Low Stress Ways to Celebrate BSHM

May is Better Speech and Hearing Month! We get a whole month to celebrate our wonderful profession. But let’s face it. If you’re a school based SLP, May is also a crazy busy month. For me, we still have to get through May and most of June before we’re out for the summer. There is also state testing to contend with. Needless to say, as much as I would love to go all out and celebrate BSHM, it’s difficult to do. So I’ve come up with 10 low stress ways you can let coworkers know about our profession! Some are meant to be funny.

1. Post 5 different facts about speech/language/hearing in the teacher lunchroom each week. Handwrite, type, whatever!

2. If you hear teachers yelling, kindly tell them that it’s vocal abuse and slip in ways they could potentially harm their voices if they keep yelling. Then give them a bottle of water and remind them to hydrate!

3. Ask a teacher if he/she knows what SLPs do. If the answer is not “you work on sounds,” give them a great big smile and a lollipop!

4. Collaborate with your audiologist (if one serves your school) and offer free hearing screenings to staff one day after school. Then you can talk about ways to protect your hearing.

5. Have your students make posters describing what they work on in speech and why and decorate your room.

6. Ask for some time on the morning announcements and talk about some things that SLPs and audiologists do.

7. Get mighty mouth. Put on hand. Walk through the hall and recite various facts about our profession to anyone you see. Ignore any funny looks you get.

8. Hold a contest among staff to see if they can accurately tell you what CCC-SLP means. Again, give the winner a great big smile and a lollipop (or a cookie).

9. Buy some address labels. Print labels with various facts about our profession on them. Stick one on your shirt every day of the month. Someone (or many people) will ask you why you’re wearing a sticker and then you can launch into the many reasons you love your job.

10. Make up a cheer for BSHM and perform said cheer at drop off every morning. Ignore funny looks.

So there you have it! 10 low stress ways you can easily celebrate BSHM!! What’s your favorite?!