Elementary SLP: Dani
For Teacher Interview Thursday I have the amazing Dani from The Messy SLP. If you don’t follow her on Instagram you need to because her videos are relatable to any person in education and hilarious. They always brighten up my day and make me laugh at the craziness that is now education today. Let’s face it things have changed so dramatically we all need a laugh to get through it or I would definitely be crying instead. I am so excited for you all to read Dani’s interview:
1. What did you want to be when you were growing up?
I had no clue, really. I wanted to be a teacher for a long time. I actually started out my undergrad as an English major.
2. Is there a moment that sticks out to you that you remember from school with a teacher you had growing up?
I had an English teacher in middle school, Mr. Locke, who didn't blink an eye when I asked him if I could write more than the assignment required. We had to write an alternate ending for a book we were reading and he sat and read through every single page (the assignment was massive). I was so encouraged by a teacher who didn't try to put limits on what I wanted to write. It was refreshing. I then went into college as an English major, mainly because of him, and found myself in a class with a professor who just honestly took the fun out of writing for me. I mean, after that class I switched my major and my path led me to speech pathology so no complaints!
3. How long have you been an SLP, what state do you work in, and what did it take for you to get there?
I am going on year two as an SLP. I graduated from Loma Linda University (LLU) in 2018. I completed my clinical fellowship year (CFY) in April 2019 and have been practicing with my CCCs since then. I currently work in Indiana but I am licensed in Indiana and California. Honestly, I didn't have to do much to get licensed in Indiana. At the time, I was working for a travel company so they really took care of everything. I initially got licensed in North Carolina and to be licensed with them, you have to meet minimums in each area of speech pathology (e.g., X amount of hours in child language evaluation). That was a pain but North Carolina is one of the few states that does that anymore so licensing in Indiana felt like a breeze. Just your typical fingerprints and application.
4. What is your go-to tool you use with your students and why?
Oh, this is a good question. I don't know I have a go-to tool. I am a drill-happy clinician. I am a big fan of muscle memory and high repetitions with my articulation students. I love using the LAMP device. I guess if I had to choose a go-to tool for a specific population, it'd be the LAMP device. Nothing is more beautiful than watching a child communicate for the first time with it.
5. Do you have an accommodation you would recommend for teachers to help students they see struggling with their speech?
I always tell parents and teacher about the 3:1 ratio. I want students to be encouraged to communicate with their "safe people", like their parents or teachers. So, with a 3:1 ratio, we're encouraging communication by not saying, "Hey, you said that wrong. Fix it." Instead, for every one "incorrect" way a student says something, we model it three times. (Please keep in mind, I am an elementary SLP). Kiddo says, "I have a tat" for "I have a cat". Teacher can say, "What!? You have a cat? What kind of cat? Ah man, I want a cat." While we're still responding to our students communication attempts and encouraging continued communication, we are modeling the adult production of that mispronounced word.
6. Your videos are awesome and so relatable as a teacher, what inspired you to start making them?
Ah, thank you! They're seriously so much fun. Well, I had this TheMessySLP Instagram and thought I wanted it to be more but I didn't know how I could do more. I was doing informative posts and such, trying to expand my reach. Then Reels came on Instagram and I am not on TikTok, so I saw it as a chance to try to be relevant? HA! Anyways, I told my boyfriend I felt like I needed to do them since everyone else was, but I wanted them to be funny. I genuinely enjoy making people laugh and I love seeing videos that make me go, "OH MY GOSH, YES! I so get that!" So, I just started recording. We started having so much fun with them and now it's a part of my daily routine.
7. Any advice for a new SLP you wish you had known?
You are a unique clinician. Your toolbox will differ from others' toolboxes. You do not have to be like the SLP you learned from or the SLP you are working with. You will not be perfect. You won't get it all right. But, if at the end of the day, you love your patients/students/clients well and you pour into them, you've done your job. The little stuff is hard but you'll learn it. Just be the best you that you can be for them and the rest will follow.
8. What is your district's plan for this year?
We are hybrid! Yahoo! So, we have three groups of students: Group A, Group B, and eLearning. Group A comes in M/W, Group B comes in T/Th, and eLearning is strictly virtual. From what I've heard, that is the plan until January. Who knows, though?
9. A lot of people have been saying they hope things start to change in education since this Pandemic, do you think anything will change from it?
I think it's natural to hope for change. I do hope there are changes. My boyfriend and his family are all educators and seeing not just how quickly they adapted but how beautifully they did is incredible. I think this pandemic taught us that educators are a special breed and are extremely underappreciated and under-recognized. I hope this pandemic, if nothing, gives educators the credit they deserve. I don't know how educators are doing it in this season but I am constantly amazed.
10. Last but not least, where do you see yourself in ten years?
Ah! This is so hard. I'm such a planner but if you had asked me this question two years ago, fresh out of grad school, it would have been vastly different than where I am now. I see myself having a family, running a private practice (either on the side or full time), maybe doing some research? That's such a hard question! Honestly, I see myself being a little more settled in my career and my personal life, but where that will be I have no idea! In my perfect dream world, I'll have a book published in ten years, but that's if the stars align and my boyfriend remains patient enough to see me through a doctorate and then writing a book. Ha! Which, let's face it, he will be. To think in ten years I'll have been an SLP for 12 years is mind-blowing (and somewhat exciting?)
Thanks so much for the incredible interview Dani!
Happy Teaching Everyone!
--
Dani Newcombe, M.S., CCC-SLPSpeech-Language Pathologist