Revisiting My 2014 Resolutions
Last December, I made 14 “Speech”-solutions. I decided to revisit them to see how I did. 14 was a lot of things to accomplish in one year, so I think this year, I’ll be reducing the amount!
1. Take the Introduction to PROMPT course: I will be checking this one of the list in February and will be sure to blog about my experience! ACCOMPLISHED: I even blogged about my experience. I have to say that it’s a skill you need to continually practice to stay sharp, and I haven’t been as good about practicing the more complex prompts (I do frequently use the early developing sound prompts, especially with my preschoolers).
2. Plan smarter, not harder: I find myself planning each and every weekend, so I’d like to start planning monthly so that I have more time for friends and other things I like to do. ACCOMPLISHED: I started to plan by the month and so far it’s working much better for me. I have a simple excel sheet (picture below) that I use at the the end of each month to plan for the upcoming month. It takes some time, but I try to prep all materials that I will need for the month and this has significantly reduced my planning time!
3. Follow more speech blogs – this a guilty pleasure! I have “met” so many other bloggers since starting mine in November 2012, so I’d like to continue to network and share ideas. ACCOMPLISHED: This is an ongoing resolution. There are so many wonderful bloggers and new ones are appearing almost daily!
4. Pin more! You can follow my boards HERE. Pinterest is definitely an inspiration for not only speech, but recipes, fitness, fashion, etc. I’m always looking for people to follow, so let me know of cool boards that you like! SORT OF ACCOMPLISHED: Sometimes I forget to pin. Sometimes I remember. I’ll have to continue to stay on top of this!!
5. Actually download and use all the free things I’ve wish listed from TpT! SORT OF ACCOMPLISHED: The new feature on TpT is really awesome because I was having difficulty remembering where I got a free item or when I wanted to use it. This way, I can easily see the ones I’ve downloaded and I will often visit this page when I’m planning to refresh my memory.
6. Find engaging, motivating, and educational apps that I can use in therapy. Of course, not all the time, but I love finding new apps that can help my students. ACCOMPLISHED: This is ongoing, as new apps are continually appearing! Lately, I’m loving the new My PlayHome School app (I love all these apps, and my companion packets make taking data easy).
7. Read Bringing Words To Life! I’ve heard such great things about this book, and I really need to get ahold of a copy so I can see what it’s all about. ACCOMPLISHED: I purchased it, read it, and got some great ideas about vocabulary instruction!
8. Delve deeper into the Social Thinking Program: Look for blog posts about how I introduce these topics in the next few months. ACCOMPLISHED: Again, this is ongoing. I have a couple 5th graders that I have been using Superflex with and it’s been really great for them. They love the Unthinkables! You can read some of my posts here.
9. Find new and different ways to use materials I already have! ACCOMPLISHED: This is ongoing, of course. This year, I posted about new ideas for Zingo, Apples To Apples, and I’m always looking for ways to use things I already own. These moments of inspiration sort of just happen for me during therapy!
10. Make more materials/activities to use with my students! ACCOMPLISHED: Ongoing! I LOVE making materials for my students and I don’t think this will ever end for me.
11. Learn more about Childhood Apraxia of Speech – this is an area I feel weakest in, so I’d like to learn whatever I can about this topic. SORT OF ACCOMPLISHED: I signed up for speechpathology.com recently and one of the things I plan to do during this break is take a few courses about this topic.
12. Collaborate with teachers to do more push-in services whenever possible. SORT OF ACCOMPLISHED: This varies by teacher, school, class, etc. I have been trying to push-in more where I can and find more ways to support my students in the classroom.
13. Post more questions on my Facebook page to garner discussion! I love reading all the things people have to say in response to a question! ACCOMPLISHED: I’ve been asking my followers all sorts of questions. I love hearing from you! Make sure you’re following my page – with the new FB rules, I’m never quite sure how many people actually see what I post.
14. Give myself a break from all things speech to enjoy other hobbies – it’s never far from mind, but learning how to switch it on and off would probably be a good thing! ACCOMPLISHED: Still sort of working on this, but I’ve found ways to unwind. Netflix is a great source of entertainment. I’ve been spending time with friends and enjoying life!
So…10/14 resolutions accomplished is pretty good! The 4 that I didn’t fully accomplish are in progress too! Did you make any resolutions? Did you keep them? Plans to make ones for 2015? Comment below and the first 2 people to leave their email can choose any product from my store!
Wish I could say I remembered my resolutions! [email protected]
I feel the same . I never really make them so I don’t have to feel defeat when I break them
Debbie, please email [email protected] to claim your prize!
[…] that you’ve seen my excel sheet (if not – check out a picture here), that is what I reference when I’m writing my Peek At My Week posts! So here’s a […]
[…] Plan by the month: This does take some time at the end of each month (see more details here), but this has helped me decrease what I have to do at […]