Get the Latest SLP Tips and Freebies Sent Straight to Your Inbox ➔

Search
Close this search box.

Tips and Tools for Speech Therapy: New School Placement

Are you headed to a new school and a new caseload? Or are you a new CF? I’m not a new CF but I am headed to new school placements with new caseloads!  I’m super excited too! I love the diversity that our job provides! This year, I will be returning to my traveling ways and working at two schools focusing on Pre-K through 5thprograms (Autism, Functional Life Skills, and Social-Emotional Disorders).  I feel like I am going home since I am returning to where my passion lies!


If you are also making a change in your school site or caseload placements, whether you are a new CF or a veteran SLP, here are some helpful tips to prepare you! 


1.     BE POSITIVE–  Yes, change can be scary (new school, new colleagues, new caseload).  However, with a positive attitude you will find that any changes that come your way can be handled with a smile and a warm personality!  Go into it as if you are a new student at the school.  This opportunity will provide you a chance to make new friends, learn new skills, and embrace a new environment.  Be a positive energy in your new job!
2.    PUT YOURSELF OUT THERE–  If you are like me, you may appear or be a bit of an introvert. Now is no time to be one!  Even if you have to force yourself (or promise yourself a huge Sundae later), introduce yourself with a smile!  Be sure to meet all the important people that make the school run (i.e. custodians, secretaries, administration, colleagues you work with daily, … well, basically, EVERYONE)!
3.    

  BE REALISTIC–  Okay, we all hate the dreaded closet! Shoot for the moon in your requests but compromise for the stars if that is truly what is available for you.  Now, I’m not suggesting that you be a push-over.  Make sure you have what you need for the best interests of your students and for your sanity (i.e. computer, table/desk, large enough space to pull a few kids, telephone, etc.) but be realistic (especially when in older buildings with possible limited resources).  If you get more than what you need, be thankful! For example, I will be providing my services mostly as a push-in.  However, one of my school sites have been fabulous enough to offer me a little space of my own that will have a table for the few pull out sessions I may need to provide, a filing cabinet and a book case so I can leave some of my supplies there instead of hauling them back and forth from home daily, and a laptop that is wirelessly connected to a printer so that I can get my paperwork and reports completed while on campus.  Would it be a dream to have a huge room to myself with a smartboard? It would be!  However, that is not realistic as I am the traveling SLP (there is another on site that has a great little office, but she sees the Pre-K through 5th and is there five days a week) who will be there part-time providing mostly push-in services in an older school that is already bursting at the seams. Therefore, I am extremely thankful for my own little space in the school!


Fear not! This school year will be wonderful if you start the year off with a friendly smile, a positive outlook, and realistic expectations! Are you starting your CF or at a new school?  What sort of caseload will you have?

Want more great tips, tricks, and ideas for successful speech therapy?  Subscribe to our , or visit us on Instagram, Pinterest, or Facebook.

 

Email
Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter

You might also like...

JOIN THE TLC TALK CLUB!

Sign up for therapy tips, ideas, exclusive free resources, and lesson plans in our SLP Freebie Vault!