Head meet brickwall...

Oh Boy.

I've only been gone from work for a week.  ONE week.

How many referrals do we have for s/l testing?




FIVE.


"Only" 4/5 are pre-k.

You know, I've tested at LEAST 80 kids within the past 2 years (plus a few months).  Only one crawled under the table, but those pre-k...some have good knowledge of the word no.  Crossing my fingers that some of these 4 will be cooperative...I'm not betting so much on the twins.  Haven't had very good luck with twins since ...well since a year ago.

And, who thought it was a GOOD decision to pick up a child who scored 105 (average) or better?  My fill-in SLP that wasn't supposed to even be handling meetings this summer for me that's who...which is why I didn't want her there in the first place!  But, now we get to see him for 60 minutes a week when he's three, speaking in long sentences and rhyming!  She's not one to say no...

I'm thinking she needs a lesson (or two) from those pre-schoolers...

Almost there!

11 more days of school -- 9 with the kids!  The end can't come soon enough!  This week the kids are only here Mon.-Wed. and I have 8 meetings either before/after school those three days...gotta cram everything in these last few days.  We're still having incoming SSTs for testing as well, oh these pre-schoolers...

And then there's summer school (mandatory recall), but we're not thinking about that just yet...

Crossing another day off the calendar -- or well adding another day on the calendar at school.  Either way the end of May will come!

Wacky Work Wednesday

This afternoon after this kids had all left for the day we were working away on the back nine (or, far far away from the actual school) and being rather productive..Melisa was organizing and tossing old materials and I was on the phone talking about our newest prek entering the wonderful world of special ed. when all of a sudden the person I'm talking to says...

Wait - why is everyone walking out to the field? All the K, 1 and 2 teachers are walking out with their stuff....

He checks with someone walking by....

I hear:

Get your stuff and get out to the field, there's an evacuation.

Me: are you joking?!?! what -- why?

Him: They found an unexploded ordinance out in the parking lot. (They started to dig today to put in a new sidewalk)

Only on a military post...though I suppose we shouldn't be to surprised considering pearl harbor and all, but still -- we park in that parking lot everyday. Makes you wonder where else they might be.

But the best part?

We never would've known if I hadn't been on the phone. We'd been having wasps in and out of our room all day so we'd closed the doors/windows and turned on the a/c (more like a high powered fan -- we're in a portable). No announcements were made. We would've had no clue.

THAT is how our school operates.

AND....

No more friday work days until Nov. 13th. Yep, we're all furloughed. Well, except the custodians -- their union hasn't reached an agreement yet. Marches and speeches galore are planned for this friday -- the first furlough friday, with a performance by Jack Johnson. Note to self: stay away from town (a.k.a. honolulu).

The Good, Bad, Ridiculous and the Best

"Kids have strengths. Everyone has gifts and graces. We as a society need to do everything we can to lift them up."

- Kevin Drollinger, Executive Director, Epworth

The Good

-my head-butter sitting for 20 minutes today; he came in with a big smile on his face ready to work (or as some people would think, play). He actually shook his head no instead of acting out when offered a toy he didn't want. not.one.temper.tantrum.

-a good (short) week with all of my more "challenging" kiddos. They'd just come back from fall break and I think we all needed a break. The one that cries the entire time? Reached for bubbles and actually chose the right picture when asked, just once, but still! The one who is a screamer/hitter in group situations? requests favorite items using pictures in one-on-one sessions. The one I was at my wits end with? Actually seemed to engage and not just cry/be miserable. (are you seeing a trend with some of my pre-k? They aren't ALL like that -- we do have some non-tearful sessions)

The Bad

-That /r/ sound. Its my nemesis.

-5 IEPs in 3 days.

-Going over that 50 mark

-Probable furloughs=pay cut

-Paranoia over due process (oh that clarification of services blurb...)

The Ridiculous

-My fellow SLP has a K student that's in a wheelchair and not independent; he needs a 1:1 to get through the day. What did the administration do this week? Oh, they just took the 1:1 away. Came down to wording in the IEP (or budget cuts, honestly). Every team member said no, he needs it, but that didn't matter. Sure, the school said the aids would help him throughout the day...and there are 8 other K kids in this fully self-contained class. huh. like that's really realistic.

AB-SO-LUTE-LY RIDICULOUS.

And that's how we roll at our school...sigh...

The Balance Sheet

-The good outweighs the bad no doubt, but I'm thinking its a wash between the good and the ridiculous. But honestly? That's just a typical week at our school.

The Best

-There's two of us...we are not alone on this planet called public school.

-(most) of my kids coming in happy...good-a-mornin-miss-a-becky is how one of my prek says it and its the cutest. He makes all of us smile. I wish you could hear it.

-knowing that you earn every penny. I do not have the answers for every child; I am not a miracle worker. But small success are amazing.

The state of Hawaii is in a bit of a budget crises (who isn't these days?). They've been talking about salary cuts & furloughs (days of no work and no pay) for awhile now. Most state employees are already being furloughed two days a month or so.

The teacher's union has been under negotiations since this summer. They finally reached a tentative agreement that will be voted on tomorrow. If its ratified (and from what I hear its expected) it means 17 furlough days from now till the end of the year, which means about an 8% pay cut. They've already come up with the schedule and they're going to be on fridays starting with two next month. And the month of december? Nothing but 4 day work weeks. Supposed to save the union 5 million dollars every furlough day.

We as SLPs are not a part of the teacher's union here...we're a part of the hawaii government employees union. They have not completed negotiations with the DOE/BOE yet. So, who knows, but the likelihood of us getting furloughed is high.

I have my once a week kids on fridays -- not a lot of them, but enough to make me think about re-doing the schedule. That would mean I have to fit 50 kids in 3 1/2 days (they get out at 12:45 every wednesday). That means...pre-k class groups and higher numbers of kids in a group. Small groups are headed out the window for the most part anyways, but they'll be even higher. I don't know what we're going to do about service minutes as an IEP is a legally binding document.

In a way, the public schools are a business like any other. I know my kids are getting the short end of the stick. And there's nothing we can do about it. A few extra days off are nice I suppose, but its turning into quite a mess.

At least its Friday....

That's about the only good thing I can say about today.

It all started with one of my pre-k this morning. He was actually doing great -- trying to verbally imitate some words (open, pig, cow, duck, car, etc.) and attempting to sign open with a model...all things he's never done before. Until the last 5-10 min. He quickly climbed under the table and refused to come out. We eventually got him out and he really threw a fit when asked to sit. And the tantrum began. He cried and screamed, he hit, he kicked, he laid on the floor and cried...everybody was fine and safe until an inopportune moment when I was to close and let go of his hands...he promptly pulled off my glasses and then head butted me in the nose. That was a first. Luckily, I was fine. He, however continued to scream and carry on until he finally calmed and sat. 15 minutes past when his session was over. This child has no real words of his own and yet he knew he was choosing to not comply.

Let's say we have a couple different strategies to try next week. I really wish I had a rule book. How much is to much? When do you hold a child and when do you back off? When do they need physical prompting and when do they see that as a tool to escalate? Behavior, behavior, behavior....sigh You think you have a plan and then it turns out you didn't. But, I have one week till I see him again. So, we shall see.

That was enough, right? I'd say so!

But, it didn't stop there.

My next little one cried. That, I'm used to. She does it all the time. But, I'm starting to think our motto should be...send them to speech; where we make them cry and act out.

Next up is the K group after morning recess. Easy kids for the most part. Most K kids walk on their own in groups to us...however, that plan didn't work out today. The other SLP was absent so our communication aid was seeing those kids. She called for her K kiddo and the teacher started to send him and she left to go meet him. She must've JUST missed him somehow. Can you see where this is going?

Yes. We lost him.

We walked around for a minute and then had an ABP put out on the radio for him. Everyone from the custodians to counselors were looking for him.

Oh, they found him....in an ELL classroom with some other kids from his class. He was fine, but clearly needs to be walked from door to door from now on. My kids didn't get seen, but hey we practiced conversation skills!

The rest of the day went better. Thank goodness. Luckily there wasn't any fallout for us losing him; we are not....highly regarded individuals within our school community; by admin or some of the staff.

At LEAST it is friday. If it was Monday...I don't know what I would've done.

You know you're grown-up when....

You find yourself telling second graders "I have eyes in the back of my head..."

HA!

My group of 4 second graders are a rowdy bunch on tues/thurs. They're SLI only and loooove to have social time instead of work time. One of them didn't have all 4 chair legs on the floor and as I was taking data I told him to put his chair down. He was amazed that I noticed. Another one asked if when you become an adult you get eyes in the back of your head. Good to know that you can still impress them when they're 7!

Weekly Recap

Number of rainy days b/c of Felicia remanents: 2 (total fake out...it dissipated as it came towards us so no hurricane/tropical storm this week!)

Speech/language sessions this week: Eh...between 20-30

Number of homework folders given out: 43

Number of temper tantrums/refusals: 3

Number of pre-k to test: 3

Number of kids to observe: 4

Unbelievable comments this week:

*Kindergarten teachers that want to refer kids as 'speech' only instead of academic concerns to avoid RTI paperwork/implementation. Ooooh, that makes me so mad. No, you cannot push your kids to be SLI (speech/language impaired) to make your life easier. No, we are NOT that expendable and we will make you go through the entire process. And...just so you know, SLI kids do not count towards your special ed. teacher allocation -- not that that's the point....

*A FSC (fully self-contained) teacher's comment that she wished she had our job where we just see kids in small groups and send them back 20/30 min. later...our job must be easier. Yes, we sympathize with you -- you have a hard class this year. However the grass is not greener on the other side. Believe you me -- we write at least 50+ IEPs a year, attend ridiculous amounts of meetings and test test test. Our job isn't harder or easier than yours -- just different.

Positive Experiences of Note:

*Reassuring one parent that yes, her pre-k's sound development is completely age-appropriate. Saying /b/ for /v/ is completely normal at 4.

*Establishing rapport with one of my pre-k kiddos. Super challenging -- limited attention/focus, very limited language skills and tantrums when he doesn't want to do something -- which is....often. Walks all over his skills trainer (1:1 aid). Had a major meltdown last week, ran out of the room and threw himself on the ground hitting anyone within reach. His skills trainer took him back to class (...sigh...) Went in his room at circle time on friday and by the end he was sitting on my lap and following along with hand over hand assistance while being held tightly (sensory need; not being restrained). Once we were done he initiated communication by asking me sit again...AND he attempted to imitate the sign sit when modeled. He doesn't know many words...hasn't really been asked to do much in his 4 years..but this is a good starting point. I was really surprised at how quickly it all happened--we'll see how things progress this year. And I hope his skills trainer gets on board.

Next week is a 4 day week -- yay for Statehood Day!

Whew....

Today is the day that came to fast and we never thought would come -- the last day of school before winter break! 3 whole weeks! The kids got out at 11, so yesterday was our last day of therapy, but we had lots to do. Right now the school is being renovated a few rooms at a time. The time for us to move out of our room for a few weeks falls right around when break ends. So we had to be ready to go. Black writing on labels of boxes going into storage and red writing on the labels of the boxes going with us into our "temporary classroom". a.k.a. the library -- with a few other programs...school based behavioral health, primary school adjustment project and I think the school wellness program. This is going to be....interesting? Especially when there's only one key to the library and we have 24 boxes going with us (yeah, we're high maintenance). But, 24 out of over a 100 isn't bad...yes, we have speech/language related items and "stuff" galore!

And, now its the mad rush to pack to go to St.Louis for Christmas. We'll see what winter clothes we can dig up. Oh -- and we've found out we're staying in Hawaii till 2011 (feb.). So, we'll be sticking around here a little longer than initially anticipated. And yes, its in writing! This means another deployment in '09. We still have to move as well...that'll be fun...but I think we've found another place.

Below are photos from Nov./Dec. In no particular order:

Part of our room near the end of packing, labeling and taping

Our Pre-k's putting on their winter program. Most of them we claim as speech kids.
You know, we have 7 preschool classrooms...

After all the rain we had...this is what part of the area around the golf course
looked like. What was usually dry, turned into a lake.

Self-portrait before the ball

During Kathy's visit in November.

Just Another Day....

I got to be a part of this conversation after lunch today:

Z: When I grow up I'm going to be a pizza maker

Me: What kind of pizza will you make?

Z: Pepperoni

Me: What about pepperoni and mushroom?

Z: Nope, I don't know how.

Me: How about cheese?

Z: Yeah, ok. I can do that.

Communication aide: Are you going to toss them up in the air?

Z: No, I don't know how. I could learn though...so maybe

Absolutely hi-lar-ious! It may not come through as funny here...but he said it so seriously and was very definite about what he would and would not do. Everyone in the room was laughing. First graders say the most interesting things. :-)

P.S. Emily you'd be proud of one of my pre-k that brought a Dora (the explorer) princess book and insisted that she read it to me before we did anything else last week

Learning Curve

Every week since the start of school has been a long one, but this one was especially...interesting. Even though it was only 4 days. Thank goodness for that -- my fellow SLP and I went for some maragritas and mexican food straight after work.

Two meetings scheduled at the same time after school, printer issues, IEPs for kids you just met, 20 minutes per group -- less by the time they get to you, new kids coming in, reports due -- well, maybe you'd want a drink too.

Not to mention the kids you get that you don't know what to do with...anyone know about cochlear implants and hearing impairments? I'd love the info. Oh, we'll figure it out (thanks to a wonderful SLP coordinator!). They (two sisters) may not be at our school long, but while they are with us s/l minutes are my job.

Its a blessing and curse that we have so many options with our jobs as SLPs. We can work with adults and kids in a variety of settings...but with kids in schools there's the usual receptive/expressive language issues, articulation as well as voice, fluency, swallowing (though not so much), auditory processing and the lower level kiddos with autism, etc...and the heard-of-hearing/deaf population. So, there'll be a steep learning curve in that area. I haven't been working all that long -- a bit overwhelming still.

So, today was a bit more challenging than I usually like...but the neatest thing happened. I've started PECS (picture exchange communication system) with a pre-k. She doesn't talk or walk and generally faces a lot of challenges herself. The basic idea is to initate requests/communication using pictures -- she gives a picture of what she wants to one of us. Right now we're teaching to hand over the picture -- its just a basic motor movement we taught hand over hand -- she doesn't have to discriminate pictures (yet). We've been doing it for 60 minutes a week for two weeks. And, we came to today: she handed over the picture independently several times. That is cool. So, she is learning! I don't know how far we'll get in the program or if she can discriminate between pictures, but we'll keep going. That's the highlight of the week for sure.

Speech Superstars!

I acquired these pictures from Melisa. We finally have our door decorated with our approx. 60 speech (& language!) superstars that all colored a star for us. Should be an interesting semester.
Yay for statehood day on friday -- no school!!

Looked even better in person

What we see when we walk out the door....

Our door!

Its waaaaay to early!

Scott's headed off to NTC this morning -- a day early than originally planned but no biggie....he's just leaving waaaaay earlier in the morning than either of us would like. He has to be there at 3, yes 3. So, here we are at 2:15 getting ready to go. I'm definitely headed back to bed before getting up for work a little later. Happy thursday!

Back to School

The first day for kids is coming up this wednesday, though teachers & staff have been back for a few days already. In honor of the upcoming school year, I thought I'd post this cartoon. A little hard to read, but funny I think .... maybe more so for those SLPs out there. Surprisingly Melissa and I only have about 30 kids each, but we're expecting that number to go up, especially with the testing that's coming in -- being in a military school means that we get more than our fair share. We'll chalk it up to good experience though; along with scheduling 30+ kids in reg. ed, special ed inclusion/pull out and preschool. Let the fun begin! Have a good week everyone!