It has been a very different school year! Starting in March 2020 there has been a need to switch from in-person learning to entirely online and now a hybrid model with seeing students in-person and some students online. It has been a year of professional growth while I try to meet the needs of all of my students.
Here are some of the things that I have learned this year:
- RELATIONSHIPS ARE IMPORTANT: Especially in this year in which nothing seems to stay the same, it is important to have good relationships not just with the students but also with the families. Flexibility has been key and it is always easier to compromise and adjust when there is a trust established between the families, students, and the therapists. There are going to be glitches ( ex. internet is out, a dog is barking in the background) but if there is a relationship established it is easier to ride with the flow.
- RESEARCH-BASED THERAPY SHOULD STILL BE USED: Even if we are doing therapy online it is important that we do not abandon research-based therapy. Although it might be easy when you are seeing students in person to switch up a therapy activity we need to also think of this when we are online. I do this by having multiple tabs open with the activities ( ex. pdf, online games, BOOM CARDS, ).
- GOOGLE CLASSROOM: My school is a Google Classroom District. I have been using Google Classroom to assist me in setting up the Google Meets, keeping track of what the students have done, and communicating with families, and giving resources that can be used after the therapy session. It also serves as a place where I put all the passwords for the students to refer back to for any of the online programs that I have given access to.
- MEETINGS AND PAPERWORK: Just as therapy sessions have been different so too has IEPs, diagnostics referral meetings, and paperwork. There is a need to remember that although we are coping with these differences so too are our families. We need to meet them where they are in their comfort with technology. My district uses online signing software to get all the needed signatures. Some of my families were not comfortable or had difficulty with the program. There was a need to think outside of the box and develop a system that allowed them to sign the papers that were not online yet were still at a distance. We created drop-off and pick-up areas and systems that maintained security, safety, and HIPAA laws.
This is my 42 year in education and at times I have felt like a newbie. It has been challenging but I have grown as a clinician, and my students have shown progress. “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education” – Martin Luther King. This has truly been a year of education, problem solving and relationship building.
