Note: I have been in the Leveling Program for Communication Disorders at Texas State University since August.
In Speech Development today, we were discussing Dr. Gawande's book "Better" and his five suggestions for becoming a positive deviant. The one that really stuck out to me was write something. Blogging is trendy right now, but I hope that it sticks around and isn't just a trend. It's not only a great way to keep up with someone's life, but it can be a tool for professionals. There are hundreds of teacher blogs, SLP blogs, and blogs for just about every profession, hobby, or interest. I've had this blog for quite a while, and yet I never write in it. Probably because I'm too busy and don't think about it, but I also don't know what to write about! Here's my goal (maybe a New Years resolution?): to write in this at least twice a month. You would think that would be feasible, right? We will see. I do wish that I had started writing more at the beginning of this semester so I remember everything that has happened.
Let's go back to the title of this post...this semester is almost over!!! November definitely snuck up on me. I felt like this was the month that everything was due and we had tons of exams. Even though there are 2 1/2 weeks left of the semester, there is still a LOT to do.
I still firmly believe that this program was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I was miserable when I was teaching and I just didn't want to live the rest of my life that way. Good thing I made this decision while I was young and didn't have any kids. In the few months I've been in school, I have learned an incredible amount of information of stuff I had no idea existed, made some awesome friends, and studied ten times more than I ever did in my undergrad! All my hard work is paying off (not to mention that we took 17 hour this semester and take 19 next semester)--I have 4 A's and one B! Pretty cool, right? I have learned how to use SALT, a program for language sample analysis. I have learned how to do hearing tests, hearing screenings, and even look at people's ear drums using an otoscope! I have learned about all the anatomy from the neck up, including the ear, brain, spinal cord, throat, mouth, nose, etc. Oh, and I also learned how to do IPA, which is cool but definitely looks like an alien wrote it. Next semester we will move onto bigger and better things!
I've already started the application process for grad school, which is going to be a huge expense. Who knew that just applying is hundreds of dollars? Then you actually have to go to school and pay tuition! They want application fees, fees to send your transcripts, the fees to take the GRE...it's expensive. But worth it in the end.
