As a future teacher what do you see as your main weakness (or weaknesses) and how will you work on improving this (these)?

Originally I shied away from answering this question. I know it is very important to know and recognize my faults, both as a teacher and an individual. Understanding that there are always things I can, and should, be doing to improve myself both in and out of the classroom will be crucial for my students as well as career. Having said this, and while it is easy for me to pick out and recognize many of my own faults, it is still not an easy task for me to openly discuss and expose them to others.

I would have to say that one of my main weaknesses is in my time management skills. Don’t get me wrong, I usually accomplish everything I need to by the time it is necessary to be completed. But, I often find myself waiting until the last minute, or pretty close to it, to finish. I am a procrastinator. I usually have every intention of starting a task early, and sometimes do, but I seldom complete the task far in advance. Perhaps this behavior is due to the fact that I try to do many things all at the same time and can have a lack of focus on just one thing. While I am a busy person with try to balance school, activities, work and leisure, I think that occasionally I use this as an excuse for not accomplishing things sooner. When I do work on a task I want it to be done correctly and done well. Sometimes I also think that the perfectionist in me comes out and won’t let me be fully done with something until I think its good enough. I know I can manage some of my time better; I don’t just want to accept that this is the way I am and the way I work. I will have to continually work to improve in this area to become a better SLP. In order to provide clients with the best services I can offer. We have a limited time to spend together; I will have to be certain before each session that I have devoted adequate time to each and every case and come to every session prepared in advance.

Another weakness that is geared more towards my professional interactions with my peers has to do with the way I perceive things. Sometimes I have a difficult time looking at information from other, or multiple angles. I tend to look at things one way and assume that is how everyone else sees them as well. By taking this class I have already become more aware of ways to acknowledge other points of view. I hope to continue to develop this awareness throughout my career. This way of perceiving things can also be applied to the approaches I will use in therapy. For example, I may think that the best way to learn a desired skill is one way, but my client may benefit more from learning another way, or taking a different therapy approach.

Name one social issue of concern and project how schools, schooling, or you as a teacher might be able to help address this issue. What good will it do, what part can you play?

When I first decided to undertake answering some of the Big Questions presented to the class, I overlooked this one. I could think of so many different issues of social concern to discuss that I thought to narrow it down and only discuss one would be extremely difficult. As I reread the question last week however, one issue came to my mind immediately. Poverty.
After reading about the increasing presence of poverty in schools, as well as discussing it in our class jigsaw groups and addressing poverty in my strategies, I could think of fewer more appropriate and important issues to examine here. Poverty is a growing problem effecting students all throughout our country’s schools. Students living in poverty are often at higher risk for other problems. In Educational Psychology the issue of the “environment of poverty” is discussed. The environment of poverty points out that students of low socioeconomic backgrounds are often exposed to an accumulation of multiple risks that adversely affect healthy development on multiple levels.
One of the questions asked in our Jigsaw groups had to do specifically with poverty and hunger. “How can you help a student overcome hunger while sitting in your classroom?” Whether in a general education classroom or a private therapy room, being hungry (as a result of poverty) will undoubtedly affect a student’s performance. But, how can one teacher help or make a difference in the lives of hungry students? It is not realistic to expect to be able to provide food for all of your students. However, there are routes teachers can take in helping to establish free and/or low cost pre-school day breakfasts or lunches for the children in need within their schools. The principal and school board, as well as other teachers need to be involved and made aware of the conditions and needs of students, as well as various resource options they may not have otherwise been aware of. Sometimes even taking proper traditional courses of action may not yield the desired results for our students.
In situations where our immediate strategies do not work, it is important to continue to seek results and move forward toward change. We should also look to other schools for examples. We must remember in all that we do as teachers, that we need to always remain advocates for our students. We should do all that is within our means to help our students reach their highest level of success in school and in life.

Name three things you hold dear and on which you will not compromise. Why?

In my future profession there are things that I will not compromise on. The first thing I hold very dear and will never allow compromise on is that all people (clients, parents, adults, children, and other professionals) deserve to be treated with respect. Any person who comes into my therapy room for services will be treated with dignity and respect regardless of their mental or physical capacity, age, gender, or race. By projecting this respect for everyone in my clinical practice I hope that my colleagues, other professionals, and people seeking services will be comfortable with me and will establish an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust. Being able to trust me as a professional, and having my clients know that I respect them, will allow my clients to truly express and be themselves. As a result, clients will hopefully achieve their highest potential in our therapy time together.
Another thing that I refuse to compromise on in my future profession is that my clients will know what is expected of them in the therapy room. I want my clients to know that our time together should be enjoyable, but having fun is not our main objective. We are working together to improve their communication, not just to play. Clients will know that I expect them to work hard to improve their skills, and that there is a time and place for fun activities in therapy. That’s not to say we can’t have fun, we can, but my clients will know that I also expect them to work hard and practice. It is okay to get off task slightly, but we have a limited amount of time to spend together and it is important that the focus of that time is on helping the client. Also, I want my clients to be aware of why they are in therapy. If they know what our main goals and objectives are and we track their progress, clients can see how their improving, and know what we are ultimately working toward. This knowledge of our ultimate goal will hopefully serve as motivation for my clients to continue to work hard and strive to improve.
A third thing that I refuse to compromise on in my future profession has to do with the guidelines for SLPs and audiologists set forth by The American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA). ASHA has set forth rules of best practice and guidelines that all practicing SLPs and audiologists should follow. Staying within the scope for practice is important to me. Following these guidelines is a matter of ethics; adhering to these guidelines includes maintaining a level of professionalism that I believe all clients deserve.

Why does Society hold teachers to higher standards of moral and ethical behavior?

For me this was an easy question to answer; society holds teachers to higher standards of moral and ethical behavior because we are role models. Students spend approximately 7 hours a day, five days a week, nine months out of the year, in school. From their parents, many children learn the basis of what is right and wrong, and begin to learn to differentiate acceptable from unacceptable behaviors. When children begin to attend school, teachers become primary adult role models in their lives as well. Teachers have the opportunity to build upon the foundations that parents have already established. In some circumstances, teachers may even be the only positive adult role models a student will encounter in their lifetime. It is up to us to provide students with a living example both in and outside of the classroom. As teachers, whether we realize it or not, we are a huge influence on our students.
Not only are teachers role models for our students, but we are usually known within the community. Parents and other important people in our students’ lives also usually know who we are. Parents trust us with their children, and society trusts us to teach our students how to become productive members of that society. We are, or should be, teaching students life skills as well as academics. We are keepers of the future; we must remember that in the classroom and in life.

Why is collaborating with other teachers, or integrating courses or curricula, a matter of importance to you or your students, or to their futures?

This big question relates directly to some of the beliefs I discuss in my teaching philosophy. I believe educational speech-language pathologists must collaborate with teachers and other professionals to ensure maximum benefit for their clients; and I believe involving family members and other frequent communication partners is essential to a client’s success. Crossover, or generalization, is a main goal of speech-language services. All of the time and work that client and clinician put in to therapy will be of little, or no, benefit to the client if they still cannot communicate effectively outside of the therapy room.

Providing students with a collaborative service delivery, such as integrating therapy into the regular classroom, encourages generalization of skills. A collaborative, or integrated, therapy approach also provides for a more holistic view of the child; seeing them not only as a client in the therapy room, but also as a full person who needs to be able to use their skills in the “real world”. SLPs and teachers can also work together to enhance a child’s success in the classroom even if therapy service are provided using a “pull-out” method. A SLP could ask a teacher what units their classroom is covering, the SLP may then be able to integrate functional language, or other concepts related to the topic, into therapy. This type of collaborative approach can help enhance learning and encourage carryover as well.

In summary, speech-language pathology is not just about improving communication in the therapy room. In order to really have success, clients should be able to use their newly acquired communication skills in all settings. Success in the therapy room is wonderful, but without carryover therapy will be of little benefit to the student.

Answer to BIG Question 2

Why do you want to be a speech pathologist or audiologist?

I thought that tackling this question first would be a good way to introduce myself, as well as set the tone for the rest of my posted responses to the BIG questions asked by Professor Wilson.


When I first started college I had no idea what I wanted to study, much less pursue a career in. I have quite an array of interests, so I thought that narrowing them down and channeling them into a career path would be difficult. I have always known I would like to work with people and I have a strong interest in the medical, educational, and professional fields. I have a passion for working with people and am always striving to help those who want help. I believe that as a speech-language pathologist (SLP) I have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others while combining all of the areas I am interested in.



Although I have never experienced what it is like to have a communication disorder, I know people who have. I have witnessed some of the emotional affects that communication disorders can have on people. It is very important to see the person first, but unfortunately many people see the disorder that is on the outside first. As a SLP I will be able to help people improve not only a client's communication skills, but also their quality of life.



I am a compassionate, patient, caring, and dedicated person. I will work hard to help my clients because I truly care what happens to them. I will be understanding and patient when progress is slow and will be enthusiastic every time they show improvement. If people coming to me for help are willing to work hard, I will work hard with them to help them overcome their obstacles where I can.