Connection: It's Your Superpower
It was just an ordinary day. But sometimes ordinary can become extraordinary without fanfare or applause. Sometimes all it takes is saying "yes" to the ordinary to make room for the extraordinary.
"Your name holds superhero status in our house"
A parent said this to a speech language pathologist working with her young child. The SLP did nothing out of the ordinary. She just made sure to get down to eye level with this beautiful little person and build a connection through play. She responded to their words with delight. She modeled and expanded upon their phrases. She listened and wondered and adjusted her lesson plan as needed. She had no idea the positive impact she had made on this family.
Guess what this SLP was thinking that very same morning while preparing for work:
“I don’t know if I can do this anymore.” Does this sound familiar at all?
The Value of Connection
Even while having this thought and going about an ordinary day, something occurred to warrant a parent to come back with such a statement. Let's review the "ordinary" therapy session of this speech language pathologist.
First of all, she showed up! She said "yes" to the day and showed up. As with most educators, showing up doesn't mean just walking through the door, turning on the lights, and "fake it till you make it" through the day. Showing up includes all the preparations that occur before the day even arrives. Completing lesson plans, gathering and organizing materials, analyzing data, and connecting with co-workers and parents are just a few. Showing up also includes engagement.
She just made sure to get down to eye level with this beautiful little person and build a connection through play.
Secondly, she was intentional with how she greeted and engaged with this student. Building connections with others includes time, intention and authenticity. Building connections with children also includes playfulness. Although there never seems to be enough time to accomplish "all the things", the fortunate part about having a daily/weekly therapy schedule is the consistency of time. Being intentional with the time you have not only supports student growth, it supports student connection.
Build a connection through play
Just as we have intention with the instruction we provide, it is with having intention in the connections we build. SLPs and educators of young children agree the quickest way to build connections with students is through play. You can read some reasons behind this in a previous blog post 7 Reasons Why SLPs Love Playing Games. Despite how this SLP was feeling or what she was thinking earlier in the day, she engaged in meaningful play.
Respond with delight
In addition to time and intentionality, building connections demands authenticity, including authentic responses - how you display your emotions with gestures, tone of voice, facial expressions and the like. By getting down to eye level and responding with delightful authenticity, the SLP made sure her student knew they had her full attention and she was engaged and enjoying their time together.
Model and expand upon phrases
Connecting through play does not mean throwing instruction by the wayside. It's quite the opposite as play is inherently embedded with the give and take of instruction and guidance, especially if there is established trust. The SLP was able to provide the instruction needed to support the speech/language goals amid playful engagement. This is why play-based learning is so effective when working with kids. It ties play and instruction together purposefully and seamlessly.
Listen, wonder and adjust the plan accordingly
What seemed like simple play to the child included so much more on the part of the SLP. The ability to set up an environment that promotes one or more learning objectives, to observe what is working or not working and to know when (and how) to tweak and adjust the plan accordingly is a skill set that is anything but ordinary.
However, this SLP started her day feeling like she had lost her edge and wasn't sure how much longer she could continue. And yet, even with this mindset, consider what this weary SLP was able to do. She was able to connect, play, respond, model, expand, listen, wonder, and adjust. All with intention, authenticity and a resulting, extraordinary impact on that family.
Dear SLP and every educator reading this today:
Thank you for showing up and doing what you do, for making your time with students seem like playful engagement when we all know the hours and hours of WORK that go unseen to make it look so easy. If I can give any encouragement at all to those who are feeling like it's just too much, it would be this: Keep saying "yes" to the ordinary because what you have within you, what you have to offer others is quite extraordinary. Never underestimate the value of connection. It's your superpower!
Be sure to save this image (created using Canva) and post it in your ordinary room near your ordinary desk so you can be reminded that your ordinary day could be quite extraordinary for those you encounter.
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