My thought? Different strokes for different folks!
Last year, I spent 1 day a week supporting an elementary SLP in my district by taking 10 of her students on my caseload. It's wasn't horrific and I did just fine, but... not my cup of tea. The experience only served to highlight just why I love working with teenagers and all the unique experiences that come with working in a high school!
I'll shout it from a mountain top, I'll say it right now: I think phonological awareness is boring! I think describing the features of items and comparing and contrasting them is boring! Superflex puts me to sleep!!!! Story Grammar Markers? Yawn!
Phew.
I feel much better.
Essentially, those elementary school language goals just don't do it for me.... Higher-level language it is! I enjoy leading activities like this... and this! Like I said, different strokes for different folks.
Transition
Maybe it feels like it's out of your scope of practice to write transition goals and coach students on their post-secondary life, but man is it important! So many of my speech-only students have no path to follow in life, no idea of what they're going to do once they graduate. It's important that there's a reliable adult in their life they can go to to talk about their future. Some students may find this in a teacher they bond with and some definitely connect with me in this way.
And for my Mod/Severe kids, pretty much everything we do is about transition, life skills, and functioning successfully once they graduate from the transition school at age 22. I love it!!
High School Clubs, Sports, ASB, and more!
Maybe my love of high schools stems from my own wonderful high school experience - I was one of those Associated Student Body (ASB) kids who was involved in every event that happened on campus. I planned prom, ran lunchtime activities, decorated the Homecoming float, and ran around with a spirit flag at the football games - the whole 9 yards.
So now as an adult working at a high school, I can still cheer on the football team, chaperone dances, and get involved in clubs and organizations. For example, I volunteered myself to be class adviser for the Class of 2019. Last year was a little rough; as freshmen they weren't really motivated to do anything and I could barely get them to attend weekly meetings. But now, as sophomores, we're planning our homecoming float and fundraising in preparation for prom next year. It's a fun way to meet general education students and stay connected to my school's culture.... and only possible in a high school!!
Circle of Friends!
And on the note of clubs, I'm sure y'all know about my passion for my Circle of Friends clubs by now. I've heard of similar clubs working in elementary schools (and I ran one at the middle school where I interned) but it's just not the same. High school students are old enough to actually have a hand at running the club themselves as an Executive Board and there are fun events like dances and football games to attend as a group. It's just more fun (and, admittedly, more work) in a high school!
OK, OK, hear me out on this one. I think the reason that high school scares SLPs is that they don't feel comfortable taking on the "therapist" role. They prefer adorable 5-year-olds who aren't being tempted by drugs, experimenting sexually, cutting class, experiencing drama with friends, and learning to assert themselves.
But me (and hopefully those of you working in high schools)? I love it. Scenarios I have found myself in:
- A student broke down in tears in the middle of an artic session because he felt abandoned by his friends,
- A student broke down in tears in the middle of a fluency session because her mother had been hiding a cancer diagnosis from her and just told her,
- A different student broke down in tears in the middle of a different artic group because his grandmother was on life support and they were ending her life the next day,
- One of my speech-only students was caught with marijuana on campus... so as case manager, guess who had to deal with that one!
- A different speech-only student decided to start cutting most class periods every day... guess who become BFFs with the attendance officer??
- I had some "Real Talk" with a group of Mild/Mod students about drinking and driving after they started recounting their weekend adventures,
- I witnessed one of my male students essentially sexually harass a female student in the hallway; in our next session, we broke down the idea of consent and why what he thought was OK was absolutely unacceptable.
These are not the easiest conversations to have, by far. But at a school where one counselor manages 400 students and the school psychologists are swamped with IEP testing, sometimes it falls on the nearest adult to step up. Sometimes I look at my students and realize that their speech and language concerns fall at #41 on the list of difficulties in their life. Sometimes other things take priority. We're in such a unique position as SLPs to be a constant force in our students lives... let's do some good with that sway!
How about you? Why do you like working with teenagers with communication needs? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
As always, it doesn't have to be fancy, just keep it fun and functional!
- Jillian, the No-Frills SLP
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