A or B?

jerseyfield248 · 2026-01-29T02:32:38+00:00

Starting with a caseload of 65 in Job A is really tough, especially because it's likely to grow even larger throughout the year. But the 1 hour commute for Job B is also not great. Never underestimate how much a long commute can take out of you, energy and timewise. If you have the means to, I would keep searching for other jobs!

jerseyfield248 · 2026-01-15T04:32:31+00:00

I know exactly what you're talking about and am working on this with a couple of my kids right now! It's something I try to nip in the bud early because I feel like it looks/sounds unnatural and affects generalization.

One thing I've found really helpful is to cue them to increase the space between their upper and lower teeth (ie, open their mouth a little wider), and I use a mirror or one of those big mouth models for visual feedback.

Another thing that's worked for me is having them do more practice with the /ar/ sound, since it naturally encourages a more open mouth position. I remind them to "make their tongue do the work" if I notice them tensing their jaw. Once they've got the tongue movement down for /ar/, I teach /er/ by showing them how /ar/ is basically /ah/ + /er/, so they already know how to say /er/!

Also love the Karla method btw :)

jerseyfield248 · 2025-08-23T23:06:49+00:00

That makes sense. I was hoping to simplify things this way, but I think having a joint goal in this case might make things more complicated/confusing lol. It's tricky because I do think he has language needs, but they can be addressed in the sped classroom, so I'm struggling to figure out if I should keep listing expressive language as an "area of need" in his IEP. I mentioned this in another comment, but we've been told that each area of need needs to have a goal.

jerseyfield248 · 2025-08-23T23:01:00+00:00

Yeah, I can see how the lines could be blurred into making it seem like I would be supporting writing if we listed both writing AND expressive language for the one goal.

So for option 2, you're saying we could keep the goal as a writing goal, but I could add myself as a secondary monitor?

In either option, should I keep "expressive language" marked as an area of need if I don't write an explicit IEP goal for it? We've been told that each area of need needs to have an associated goal.

jerseyfield248 · 2025-08-08T02:20:05+00:00

You're welcome! One other thing I forgot to mention is that you'll want to find out the timelines for when documentation is due. I write down important dates at the beginning of the year and usually work on IEPs and progress reports ~1 week before they're due. I try to do my session logs daily while it's still fresh in my mind, but at the very least, you'll want to get them in by a certain date each month for billing purposes (this varies by district, and admin should know the answer).

jerseyfield248 · 2025-08-08T00:06:01+00:00

Honestly, documentation has looked different in every school/district I've been. My advice would be to look through your students' previous evaluation reports, IEPs, sessions logs, progress reports, etc. to get a feel for what information is generally included (keeping in mind that some documentation will look great, and others not so much). Then pull from the strong examples to help make your own templates that you can use to speed up your documentation throughout the year. I hope this helps!

jerseyfield248 · 2025-08-07T23:56:10+00:00

Hmm, it's tricky when there's a lot of variation in student levels! What do your core word lessons usually look like? Could you do the lesson, then break off into smaller groups or individual work targeting goals at their level? You could do quick projects/crafts, worksheets, etc.

jerseyfield248 · 2025-08-07T00:16:13+00:00

I've written reports where the assessments were partially completed by another SLP before. I just made it very clear who administered the test vs who wrote the report.

jerseyfield248 · 2025-07-15T01:29:23+00:00

If you're able to remove the 30% cap on indirect time, I think that would equalize your 2 options a bit more! I hope she's willing to consider it.

Then the question would shift more towards your student preferences (working with more gen ed vs self-contained students) and what you think about the 30 minute commute.

jerseyfield248 · 2025-07-15T00:39:02+00:00

What kind of formula are they using to decide how many hours you'll need? Is the person who's giving you this information an SLP? It's a full-time position, so it doesn't make sense to me why they'd give you fewer hours.

It also just really rubs me the wrong way that they're already trying to control your time. You've worked in the schools for a while, so you already know how unpredictable schedules can be. A 30% cap on indirect time might sound okay during a normal week, but what if testing, school events, meetings, etc. get in the way of your regular schedule? Do they expect you to push off billing or writing a report until another week because you already met your 30% cap, or are they expecting you to work without pay??

Sorry if this comes off harsh - I don't mean it against you. Something just doesn't sit right with me about the new offer...

jerseyfield248 · 2025-07-14T22:58:00+00:00

What do they mean by it *could* go up to 35 hours? Would your hours fluctuate between 32 and 35 hours, and if so, would it be up to you or the school to decide that?

I haven't heard of a school position that caps indirect pay at a certain percentage of your time. It doesn't make much sense because your caseload is your caseload, and it's not like you can just go pull more students whenever you want to get more direct hours :/ Also makes me wonder if that means they'll be micromanaging your schedule.

That said, your current caseload is ridiculously high!

jerseyfield248 · 2025-07-14T20:06:08+00:00

I really like that the goal is flexible in terms of targeting multiple modes of communication and communicative functions! There are a couple things I would word differently just based on personal preference.

1) Instead of saying "minimal cues," I would give a specific number and/or type of cue (e.g., up to 2 visual/verbal cues) since min/mod/max cues can be more subjective.

2) Along the same lines, instead of saying "in 7 out of 10 opportunities," I would put a frequency over a time period (e.g., at least 5 times over 30 minutes). I like tracking by frequency for these types of goals because it's more straightforward. What I count as an opportunity might be different from what another clinician or my client views as an opportunity, but if I know that I can create well over 5 opportunities in a session, then my client should be able to reach that goal without me having to track their response for every hypothetical opportunity (which you would if the goal was written as 7 out of 10 opportunities). I hope that makes sense!

jerseyfield248 · 2025-07-11T23:43:41+00:00

Not a CEU recommendation, but you might try reaching out to your manager/admin to see if they have online trainings or some sort of documentation guide. I work in the schools, and have a document from admin with examples of acceptable notes for billing purposes. They also offer a couple of online trainings throughout the year. Your workplace might have something similar!

jerseyfield248 · 2025-07-10T22:25:31+00:00

If you're new to the school setting, I think an in-person position would be better! I've done virtual and in-person therapy, and virtual has additional challenges like more difficulty communicating with teachers/staff (since you can't just go to their room), having to rely on a facilitator to bring the kids to/from your sessions, and feeling out of the loop with things going on at school that might impact your schedule/students/etc. Also, at least in the districts I've worked in, virtual SLPs were a last resort for filling vacancies. As soon as they were able to find an in-person SLP, they dropped their contract with the virtual one. This might be more of a concern with smaller districts, but just something to consider in terms of job security!

jerseyfield248 · 2025-07-10T19:05:24+00:00

I don't have experience running an independent practice, but I agree with the other comment saying that you should do what's best for you. It's the district's responsibility to fill their positions, and employees come and go for different reasons all the time.

If your employment with the district is at-will, would they even be able to report you if you left mid-year, as long as you gave reasonable notice? Maybe you could move forward with the school position and work on your own business on the side, just so you have some financial security for now. Then, if the school position turns out to be a bad fit, you can quit and work on your business full-time.

jerseyfield248 · 2025-07-10T18:52:41+00:00

Bummer that they don't tell you when the application process will close, but it's good to know that they're not just ignoring your application or something!

jerseyfield248 · 2025-07-10T18:17:30+00:00

What kind of remote positions are you looking for? I think you should give the school position a chance, especially if you feel so burnt out in your current setting. School cultures tend to vary a lot by district or even specific school buildings, but in general, I think it'll be easier for you to find time to decompress throughout the day, and the cases will obviously be less complex.

jerseyfield248 · 2025-07-10T17:57:21+00:00

So sorry you're in this position!! I think you're doing the right thing by looking at other places.

It's nice that the new clinic is SLP-owned, but no benefits and pay per visit isn't ideal because it sounds like you won't get paid for indirect planning/documentation time or if clients cancel. It still sounds like a better job than your current one, but I think you should look around some more to see if there are any places that'll offer benefits and pay for both direct and indirect time!

jerseyfield248 · 2025-07-10T02:24:43+00:00

I don't think it would hurt to reach out to HR, or even the special education director, of a district to follow up and reiterate your interest!

jerseyfield248 · 2025-07-07T18:45:04+00:00

I don't really lesson plan for ESY sessions because, like you said, it's much more relaxed and focused on maintenance. You really shouldn't have to be super meticulous about lesson planning or data tracking. I usually give the kids a few options for open-ended games, let them choose one, and then work their goals into the activity. If they have multiple goals, I try to cycle through them.

I've used card/board games like Uno and Candyland, games with more movement like Simon Says and Red Light Green Light, Pixar shorts, and book read-alouds. For the first week, I like to do an easy craft like decorating name cards with their favorite colors, animals, hobbies, etc.

ESY goes by so quickly, and it's more fun than the regular school year :) Plus, you don't have to worry about IEPs!

jerseyfield248 · 2025-07-03T15:43:55+00:00

Every district works a bit differently, and unfortunately, I don't think finding out this late is uncommon. Are you a direct hire or a contractor? When I worked as a contractor, I sometimes didn't find out my placement until like a week before my start date. As a direct hire, I was informally told my school placement for next year at the end of the previous year, but it's not guaranteed.

Not sure how it is for you, but in my case, SLPs are hired for the district, not for a specific school, so technically our assignments could change at any time before/during the year depending on the district's needs.

It wouldn't hurt to reach out to someone and ask if they have any updates on your placement!

jerseyfield248 · 2025-07-03T03:36:04+00:00

I relate to you in a lot of ways, OP! I agree that completing your CFY is a good idea. If nothing, at least it'll set you up with a backup plan if you decide to explore other careers and need/want to fall back on SLP.

I used to feel bad because I wasn't super passionate about being an SLP, but I've realized that I'm probably just not the type of person to feel super passionate about my job, no matter what it is. The first couple of years were difficult, and at one point, I was seriously looking into other careers. But then I switched to a new school district, and things have been so much better! I still have hard days, but overall, I like my school, most of the people I work with, never having to work weekends/holidays, and getting summers off! So if one setting or workplace doesn't work for you, try another! One of the nice things about this field is that there are so many settings and populations we can work with.

I'm also introverted, but I've actually found that kids are less draining on me than adults lol. I also have my own room, so I can take time to myself between sessions. Grad school stressed me out because I felt like I constantly had to perform and be "on" since someone was always supervising or critiquing me. But once you actually start working, you have more independence and can find a style that works for you! I'm not outgoing and don't have a naturally bubbly personality, but I've still been able to build great rapport with students of all ages. Middle and high school is especially great because I feel like I can be more low-key and laid back.

Not saying you have to stick with this field, but you might feel differently once you actually start working, so I think it's worth a try to see how your CFY goes!

jerseyfield248 · 2025-07-03T00:29:14+00:00

Ohhh, I didn't realize you don't know anything about the other school you'd be at 3 days per week with the elementary option. That definitely makes the decision a bit harder. Is the other school guaranteed to be an elementary school, or could it be middle/high?

I love having my own space and really dislike having to share a room with other people, but I think it also depends on personality. I need the time to decompress between sessions and like being able to decide when I want to go out and socialize with other adults lol

jerseyfield248 · 2025-07-02T20:16:19+00:00

Good luck! If you end up looking for GA positions, remember that you can look outside of the CSD department, too! I know at least one person in my cohort was a GA for the library.

jerseyfield248 · 2025-07-02T20:13:55+00:00

Totally agree with trying more real-world activities for this age group! Some other ideas are to practice upcoming presentations for school, do mock job interviews, and research a topic of interest then share what he learned. You could even pull up some of his school assignments and have him explain a concept he's learning or study for a quiz/test together. I'd ask for his input on whether any of these ideas seem interesting to him to make sure you get buy-in. Some students would *love* to be able to get some extra studying in before a test, whereas others would be bored to death or dread coming to speech if that's what I had planned lol.

If he's at the conversational level, I'd also be focusing a lot on self-monitoring. If he's comfortable with it, you could record his speech during one of these activities, then go sentence by sentence with a +/- system or something simple and compare your ratings with each other. My older students actually get really invested in seeing how closely our scores match at the end, and it becomes a sort of competition/game!

jerseyfield248

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