therapy.  

    

Two books from my collection, that I love to use during April are Come On Rain, by Karen Hesse and It's Raining, It's Pouring by, Kin Eagle. 

Ideas by Jivey offers a free mentor sentence sample and activity coordinating with Come On, Rain.

• A craftivity I plan on doing this month is making "rain sticks." Rain sticks are a fun and easy craft that allow for individual creativity, use of informational text, and sensory input via rice or beans and a soothing sound. Have students decorate paper towel tubes with markers, washi tape, or colorful duct tape, seal one end with clear packing tape or clear contact paper, fill with beans or  rice, seal the other end and turn the rain stick over end to end. I found this wonderful lesson from Prairie Public Television to supplement making a rain stick!   https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiYzdeu7vLLAhXJeCYKHR-1C80QFggvMAM&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.prairiepublic.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2FSue-Anderson-Rain-Stick-Lesson-Plan.docx&usg=AFQjCNEN__O9flkFR3XmbtPc7COp52DH5w&sig2=oNOpPmphhKH_urT79BqiWg

• Wonderopolis has some great "wonders" about water and rain. If you haven't visited this site; run, don't walk! This particular article; Why Does it Rain, offers informational text, tiers 2 and 3 vocabulary, a science experiment and questions for further investigation! It is a fantastic, educationally relevant and user friendly site.  http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-does-it-rain-2 (Here is another great wonder: http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-much-rain-can-a-cloud-hold)
• Newsela is another wonderful source of informational text. Search rain and amazing articles greet you! Here is a sampling: https://newsela.com/articles/amazonbasin-conservation/id/13877/; https://newsela.com/articles/southafrica-drought/id/14631/; https://newsela.com/articles/water-california/id/6292/
• Finally, Teachers Pay Teachers has a multitude of sellers who have authored a wealth of rain and April inspired products. I recently created a product supporting question formulation. Find it at Doyle Speech Works

Do you want to find more water themed ideas and activities? The linky begins with Laura at All Y'all Need. The Frenzied SLPs would love to hear how you incorporate water into your speech-language therapy. Follow the instructions below to link up.

An InLinkz Link-up