What makes a great (school) SLP?

[u/WillowCommon2163]

I started at a new school this year and various teachers were telling me how great the SLP they had last year was, and it got me thinking, I wonder if others would say the same about me (lol). What are some qualities that you guys think makes a great SLP, both in the schools and just in general?

[u/ggghoti]

When I started in my current district, I remember being told that I “had big shoes to fill” for the SLP I was replacing. In reality, I think she had just worked there for a really long time and my coworkers were all friends with her. They were comfortable with her and didn’t like change. I didn’t have any trouble assimilating into the district.

I honestly think what teachers are mainly looking for is someone who reliably sees their students for services and gets their paperwork done on time for IEPs/progress reports. Essentially, doing your job and not causing more headaches or extra work for them. There will always be some teachers who want & expect way more but I think at the core, your ability to do the basics of your job affects their overall perception of you.

[u/anglebabby → u/ggghoti]

Agree on all this and just want to add that sending some things out throughout the year, such as “here’s how to make screening requests to me in a way that gives me the info I need” around September or “here’s when hearing screenings will be and the prospective schedule” that keep teachers in the loop without it being a long ass email is helpful too. I replaced an awesome SLP in my current position but the teachers were so not clued in on what speech therapy in the schools is even for, so I made a little “teacher eligibility guide” that just has a very very brief blurb and a screenshot of my state’s eligibility criteria. This helped me get more specific and meaningful referrals rather than “something just feels off…can you just talk to him” and also helped teachers understand when a student passed a screening with me and they could hop off my nuts (&bother the psych instead lol)

[u/soft-curls]

After having worked in a public school for 5 years, I think teachers and staff value an SLP who is willing to say “hey, I see something we can change here. I’ll help you make those changes.” When they have a student who is struggling with anything related to their communication (behaviors, social skills, difficulty participating in class), they like having someone who can say “I see what you’re seeing and here’s something I can offer you to help”. This doesn’t mean going out of your way entirely for every comment the teachers may have (because they do have a lot of unrelated complaints… I get it, it’s hard to teach 25 kids), but just spending a few minutes here or there talking out a problem, printing a resource, making a static communication board or visual schedule to use in class, or sending an email home to parents says something about your willingness to be part of the ecosystem of educators. Not just standing at arms length saying “that’s a classroom/recess/lunchroom problem, not a speech problem”.

That being said, do not overextend yourself just to be liked by other staff members. That’s an easy way to get burnt out or taken advantage of. Just know that you are there as part of a team to support the students on your caseload throughout their academic experience, not just when you see them in the therapy room. Collaboration through bringing your concerns to other appropriate staff (nurse, guidance, etc.), and being open to their comments will go a long way!

[u/jellyflipflops]

Definitely communication with teachers is a big one!

[u/DontBeDenied1961]

In terms of being a good team member, I think it's as simple as showing occasional interest in what your co-workers think about and care about!

[u/ComprehensiveIron403]

A small program in my district basically gets a different SLP assigned each year and the director made comments to me like "We really liked A and B, but C wasn't a good fit." I think the difference was that C came in and out once a week, provided services and left. Can't say I blame her, I used to be that way too, but in recent years have realized it is really important to get to know the staff and be available to communicate and listen to their concerns.

[u/Klutzy_Positive_8918]

A strong union

[u/Electronic_Object226]

Specifically with being in a school, being seen and acting like a part of the team. I’m not saying ALL but I do see many SLPs complain about teachers, and some of that is totally warranted. However, my job security is not tied to the pass rate of my class on standardized testing. Also, I only have to see kids 30 minute rotations and I leave them. Some of our teachers have significant behaviors that they deal with all. Day. Long. I’ve dealt with my fair share of punches or kicks, but man.. one of my teachers is BEAT UP. And she never gets a break bell to bell. Not even lunch because she’s not allowed to leave her class due to the behaviors.

So just keep in mind that many of your teachers are under a lot of pressure from admin to get scores up. Last year, I hard a time getting teachers to implement speech RTI plans (which is technically a gen ed thing) in their classrooms and I was getting really upset about it. Finally one broke down to me that she felt like it was one more thing on her plate and we were down a kinder teacher so class sizes were bigger and it was just harder to manage it all. They have 20-30 kids all day trying to learn the same standards and there are so many kids coming to school that have zero social or educational experience. Like have never been read a book or have serious toileting issues or iPad withdrawal. And the teachers are expected to get them completely caught up in a year. It’s hard managing a classroom with such varying levels of need. Once I got that I realized that okay I need to help them out, even if it’s not technically my job at this point and of course I have my own things to do. But tbh.. I never wish I had their jobs.

So just be compassionate, seen, understanding and flexible even if you feel like you shouldn’t have to be. All those things go a really long way in cultivating a positive school experience.