SLP: Megan Keller
Today on the blog I have a super fun interview with one of my favorite SLP’s of all time, Megan Keller. Megan was part of the Special Ed. team at my first full year teaching and she was always a huge help to me! I was also amazed that someone who had such a huge case load, was crushing it at her job (not that she wouldn’t, but with 90 kids on her caseload she made it look flawlessly easy)! If you have not heard of an SLP before, it stands for Speech Language Pathologist. Usually students are pulled about twice a week for a period of time to work on their speech with the SLP.
Here is Megan’s interview:
1. What did you want to be when you were growing up?
I wanted to be a fashion designer up until my sophomore year of college when I decided I wanted to be a Speech Language Pathologist.
2. Is there a moment that sticks out to you that you remember from school with a teacher you had growing up (can be good, bad, or both) ?
I don’t really remember a specific moment, but I do remember the impact a teacher had on me. My 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. Kesting. Her positive spirit and encouragement left a lasting imprint on my heart. She was the first teacher that I felt like was my favorite teacher and to this day I think about her often.
3. How long have you been teaching, what do you teach, and what did it take for you to get there?
I have been a speech language pathologist for officially for 2 years. I worked 1 year prior to graduating with my Masters degree as an SLP on an emergency waiver. It took me 4 years of a Bachelors program and 3 years of a masters program to become a Speech Language Pathologist.
4. What is your go-to tool you use in your groups and why?
It really depends on the group and what each student’s goals are. I try to group my students together based on goals, but that is not always possible due to scheduling conflicts. However, even with all of that I do have my go-to therapy materials I prefer to use.
5. Is there anything you do to accommodate your students and how often do you find yourself using that accommodation?
This really depends on the individual student and what accommodations they might require. As an SLP it is important to be flexible. I am constantly making individual accommodations for my students whether it is behavior related or specific to help them make progress on their goals.
6. I've noticed being an SLP can be like being a special ed. teacher, in regards to there is only one of you on each campus, do you find it hard to connect and relate with the other educators on campus?
I think working in special ed in general can be isolating. I think it is very difficult for people who are not in special education to understand what our job entails and the roadblocks we face. I have a hard time building close relationships with teachers. 1. Because my schedule is so different than a teacher. When teachers are on lunch or in the lounge during recess, I am seeing groups of different grades. I do not participate in yard duty or after school staff meetings because I am either seeing groups or holding IEP meetings. 2. There is a lot of misunderstanding about the profession of speech language pathology. A lot of people think that SLP’s see students 1 on 1 and we have this very relaxed job where all we do is play games. Meanwhile, I am so overloaded with assessments, paperwork, IEP meetings and large groups of therapy that I barely have time to breathe. Obviously, there are teachers that I have connected with and seem to understand that my job is different than theirs and recognize how hard I work and I have a positive relationship with, but the lack of understanding from others makes it difficult to build strong working relationships.
7. Any advice for a new SLP ?
I would advise a school based SLP to:
1. Find a method to stay as organized as possible. If you lack organization and have a high caseload, it will make the job a million times harder for you.
2. Build relationships with the other SPED staff and admin asap. You will interact with these people the most and want to make sure you have a good relationship with them.
3. Don’t be afraid to stand your ground with a your professional recommendation. Staff will question you and think they know more than you, but you are the one who went to school to study this specialized field. You know what is best and if you’re wrong or mess up (you will) then own up to your mistakes.
8. How is it going teaching virtually?
I personally am not teaching virtually as I started my maternity leave the first week we started distance learning. However, I did have to prep individualized goal packets for each of my students and reach out to parents to set up teletherapy and this was a lot of work! I have also heard from other SLP’s that distance learning is an adjustment, but not as bad as they thought it would be.
9. I am so excited for you on your new baby adventure, since I have not gone through maternity leave but plan to at some point in the future, how is it? Any advice for expecting teachers and maternity leave?
I have been on maternity leave for 1 week so far and it is going great so far. The first few days were hard for me to let go of work. I kept checking my email and feeling a little anxious that things were going to be forgotten or messed up without me, but I am feeling better about letting go and focusing on myself and my baby. The only advice I would give is if you’re organized before you go on maternity leave, it will make the transition a lot easier.
10. 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 go back and forth with this one. Of course, I think there are things that need to change in education, but do I think they will change because of the pandemic? I don’t know about that. I think the things that will change, will be like classroom sizes, hygiene practices, large gatherings for lunch, assemblies, etc. I also think once we return back to school that distance learning might still be incorporated somehow. I also think that schools will be better prepared for future school closures after this.
10. Last but not least, what do you want to be when you grow up?
I think it would be really cool to be a nurse in a NICU!
Thanks again Megan!
Happy Teaching :)