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1Sep

4 Pieces of Advice for first time School SLPs and Teachers

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Uncategorized
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first time school slps and teachers

Being a school SLP did not go well for me my first time through, or my second. Or kind of my third. 

I was super uncomfortable and disconnected my first few times working in a school. I didn’t feel part of a community, like I had in my previous jobs in a SNF and hospital, and I felt a little lost. It was like there was SO much to know, about policies, procedures, meetings, IEPs, protocols, and therapy, and I felt like I really didn’t know much at all. 

I had gone through a school placement, had even been offered the job when my supervisor moved at the end of the year, but I still felt so unsure of what I was doing.

It was definitely one of the things that led to me feeling like I had chosen the wrong career, and ultimately, leaving the field for a few years. 

I eventually came back and worked in teletherapy for a few years, which was new to everyone involved, so it helped to lessen the idea of not knowing equaling not being good enough, and gave me the confidence to ask questions and learn as I went. 

This last school year, I found myself back in a brick and mortar site, in person, and, again, had NO idea what I was doing, really. 

But, instead of allowing it to make me feel disconnected, I used it to build connection, foster growth, and learn a few things along the way. 

Here are a few things you can do in your first year – either as a new SLP or teacher, or just new to the setting.

4 Pieces of Advice for First time School SLPs and Teachers

It’s ok to ask questions: Asking questions does not mean you should not be doing the job that you have or that you aren’t good enough to be there. You earned the degree with a LOT of hard work, you passed the tests, and you are the person qualified to be there. You don’t have to know it all. It is so different from what you had to do in grad school – know it all. It is ok to not know it, but to know where you can learn it. (This was my main takeaway from grad school, honestly). It is tok to say “I don’t know the answer to that, but I can find out and get back to you” or “I’m not sure what this is or how to do it, can you show me or do you know where I can find more info?” or even “That is not my specialty, but I can connect you with someone who works on this”. It’s part of growing and doesn’t make you weaker but stronger and more a part of the community. If your leaders are not supportive of that, then maybe it is not you who is the imposter/problem, and maybe they are scared a little too. 

Your students don’t know your plan: Just because a sessions doesn’t go the way you planned it to, or a student isn’t progressing the way your textbooks say they will, it is ok. Or if you don’t have a plan and you grab some materials on the fly to make the session happen. If it ends up going differently, they will be none the wiser. This was a big lesson I learned in my yoga teacher training, that has helped me tremendously as an SLP. I am the only one who knows what I have planned for the session, or how I want it to go. No one else. In yoga, if I forget a pose, mess up the breath count, or skip a song, no worries, no one else knows. If you skip part of a session, grab the wrong game, or use different success, no worries, your students will get a lot out of it, and you will get done what needs to happen. Even if it wasn’t exactly the plan. 

Keep it simple: There is so much out there for you to learn, so many styles and therapy “shoulds” and “should nots”, and so many fun things you can bring to your class. And it can quickly get overwhelming or feel like FOMO. It is ok to keep it simple, and keep it more enjoyable and your style. And it is even ok to not really plan it all out precisely (see the above point). You don’t have to go over the top with planning sessions or lessons. Most of the time, elaborate plans or things set out way in advance don’t do much to help your students and can add to your stress. And many times, the plan doesn’t go exactly as planned. Keep it simple and keep it human – allow for space for you and your students to shift and change as needed

Be yourself: You do not have to do things the way your professors or supervisors did. You do not need to do things the way the internet says you do. There is more than one way to be a therapist or teacher and to help your students learn and grow and thrive. Bring yourself to the sessions and it will foster deeper connections, trust, and growth. Your authenticity will shine through and make it a better experience for all. It can take time to find your footing or style, but allow it to come through, with your personality, and your “vibe”, and you’ll all be the better for it. 

So, first time school SLPS and teachers, what is something you plan to use? Or maybe you are in your 10th year or are shifting around settings – I’d love to know! Share in the comments below or send me a DM on IG jessiandricks. 

Want to bring some mindfulness to your classroom? If you are looking for some fun and out of the box ways to connect, that can help you to feel truly authentic and supportive of your students, make sure to sign up for the waitlist for my newest course “Mindfulness in Your (Speech) Room”. It is a course for SLPs and educators that will share who you can bring mindfulness and yoga into your classroom, as little or as much as you’d like, and how it can change everything – for the better. You can sign up for the waitlist here (and snag an exclusive discount when doors open later in September). 

With Love and Light, 

Jessi

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17Aug

5 Things that are Working for me as a School SLP

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Podcast Stress Management
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working for me as a school slp

The 2022-2023 school year was my first full school year as an SLP, even though I graduated in 2008. I worked in the schools before, either in teletherapy, where I felt a little disconnected with the school itself, or covering portions of school years. In both of those, I felt a lot of stress and didn’t really feel connected in the way I did this year. This year was not perfect – I learned a lot, made mistakes, and have some things I want to tweak and shift moving forward. I’ve spent some time reflecting on these things and on how I can take it into the year ahead. 

However, the focus doesn’t always have to be on what you can shift, change or do better with. It is amazing to reflect on what you learned and how you can grow from it. It is also pretty darn amazing to stop and notice your strengths, what you did well, and what totally flipping worked for you. 

And, in truth, there was a lot that I liked and wanted to keep doing. 

My reflections of this year are that a lot of things went well for me. I had a great place to work, one that welcomed helping people thrive and grow. I had students who were happy and wanted to come to speech, and thought of it as a fun place and a safe place. And I enjoyed being there each day. That’s not to say sometimes I wouldn’t have rather been chilling at home. But I wasn’t dreading it, searching for any way to be anywhere but there. It was a pretty big shift from my last two times working in the schools, both in person in a school and in teletherapy. 

When I look back, it was the things that worked for me, that helped me to want to be there and to feel less stress and overwhelm. 

5 Things that are Working for Me as a School SLP

Here are a few things that worked and that made a big difference for me, and that I want to keep doing:

Ditched tables and plopped down on the floor:

I had several tables and stations in my room. One was a “horseshoe” table, where I had a few (wobble) seats set up around it. Another was a square table that had 4 seats. I also had a rug in the middle of my room, and a few throw pillows and a shag circle rug, and THIS is where the majority of sessions were held. Not in the seats at the table, not even in the wobble seats (although we did pull those over to the rug from time to time). The students were allowed to sit or lay down while we played games and did our work – as long as it didn’t distract them from participating more than it helped. I had one or two groups who preferred sitting at a table, and I used the horseshoe one for evals. 

Used the materials they were using:

If I pushed into a teacher’s class, I would use the items they were already using or had on hand. Most of the time, that looked like using whatever materials were at the station the student was at. If there was a certain station that worked better for speech therapy, I would try to see the students when they were at that one. If it was different materials each day (preschool), I would dive in and play with them for the session. It wasn’t always perfect or my ideal material, but I didn’t have to worry about supplying any or lugging them around, and it was more in line with what they were actually doing in the class  – because that’s exactly what it was 😉

Word lists over flashcards:

I do love flashcards, I really do, but it was also fun to have the students help me come up with some target to work on and just have a wordlist that we wrote down together. It helped them feel more excited about using the words, and then we would use them as the main part of the activity or drill before their turn for the game of the day. And I didn’t have to hunt down a pack of flashcards in the exact sound I needed for that day 🙂

Community and connection:

I mentioned before that connection made such a difference. It was how I connected with coworkers, but also with my students. I made sure to connect with my students, and let them know it was about growing, not about being perfect or “fixing” them.  We had the “foundations” for our speech room listed on our wall, and would refer to them if needed. Everyone is different here, but the vibe was that they were a part of “team speech” if they came to my room, and I was part of their class if I went to their room. 

Mindfulness mixed in:

This is not what you might think. I absolutely did not do straight up yoga or meditation or breathing for the speech session. It was not taking a yoga class and twisting it to become a speech class. It was more infusing the classroom and the activities with mindfulness (which is exactly what Mindfulness in Your Speech Room is all about). I would use some of the tools (like some deep breathing) if needed, especially on days where I noticed that attention or focus was drifting. I had an area that students could go to if they were feeling overwhelmed and needed to pause before joining, or to grab a fidget or sensory item. And we referenced our class motto/foundation based around Growth Mindset. And I am excited to bring even more of this into my room in the upcoming year. 

It is really easy to look at what you need to do better or change, or even shift because you learned something. But it is also important to look at what worked for you and what went well, so you can continue to use it, not let ist get pushed aside, and to help recognize that, yes, you are the SLP and you did some really awesome things and worked with some awesome humans.

What went well for you this year? Share in the comments or DM me @jessiandricks on IG

Want to bring mindfulness to your class or speechroom for the upcoming year? Make sure to sign up for the waitlist and be the first to know when my new course on Mindfulness in your SLP Room opens, plus snag an exclusive discount on enrollment. Click here, enter your email, and confirm your sign up for all the details!

With Love and Light, 

Jessi

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20Jul

3 Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get Things Done

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Burn Out Stress Management
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stop procrastinating

Ugh, it has been awhile. The end of the school year, that last quarter, really snuck up on me and was 1000x busier than I ever imagined it would be. Nothing bad or unreasonable, just a LOT Of things to balance in life between being a parent to two young kids with lots of stuff going on in their schools, my own work to wrap up for the year, and all the joyful, celebratory events that come along with it. And COVID – twice. 

It has been a lot.

My intention was to start back with a wrap up post and insights into my first year back in the SLP world – and I totally will do that. But what is more realistic, and what I wanted to share in case it helps you along the way, is about procrastination.

You see, I have been procrastinating on a few things (some of which are announcements that I have in the newsletter, and you can subscribe to stay updated on). They are things that maybe carry some emotions with them, or that are not completely cut and dry, or that require some uncertainty and learning. And so, instead of tackling them, I push them aside, find other things that need to be done, and let those sit there. Only they don’t just sit there, they sit there and grow and fester until I can’t take the stress of them and THEN I tackle them.

Sounds familiar?

This is procrastination in a nutshell. And it can seem like a super productive way to do things, especially if you have been using this as a tool since way back in 8th grade when you have to start writing 5 paragraph essays and book reports. The more pressure, the more “in the zone” you’ll be. And, while this can be true, it can also carry with it a lot of mental load in the preceding moments and days before you jump in. Usually, this kind is linked to some kind of avoidance – at least in my experience. 

So, since stress is the thing you are here to reduce, here are a few things that I find help me when I notice I am procrastinating in order to avoid things. 

3 Ways to Stop Procrastinating

Get up and move:

It seems counterproductive to continue to NOT do the thing, but getting up and moving can help you to get out of your head and into your body. This helps to take some of the mental load off, which alleviate some stress and turns down the stress response When you do this, your brain is able to process and “think” again, which can sometimes help you find the solution, clarity, or great idea you were stuck without when you were sitting and stressing. 

Try going for a walk outside, doing some yoga, or heading to the gym for a class or some freestyle workout.

Start with a brain dump:

Honestly, this is kind of an example of a brain dump. A brain dump is when you start writing, maybe about the issue or just starting with “I am so stuck and don;t know where to start with the thing I’m stuck on” and you just keep writing. Often, it is the initial starting point that can trip you up – like when you want to workout and find 100 excuses why it won;t work but then once you start, you could keep on going longer than planned. The act of writing can help you to get going and then start brainstorming, writing, creating, ro whatever it is you need to do, by getting through that first step. It might not be exactly what you planned, but it is a step forward. 

Aim for done, not perfect:

There is no guarantee that things will go as planned or be as epic as you imagined. And those ideas of perfection or getting everything settled first can stop you from ever getting started. Sometimes it is called analysis paralysis. Going through ALL the things that could happen, that you need first, and that must be done before you start, before you can actually begin at all. It keeps you in procrastination mode, and stops you from getting started or reaching those epic ideations and goals. The thing is – most likely, things won’t live up to the epic dreams you have of it in your mind. They might be a lot simpler or less in reality, or they might be something even more amazing. So get started, and aim for letting it flow and be done, rather than getting it perfect. And remember – no one will ever know if it isn’t exactly what you envisioned, and it will seem perfectly wonderful to them.

If you, like me, are a lifetime procrastinator (from generations of procrastinators), try one of two of these to help you get into the mode of starting, and stop procrastinating, so that you can move forward and let the stress go a bit. 

Which one are you going to try? Share in the comments or send me a DM on instagram @jessiandricks

Want more resources to help you manage stress, reduce the risk of burnout and find more balance in your life? Subscribe below for access to the resources and the weekly newsletter straight to your inbox (no spam, I promise!).


With Love and light,

Jessi Andricks

PS – Get PDH for $15!! All 1 hour workshops are on sale now through August 1st – and then they’ll be gone!! Grab them now and earn your PDH here.

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