One Week Down...

I don't know about other SLPs who have returned to work but y'all, I am suffering from what I like to call End of Summer Depression (ESD for short).  This first week back has struggle central in the speech room, mainly because the first week back is full of paperwork, scheduling, and PD presentations that don't apply to speech A.K.A my least favorite aspects of being a school based SLP.  I know that when my kiddos return on Monday I will be singing a different tune but this week almost did me in.  My room is finally starting to look like a room again and the first draft of my weekly schedule is slowly coming together.  I will say that it is 10,000 times easier this time around compared to my first year, where the name of the game was just keeping my head above water.  And now without further adieu here is a photo tour of speech room

Just like I left it in May

Attempting to make the room look less jail cell-esque 

Games, Activities, and Artic Cards

Under the calendar are our theme of the week, speech rules, and no way words posters

This blank wall will house our projects and artwork from the week's theme (please excuse the disaster that my desk is already becoming)

I have finally found a way to store my TpT creations/downloads! These crates are from Walmart but I have seen similar ones at Target in their back to school section.

This year I am making sure my kiddos know what they are working towards each time they come into the speech room.  I made 6 of these cards that each kiddo will fill out before we start our session.

And there you have it folks!  It's small and claustrophobic but it's all mine.  I am excited to see my speech babies this week and learn all about their fun filled summers using this Summer Synopsis packet.  

To those SLPs who have returned, welcome back and to those of you who are still enjoying summer... enjoy it while it lasts.

It's That Time Again

It's hard to believe the summer is quickly coming to an end (teachers in our district head back on MONDAY!).  It seem like just yesterday I was packing up and cleaning my speech room for the summer.  This summer has been a blessing with many adventures and visitors but I am ready to get back to my speech room and see my kiddos.  I am feeling 10,000 times more prepared for this year than I did last year, it's amazing what one learns in one year as a school based SLP.  I have been slowly organizing the materials I have at home, developing some new classroom management tools, and creating some fun new ice breaking activities to get my kids back in speech mode.  To all the new CFs out there who are just trying to keep their heads above water, let me tell you... it does get better/easier/less stressful!  

This year I am doing a complete overhaul of the way I approach speech and language therapy... last year I was in survival mode which means that many times my kids were just playing games and practicing their speech and language goals.  This year I am having themed weeks and will be in charge of picking the activity 95% of the time.  I'm sure it will take some adjusting for both myself and my kiddos but in the long run I think everyone will be happier/get more out of our time together in the speech room. 

taking advantage of Walmart's 10% cash back on school supplies 

The back to school stack continues to grow 

This summer I finally got around to organizing all my TpT materials into thematic groups. 

Finally got my back to school ice breaking activity up on TpT!  It includes three different graphic organizers (varying skill level) that students can use to summarize their summers. Also included are 12 wh- ice breaking questions about summer and the start of the school year. I plan to use these activities as an ice breaker, to collect informal baseline data, and target various speech and language goals.  It's 20% off for the next 24 hours!  You can find it here

SLP Natalie