Be kind to this OLD LADY attempting to reenter the Educational world! I have been a preschool teacher for the past three year and stay at home mom before that...many brain cells have been left behind! I am applying to the FSU Bridge program for Speech and Language Pathology...a dream of mine for quite some time.
Prompt:
The 21st Century offers diverse opportunities and challenges for an SLP within a global society. Choose one or two areas of interest from the following list and discuss how the field of Speech Language Pathology can be incorporated within your chosen area of interest; what you believe you can contribute, and what you need to learn as a graduate student to prepare for the evolution of the field.
Areas of Interest:
Technology
Cultural diversity
Bilingualism- English language learners
African American English
Longevity and aging of America
Medical and educational supports to newborns and families
Expanding scope of practice in education
Augmentative communication
Academic success (written oral communication of literacy across the curriculum)
Medical advance
Higher and longer survival rates with disease and trauma
Cochlear implants
Here it is:
We pass in the hall half a dozen times. I observe him meandering down the hallway, stopping to admire my glaring fluorescent lights which cast an institutional glare on my cheerfully decorated classroom. I often question what his thoughts are. What does he notice? As a child on the Autism spectrum, Jacob struggles with the ability to fully and independently communicate with teachers, friends, and family. The light in his eyes allows me to see his potential and desire. I often stop to greet him in the hall and find myself wondering what role I can play in helping him reach his full academic potential.
We experience verbal communication day in and day out, and I often take for granted the ability to express myself. However, it only takes a moment of time to witness the frustration arise in a human when their ability to express themselves is revoked. As a preschool educator I see this frustration in small children, students with the most unabashed desire to relate to the world struggling with the innate ability to communicate. I observe their flawless developing thoughts in their actions and attentiveness; however it is lost in the most intimate form of communication, which is speech. I question my own practices when these situations arise and acknowledge my lack of understanding the crucial science behind speech production and perception.
Educators possess a natural internal desire to help their students achieve academic success in all their endeavors, and it is my mission to take my abilities a step further to increase my capacity to assist struggling students. I have the aspiration to learn the keys to communication and to have access to opening doors for students in my area. Serving both as a preschool and Elementary school aged educator, I have observed non-typical development through a student's formative years and how communicative disorders can affect their academic success. However, I struggle with not possessing the knowledge to be a catalyst to their success. My teaching experience has brought me to an educational crossroad in which I am preparing myself to offer more to the educational community. The prospect of learning the science behind communication is highly enticing to me and I look forward to applying my prior knowledge and experience in future endeavors.
I am confident that my devotion to children, education, and literacy will help catapult me to success in the world of Speech and Language Pathology. I developed a passion for learning about the typical and non-typical development of children long before my first college textbook was opened. I contain the patience to offer students security in my devotion to them and it is evident in my successful classroom experiences. I want to assist in encouraging and educating families and caregivers to promote the foundations of academic success in their children regardless of their development. I am eager to integrate my passion for education, desire to learn more about development, and determined personality into the world of Speech and Language Pathology.
