By Sally Hayes
This fall, I began my fourth year as a Speech-Language Pathology Assistant (SLP-A) for the Windsor Central Supervisory Union in Woodstock, VT. I work primarily with middle and high school students. Although I have the desired degree for an SLP-A working in Vermont (a bachelor’s in communications), and have spent my entire professional career working in the fields of communication and language, I’ve always recognized the value of more training in specific areas of speech and language. I began taking courses in New Hampshire three summers ago, and attend several conferences each year with my supervising SLPs. I was thrilled when UVM decided to offer this program. I used to drive 60 miles to New Hampshire, and it is such a pleasure to be part of a program that is accessible to working people. I feel the coursework is actually more meaningful to someone who is already working as an SLP-A, because the college classroom and the therapy room are two different realities. Even the best training can’t mirror what it’s like to actually work with a student. The coursework just seems to make sense once you’ve actually worked in the field.
I am one of about a dozen students in the SLP-A program. Since July, we’ve attended classes in person, via ILN (interactive learning network) and DL (distance learning). We’ve become like family, a band of sisters (and one brother). Some of us are middle aged, most of us have full-time jobs and families, and a few of us are currently working as SLP-As in Vermont schools. That amounts to quite a bit of juggling. One Saturday each month, we meet in Montpelier for our Clinical Experience class. It is part academics, part support group, and Brooke Bitner has done a remarkable job of helping us succeed. She is caring, dedicated and the consummate professional.
Sonya Lague, an SLP-A at Newport City Elementary School, works with students in grades 4-6. “ The SLP-A program has provided me with great knowledge which I carry over with my students,” she says. “By better understanding where some of the challenges come from, it helps me help them.” Sonya adds, “I am very happy to be part of this program and would
strongly recommend it to anyone working in the SLP-A field.”
Tamera Davis, an SLP-A at the Grand Isle School, says, “The program at UVM this year was an excellent opportunity of bringing together my education and hands-on experience of being an SLP-A. The learning that I have done helps me to better serve the students and families in Grand Isle School.”
I love my work, but it is not without its challenges. Some SLPs embrace the SLP-A model; others are uncomfortable with it. I can understand both points of view. I am not an SLP. There are things I simply cannot do. I am fortunate to have supervising SLPs who are true mentors, and to be working in a district that supports my participation in the UVM program. I wish to complete this program, not only so I can feel as if I am as well trained as I can possibly be, but so my colleagues will have the same confidence. It is my hope that those of us who complete UVM’s SLP-A program will be recognized as trained professionals who can serve as valuable service providers in speech and language programs throughout Vermont schools.
Last modified February 24 2009 09:35 AM
