What a monumental day! I sent off my last student loan payment of 103 dollars. This means I am officially loan free and 1/2 way to retirement. 15 years ago while I was filling out all the paperwork required to start 15 years of payments I felt like 15 years was forever away. But just like the scriptures that say "By small and simple means are great things brought to pass" in a blink of an eye I'm here.
I pause to think about me as a Speech Pathologist these last 15 years. I'll admit I don't think I had a clue what I was doing 15 years ago still don't know have a clue with treatment of /r/. I didn't stay in k-12 long enough to get good at it and luckily it's not a concern when they are 3-4. Side note- a few years ago when I was once again being shifted around I was talking to my coordinator about always having to move and she said it was the nature of preschool because there were less SLP's to work with. She suggested if I wanted stability I should move back to k-12. My response was I don't know I thing about treating an /r/. Lisa laughed and said "Oh hell that shouldn't be the reason you would figure it out". I started in Davis School District and worked one year in an Elementary School in Layton and Bountiful Jr. High. Then I moved to Salt Lake District in the Head Start Program for a couple of years, went part time and back to an Elementary School and a Jr. High for one year and then moved back to Special Ed preschool. Head Start was where fell in love with preschoolers, thanks in part to a great Special Ed. teacher Carolyn Bone. I observed and watched her artistically turn children's books into amazing therapy language group tools. At first I wasn't that great at doing language groups but as I observed and imitated my skills grew and now it's one of my funnest parts of my day when I can captivate an entire class with books and objects and get those little silent mouths to use words.
For a while I was a little bitter that I was always required to pack up and move but over time I've seen that the change has caused me to reach out of my comfort zone and embrace new skills. For instance I was happily back at Head Start working with the mild-moderate crowd of kids when the assignment came to move to a Severe preschool unit. The short time I spent in a severe preschool, before I was able to move back to head start, I felt pretty neutral towards the severe population. Autistic kids were not my favorite and I struggled with how to get progress out of them. But as I moved back to into the world of severe kids, most of whom have autism, I discovered new tricks to the trade and have found they are a joy and wonder to work with. I've adored working with down syndrome and other genetic disorder kids and feel like they are just a step away from Heaven and feel there choice spirits interacting with them each day.
At times I long to be a stay at home mom. I'm sure I'll feel a lot more caught up in life but I feel quitting my job would be like walking away from one of my purposes in this life. So I count my many blessings I get to work part time with a husband who encourages self reliance in women and independent kids who jump in to help.
As a part timer For better or worse (depending on the year) I've missed most "school picture days" I've only been forced to participate i.e. been at work during my first year then this year.
So here's to another 15+ years.
