Blog
What Nobody Informed Me
September 4, 2020
I have already learned so much about Speech Language Pathology and ISM in the quick 4 weeks I have been attending school. Some of those things being, online school is not so bad and you really can get a lot done when everyone's prepared. More specifically about Speech Pathology, I have gained that it includes much more than just talking and forming words, as I had previously assumed. These unexpected topics consisted of, swallowing, feeding habits as well as mannerisms. As a result of learning this, I am ready to ask some questions such as, In comparison to speaking, how important is it to address feeding or swallowing complications? As well as, what additional resources I could use when I am freely researching to find more specifics about those things? This week, something that provided me the feeling of success was finding a great article to do my first research assessment. This allowed me to gain knowledge and insight into what I should prepare for as well as assisted in development of some questions I now have. The only thing I felt that limited me this week was how general the article I analyzed was, to allow for personal growth, this upcoming week I intend to find an article that goes more in depth over one specific concept. I plan to use that strategy to get a deeper understanding of the subjects I was unaware of, apposed to hearing generalizations of what I already know. Nobody informed me about just how independent ISM allows me to be, as well as how much I would learn in just the first few weeks. I am thrilled to find a mentor very soon and see where this journey takes me.
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Discovering the Finer Details
September 13, 2020
The research I did this week blew me away, never did I ever think that there was so much detail I was yet to discover about Pediatric Speech Pathology. I was happy to achieve my goal of dissecting a subtopic, opposed to analyzing an article about the generals. This week I conducted my research around the feeding and swallowing disorders Speech Pathologists treat. Although it was a bit challenging to find just the right article(s), as I was finding more about adults, or specifics about certain hospitals, I was eventually able to find 2 articles that did just the trick. I was able to gain knowledge of symptoms of certain disorders, treatment, the specific professionals that treat the conditions, as well as techniques professionals use. This was very intriguing as I was ignorant to the fact that many eating and swallowing disorders that are identifiable to the eye, and not even a medical test is regularly necessary. This as well developed many questions, such as to what extent complications are identifiable to the eye, additionally what disorders are commonly treated without the use of therapy. I developed a great feeling of success this week as I unleashed a topic into my brain I was previously unmindful of. I was further informed of the team of people that work to treat those with Speech Pathology related complications, opposed to just one single professional. This has caused me to be curious of the different workplaces and professionals I could work alongside, as this is my planned route of study for the upcoming week.
Together Everyone Achieves More
September 20, 2020
The research I conducted this week undoubtedly had me out of my comfort zone as I have had negative experiences in group environments. It is vital to work in a group for many reasons, one being to avoid medical failure. A success I endured this week was articulating what could be a solution to medical failure if not working with a team of professionals. This idea being to make a regulation in my practice, that all diagnoses and treatment ideas must be "seconded" or approved by another professional before beginning treatment. I believe this is a necessary proposal as if for some reason a group is unaccessible, this will prevent error. In an alternative perspective, if teamwork is an option it will be my first choice. The research I did this week has me questioning in what circumstances does a professional turn to another professional for a solution, as well as how often it occurs that they are reached out to by another professional for their assistance. The single setback I had this week at first was understanding why teamwork was even necessary, until I found the article I used for my assessment. Then it was easy to conclude that working in a group provided many perks to the client and me one day as a professional. This idea is even beneficial to me for aspects of ISM as I can plan to focus my study on a subtopic, versus multiple things. I am still thinking of what it is best I research this upcoming week considering that thought. I am interested in expanding my approach to potentially solving errors in this field as well as studying details I have yet to discover about the teamwork involved.
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Creative but Effective
October 5, 2020
This week I experienced the most deep thinking I believe I have ever done before. In coming up with my original work, I wanted to create something that was creative, yet still effective and not one any more than the other. This was difficult, as I still have limited knowledge about the field of pediatric speech language pathology and I am unaware of "necessities". Then finally after analyzing the opinion of Coach Goff, I came up with an idea I hope to be successful. I could have started thinking of this idea much sooner, by doing research more in advance, which is what I would go back and improve if I could. But with that being learned I can use that mistake to develop my future work, as I will remember I want to be more prepared. This weeks work has me very exhilarated to go on interviews, and knowing I have some scheduled I can start preparing. I intend to use what I came up with this week, building a website for at home practice, as a stem to questions I can ask on interviews. These consist of, the effectiveness they think this could provide, as well as their personal willingness to give it a try, if even at all. I as well had success this week getting 2 interviews scheduled and I am grateful for the opportunities and looking forward to developing questions and conducting those in the next 2 weeks.
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The Troubles of Every Stage
October 19, 2020
This week conducted interviews with Melissa Smith, Holly Willis and Holly Reece. Something I chose to focus on this week during the interviews was the differences in age groups as well as the behavioral impact. This was beneficial for me as it gave me ideas of what I can practice in my current workplace based on the behavior of the children. I was successful this week in conducting multiple interviews, as well as analyzing an article over what is expected of young children. This upcoming week I plan to improve by conducting research over something specifically mentioned by one of the professionals to stem a more specific line of knowledge. I have grown in becoming more confident during my interviews, this has been helpful because I can really focus on the detail of the conversation. A way I can grow professionally is by leaving time to ask about my resume to make necessary changes. As well as assuring a time to ask what address I can send a thank you card, so I am sure to send a handwritten note. I am very thankful for my experiences this week as the professionals taught me a lot about the common occurrences with young kids and what I can research to gain knowledge of that on my own. I intend to use this weeks experiences to find a detail that I can pinpoint in this year's studies.
Every Age Has its Challenges
November 2, 2020
This week I was able to attend another observance with Candace Lunny. The girl I observed was 3 years old, turning 4 in December. Many things made this the highlight of my week. Primarily, the young girl was very energetic and sweet, she loved to tell stories and play with blocks during her session. I believe this is important to note as this allowed me to understand the patience this profession requires. This to me seemed a bit chaotic and messy, but what I noticed was that every time she was asked to stop playing with the blocks or wondering around the room, she no longer wanted to participate in the lesson. This age is known to be quite fidgety and curious as was represented to me very clearly, but noticing that a kid commonly does these things can be helpful in strategizing the way to go about the practice. I am looking forward to observing the same child this week and ask some questions and compare this session to the one I have already observed. I plan to be better this upcoming week by preparing many questions for Candace as I now know she is more than willing to help me learn as much as possible. Tomorrow I am joining a zoom therapy of Candace's as well that she is allowing me to participate in, as she sent me a coloring page that a young girl is going to be instructing me in order to make mine look like hers. I look forward to again differentiating the sessions.
New Journey
November 16, 2020
This week I was very successful in researching for my original work project. I was able to compare two different articles that were pretty similar, among what they believe is expected of a child's speech at a certain age. I plan to use this knowledge and talk with Candace about what information is more reliable as well as what is important to prioritize, as not all the information will be able to be included. I was also successful this week as I was able to schedule my first mentor visit with Candace Lunny for Monday, November 16th. I plan to use this time efficiently to go over the Mentorship Handbook, as well as go over the notes I was able to take and begin to develop my original work. Furthermore, I plan to question her as well as use the internet to find pictures that are usable and look good on the brochure. I was as well able to observe a young boy she did treatment on this week and something that interested me, was the commonality of final consonant deletion. This inspired this weeks research as I was able to compare her approach to correcting this, to one that was suggested online.
A Goal in Reach
December 7, 2020
This week was quite exciting from a learners standpoint. Not only was I able to focus entirely on my original work project, but I was able to make great progress with my mentor, Candace Lunny. I was able to develop a list of goals I would like to achieve during my time with her as my mentor, then meet with her and talk about them. This was exciting for me as I was already able to take a huge step in one of my goals, creating a lesson plan for her therapy sessions that I observe. This weekend I was able to develop a bingo game and a "Mad Lib" to use during my observation tomorrow and Candace said I could lead the way. So, using what I created I will be helping the young girl achieve her "th" and "v" articulation goals. This week upcoming week I plan to do better by focusing much of my attention on my original work and perfecting it as it is due Friday. As well as by analyzing the effectiveness of the activity I created was, to see if this could be the start of a potential final product or project in the future. I also plan on drafting a list of activities that could be fun for any therapy that could just be modified for this project idea. I am excited to see how I like leading the therapy tomorrow.
We Don't Meet People By Accident
September 28, 2020
The professional side of the Independent Study and Mentorship program has been most evident this week, than previous weeks. This week I was able to search for professionals as well as even get my first text back about interest in allowing me to join them for an interview. Although using Linkedin to find professionals I could interview is fairly simple, it is not nearly as simple to get a response. Something I have concluded from my work this week is that it is difficult to find professionals who have the time to invest in my study, alongside their busy schedules. I sent a connection message to around 10 professionals on Linkedin and unfortunately, did not get any responses. I was lucky enough to have the phone number of a professional I am interested in meeting and got a response, providing me the opportunity to get an interview scheduled soon. This reflected that reaching out over text, email or even over the phone is likely best as these professionals undeniably have busy schedules. The misfortune of initially not getting any Linkedin connections taught me a valuable lesson about the best way to reach those in this field. This uncoming week I plan to reach out via text, email or phone call to professionals I am interested in connecting with. This weeks experiences have me curious of the frequency of the use those in this field use Linkedin, as well as what I can do to improve the likelihood of professionals being interested in meeting with me, as I am with them.
The Professional Standard
October 12, 2020
This Monday, I had a great experience during the business symposium. I never realized how successful I could be with the root of very few qualities. These things mentioned by each of the professionals I met with consisted of, keeping an open mind, being willing to take opportunities as well as being positive. Each one of them shared an experience personal to them that represented the idea of keeping an open mind to me. This stood out to me because I originally went into this class thinking I knew what I wanted to do and it was not going to change. But, what the professionals represented to me was that I may be led to something completely different that will even further direct me into something I really love. Something a bit more specific that I felt very successful in result of this week, was talking to Candace Lunny, I spoke with her during the symposium and she does what I am interested in. She gave me her contact, so I will be sure to use that as a resource as she gave me many helpful tips in just 15 minutes. Using the knowledge I gained this week, I will develop questions and grow off of the general professional advice. This will aid in shaping myself as a professional that reflects the qualities they portrayed to me. I am as well looking forward to getting the feedback they mentioned about me and using it as a resource to grow and conduct better interviews.
The Art of Observance
October 26, 2020
I learned so much this week, not only about the field itself, but about how great the people involved are. I had the opportunity to observe Candace Lunny's practice with 7 year old, (name will stay confidential). This was a great way for me to learn as I was able to see how Candace conducts her practice, as well as how she handles behavior. I believe this week I was successful in analyzing the session and identifying the importance of how quickly the young girl was to correct her mistakes, as well as the time Candace allowed for her to "get her sillies out" and just visit with her. Ways in which I can improve next week, are by using the knowledge I gained from this session to compare to the observations Candace offered me for next week. This will be beneficial as I can ask questions based on the differences I see in two different childrens' therapy. Some questions I have developed based on my experiences are, how much of the therapy is spelling? How is the behavior of this child compared to others? And is there a specific amount of time allotted for just talking and conversation? This weeks experiences have me very excited for future visits with Candace as she mentioned more times she is willing to allow me to observe, as well as the opportunity to practice on her patients.
A Week of Major Progress
November 9, 2020
Much success was made this week. The highlight of my week? Getting the "yes" from my amazing new mentor, Candace Lunny. Candace has already done so much for me in such a short amount of time, so I have no doubt in my mind that the upcoming research/experience will be nothing but beneficial to my interest in pediatric speech pathology. I knew I wanted Candace to be my mentor the moment I saw how she managed the behavior of the kids, as I realized this is very similar to the approaches I take at my workplace (just more advanced/experienced of course). Just a few of the positives Candace has provided me thus far, have been- multiple opportunities (zoom and in-person) to observe, a list of books that will enhance my study (I have ordered 2 and started reading 1), as well as multiple times to talk and answer any questions I have. I plan to better myself in her presence this upcoming week by developing a list of some things I am looking forward to learning, or wanting to get out of her mentorship. This week I as well had the opportunity to develop the basis of my original work project, and create the template and color scheme based on research I did on how to draw readers attention. I am excited to meet with Candace and begin to place some information onto the brochure that will be useful for any parent to know. I am nothing but thrilled to get this journey with Candace started.
A Break, But Not Really
November 30, 2020
Over Thanksgiving break I was able to use the time off to be efficient but also take a little break from the nonstop "go, go, go". I was able to go on a mentor visit at the beginning of break, and observe a young girl I have been able to previously. I got many things out of this mentor visits including behavioral aspects and multiple strategies in treating different complications. More specifically, I was successful in learning of an app used for articulation, seeing an example of "initial consonant deletion", as well as "fronting", nasal sounds, an activity paper used to correct pronunciation. This was helpful to me as I have collected a group of resources that will help me in the future as this knowledge was added to. Additionally, I was successful this week as I spent some of the time I had off reading How to Talk So Little Kids Will Listen. I was able to take notes over the strategies mentioned in the book in treating behavior to again add to my resources for later on. One thing I plan to improve on this upcoming week is conducting outer research to develop questions and things I can relate to on mentor visits.
Halfway Through
December 14, 2020
This week put together all of my work throughout the semester. I am super content with this weeks work was a complete "summary" of my work and research from the beginning of my ISM journey. All of my work has been brought together into my brochure and it has been finalized and turned in. One way I could have improved throughout this project was making sure I logged everything I used throughout, as I had to submit the documents. Because I did not do so originally, I had to go back and find them all and log them before submitting my project. Although I was happy that I at least wrote down what I was using as I used it so I could go back and find them easier. I am now looking forward to coming up with an idea for my final product, whether that be expanding on this project or starting something fresh. I am as well looking forward to the impact and success of my project, as I hope it positively affects at least one person or family. Finally, I plan to write my original work assessment and assess the work I have done and what I could have done better. I will then use that as I develop my final product in hopes that it will reflect even more work than the original work product did.
Not Much of a Break
January 5, 2021
Over winter break I was able to get multiple mentor visits in. I wanted to take advantage of the free time I had and availability to go to the in person visits I am not usually able to because I am in school. This was beneficial to me as not only did I have the time to attend the visit, but I was able to spend more time assessing the visit and creating activities for the session. Due to my free time, I was able to get a lot done with my mentor as well as focus primarily on this. One thing I plan on improving for this upcoming week is my communication ahead of time with my mentor, as I forgot to notify her of my availability this week in advance. I am also looking forward to this week as I have planned another session to observe with Candace, but not only that. Fortunately for me, Candace offered to create multiple crash courses over important aspects of speech pathology. This week we planned a time to meet to go over the first "educational course" she created for me. I am excited to learn from her professional perspective and hopefully become even more intrigued with the career. After the educational portion of my meeting with her, I plan on staying and observing a session, as well as helping her out with an activity I created for the young girl's session.
A Week Similar to The Last
January 18, 2021
This week I was able to do many things that felt the same as the following week, but that is ok as it was very productive. Although I had a tight schedule this past week I was able to do a few things that have lead me closer to my dream profession. That being said, I was able to meet with Candace and I was lucky enough for her to provide me with a "crash course" over "Behavior Modification and Applied Behavior Analysis Therapy". This was very beneficial to me even today, as I work with young kids and it is helpful to know their can be legitimate logical ways to modify behavior, as opposed to what one may think is the correct way to address behavior. One thing that stood out to me is that the word "punishment" has a negative connotation, but those who have studied behavior know that this word only means to decrease a behavior and it does not necessarily need to be a bad thing. Thinking through behavior management with logic and reasoning, will be much more effective than just doing what one thinks may work. I hope to use what I learned this week at my current work place to get a head start on noticing the effects, and adjusting to assure greatness in behavior modification in the future.
Crash Course Introduction
January 11, 2021
This week I was able to get a lot done with my mentor, Candace. We were able to spend a good amount of time together this week as the school work was light. I was able to observe two of her sessions and learn various things from each, as they were both very different. Specifically, I was able to go to her home office and she was willing to teach me a crash course over "Deaf History and Sign Language". I learned a various amount of things I had not known of before, in even such a short amount of time. I am excited to plan more times to be able to learn things necessary to help me in this field. Another way I was successful this week was by researching the possible college paths for this field. This was beneficial to me as some of the colleges I plan to look at offer even the grad school, making my search even that much simpler. I as well took advantage of the time I was able to spend with my mentor and draft ideas for my final product that she was able to give me insight on. This upcoming week I plan on finalizing my idea and getting a head start on the 30 hours I will need by the conclusion of the project. I am interested in improving my work ethic in comparison to my original work project, in efforts for an even better finish.
A Busy One
January 25, 2021
Wow, this week was full of greatness, stress and thinking into the future. Although stress may not sound like a good thing, it made me efficient. This week I was able to meet with my mentor, Candace on Monday to observe a new client, which was very exciting. Then the week brought a jam packed schedule. I was able to look into the future in many ways, primarily this week I was provided the opportunity to tour TCU and learn about their Speech Pathology school. Not only was the campus and feel amazing, but the school sounded very appealing in terms of the major I am interested in. It allowed me to provide myself with some "standards" and think into what I need to look for. Furthermore, I was able to draft my final product proposal and calendar. This again had me looking into the future as I planned out the project. After doing so, I am very excited to get started and begin developing what will represent all my hard work throughout ISM 1. This upcoming week, I plan to open my schedule to be more available to Candace, to take advantage of the opportunities she is able to provide me. I as well intend to look into the Speech programs at many other schools.
A Lot in a Little Time
February 1, 2021
I had tons to do this week, from a test in PreCalc to a 15 minute speech. Focusing on my week in ISM, I was able to present my original work speech orderly how I proposed. Although it was lots of work to get everything in I would like to mention within the time limit, that being because I have learned so much and theres a ton of things I would love to share. Additionally, I was able to meet with Candace and she presented me a crash course over "Articulation, Phonological, and Motor Speech Disorders". Although some of it was just refreshers as she has mentioned many of them to me before, I was definitely able to learn many many things I have never even heard of. Just a few of the many things that had me interested were- the Phonetic Alphabet, Voiced vs. Voiceless sounds, as well as Patterns of Errors. In addition to the great amount of time my mentor was willing to spend teaching me this. I was able to observe 2 sessions during the week, not only that, but I was able to make some connections between what she taught me and the sessions themselves. This upcoming week I intend to give a bit more focus on my final product as the due date will come much quicker than I expect.
Busy Reality
February 15, 2021
This week was a busy one, between school work, appointments and my job. Although it was busy, I was able to realize how lucky I am to have such a great and flexible mentor alongside my super busy schedule. Hearing people in my ism class talk about how they’ve had a lot of mentor visits when they’ve had around 5 put me at ease (I’ve logged around 20), this being because I always feel bad not taking every opportunity I am offered. Although this course is not competitive at all, I want to make the most out of this amazing opportunity, so hearing that I am already getting much more out of it than others allows me to feel less guilty about not being able to do multiple visits every week. I was still able to join a session this week and analyze many things. Not only a great observance, but as well begin to draft the activity ideas I will create for my final product. This upcoming week, I plan to improve personally by using ism class to focus on ism related things in effort to log all 3 hours on focused final product work. I am excited to use the ideas I have drafted and the advice Candace gives me to create something great.
First of Many
March 1, 2021
This past week I was fortunate enough to observe my first feeding therapy. My thoughts thereafter were honestly quite sad, it was dreadful to see a four year old boy who did not even want to lick a piece of kraft mac and cheese, kids usually love that. This opened my eyes to the kids I could be exposed to in the future and further made me want to help those kids out as much as I can in this career. I also was able to really get a feel for the sacrifices I may have to make in the future of my career, that being because my mentor and I drove about an hour to go help this young boy for 45 minutes. I hope to show much willingness in the future as if the kid needs help, I would love to do anything I can to do so. I was also able to assess my final product with my mentor, Candace. She was able to give me some feedback as well as constructive criticism. I plan to spend much time this week on focused work on my final product as now I have a better idea of what will and will not work. I am excited to get in more observances this week as well as bring my final product closer to completion as I will be starting the physical components.
Anatomy
March 22, 2021
This week I was able to spend lots of focused time on learning more about this intriguing career. As I've mentioned multiple times before, none of this would be possible without my amazing mentor. I was able to learn from her about the anatomy of where speech pathologists study (what I will be focused on in college). Specifically, how the throat, nose, mouth, brain and everything in that region contribute to speech, swallowing, or both. I was fascinated with how something I would consider so random, supplies to these functions so directly. Beyond learning that, I was able to attend a therapy session conducted by my mentor, for a young boy. One thing that stood out to me was the pencil on yet ANOTHER wall in the boy's home (I saw it last time in a different room). This may seem unrelated, but it reminded me of the mischievousness of kids and the patience I will need to practice before entering this profession. Lastly, I was able to purchase the materials necessary for the creation of my final product, as well as draft exactly what I will need to print and type for each one to be done. For this upcoming week, I intend to spend more time on my project as we near final presentation night.
Significant Improvement
April 5, 2021
This week I was super lucky to be able to join my mentor, Mrs. Candace Lunny on a visit to Argyle to watch a feeding therapy she conducts, for the second time. She had mentioned the previous week that this young boy had been making significant improvement, so I was super eager to make it work into my schedule to be able to go observe. In doing so, I was able to see the boy improve from not taking any bites during the entire 45 minute session, to this time eating around 15 bites. This was super impressive to see that my mentor was able to make such an immense amount of progress in such a short amount of time. This got me super excited and even more eager to continue in the steps of the speech therapy career as I strive to be able to reach this with kids one day. Furthermore, I was able to observe the techniques she had been using to get there and that she was continuing to use that were causing the boy to take steps forward. For instance, he was not super motivated by her mentioning the taste of the foods, but was very motivated to beat the timer she had set on her phone. That being said, she took the time to figure out what caused him to react in the way she wanted, and continued to do so. This upcoming week I anticipate going on a couple visits, finishing my final product and learning some more about this amazing profession.
Not Concluded
April 19, 2021
Finally, I was able to conclude my project to as close to perfection as I would have liked to. I spent lots of time this week making every last little correction I could for my final project. Additionally, I was fortunate enough to watch a therapy session done by my mentor on a young girl. The aspect that stood out to me about this therapy was that the child was answering the questions much better and consistently when her attention was "there". The highlight of this week as a whole for me was most definitely the "crash course" my mentor taught me over "neurology". I did not think this was something I would care about, much less have an extreme desire to learn more about. Specifically, I was able to recognize that I am not against working with adults, and I would enjoy working with adults as well as kids. I was able to learn about different types of strokes, recovery and how a speech therapist is involved in this process. One thing my mentor made sure to highlight to me was that the difference between working with kids and adults when dealing with neurology or a stroke, is that the adults are truly very appreciative as they desire improvement; kids may just be getting help because their parents want to see improvement, not necessarily them. This upcoming week, I plan to focus on my Final Presentation Speech to be sure the knowledge I have gained is on display as much as possible.
Elementary School Truths
February 8, 2021
Never in my life would I have thought I would have a job in an elementary school. This week, my amazing mentor, Candace Lunny was able to put me at ease, as well as give me the harsh reality of the school environment that I may actually end up working in one day. My previous interviews and research have led me to a quite bias point of view, that being the school environment is not the ideal place for me. This being for many different reasons such as the collaboration with teachers, childrens' busy schedules, as well as other "school employee" job duties (ie. recess duty) that would not be required in a private practice. Although a common statement by every professional I have spoke with about the school environment has mentioned that there are SLPs that love working in this situation and that there is a chance I do too. I plan to keep my eyes open to future opportunities and lose the bias I may unintentionally hold. This upcoming week is going to be quite busy so I intend to use the time I do have to be very efficient and get a lot done. I also look forward to drafting my final product and imagining the conclusion.
Snowed In
February 22, 2021
This week was full of unknowns and surprising outcomes. I had planned on multiple mentor visits, all of which ended up being cancelled due to the outcomes of the Texas weather. Although, I must say, as I write this it is 70 degrees, believe it or not I could not get to mentor visits just days ago due to solid ice all over the roads. Even though I was unable to conduct any visits this week, I was able to get ahead on my final product. I successfully drafted the more specific details of 2/5 of my activities I will be creating. I did so by researching the common strategies used among children with final consonant deletion, as well as ways therapists enjoy going about the most. By doing so, I was able to predict the effectiveness of what I want to create and idealize further activities. In addition, I was able to write an assessment over the common strategy used in treating final consonant deletion called "minimal pairs". This is what I intend to focus my activities on as I create them, as they seem to have a very positive correlation to success, and therapists seem to commonly use them. This upcoming week as we begin virtual learning, I plan to attend in person visits I am not typically able to, as well as make even more progress on my final product.
Spring "Break"
March 14, 2021
During spring break, for the most part I was able to give myself a much deserved break. I was able to take a mental health break and relax in Florida. I am super lucky to have a very understanding mentor who agrees that time off is necessary. Although while doing so, I spent some time thinking about when and what I was going to get from the store to begin putting together my project and I plan to do that in the next couple of days. Additionally, I was able to spend my free time on the plane reading the book my mentor suggested “How to Talk So Little Kids Will Listen”. I enjoyed getting to do this because I am typically very busy with school work during the week, so I do not get much time to do so. This week I plan to improve my development on my final product by purchasing the supplies as well as making 2/5 activities physically. Furthermore I look forward to reviewing my mentors assessment on my digital portfolio. Lastly, I hope to have a week of a mentor visit or two to ensure productivity and progress in the way I hope the second semester will finish.
SAT and Productivity
March 29, 2021
This past week I was very stressed due to the in school SAT. Because of that I reserved time for mentor visits after I took it to avoid adding anything on top. On Thursday I was able to meet with my mentor Candace and we did a crash course over language. I was shocked to learn of how much more detail there is to things like nouns and adjectives that they simply don't teach you back in elementary school. After learning and being taught that, I was meet with her about my final product for the last time before it is completed. She gave me some final suggestions that I used to edit and finalize my project. After doing so, I rode with her to a therapy session and was able to see more of a young boys progress. Furthermore I was able to observe game-based therapy and some tactics she used to keep him engaged. Finally, I spent nearly all day Sunday assembling my final product. First, I was able to go back into the google docs with the pictures and typed words and make the changes Candace suggested. Then, I was able to print the activities off in color, ready to be cut and assembled. Then I spent LOTS of time cutting and pasting these into place, and in conclusion finished 3 of the 5 activities completely. This week I plan to purchase more laminating paper and finish the other 2 projects, as well as get in a visit with my mentor.
Final Wrap Up
April 12, 2021
It took lots of time to finally wrap up my final product and get all the details finalized. This week I finally did it, I was able to complete my activities. I am now just waiting on approval from my mentor, Mrs. Candace Lunny, as I gave them to her with the directions attached to ensure the directions are clear and that everything looks good without me there to explain it. I am super happy with how the activities turned out, I believe they really reflected the hard work I have done this year. I am interested in her feedback and am willing to make adjustments accordingly. Furthermore, this week I was able to attend two therapy sessions conducted by my mentor, each of which I was able to see significant improvement in the kiddos and the work being far worth it for my mentor. I enjoy seeing this amount of improvement because it inspires me to want to do so even more than I already do in the future. Additionally, I met with Candace via zoom and she taught me about "Dysphagia and Swallowing". I have learned bits and pieces about this as I have worked with her, but sitting down and really getting down to the details has me wanting to do more research and watch videos to learn even more. I am super grateful for her willingness to provide me with tons of knowledge.
Final Grades
May 2, 2021
This past week was a stressful one. As we near the end of the school year teachers are trying to get everything concluded and finalized. That being said, everything has been crammed into these past couple of weeks. ISM specifically, I did my dress rehearsal speech in class, twice due to microphone failure. Both times it went very well and I felt well prepared for my Final Presentation. I was not very nervous, but instead very excited to share my journey with my parents, close friends, as well as my mentor. The speech did not go exactly "on script" or how it went when I presented in class, but it was much more light hearted and personable. After doing so, I was able to see how proud all these people were of me, this made my work feel extra worth it. I plan to spend the upcoming weeks relaxing and taking advantage of the conclusion of this rigorous course. Although I do plan to continue to observe as I can, just less frequently as my schedule picks up as we approach summer break. I look forward to watching my speech back and evaluating myself and seeing where I can improve for next year as well as what I am interested in continuing to learn. Finally, I plan to get down to what I would like to study next year and begin looking into that.