My Wednesday Win- Trusting myself in my work no matter how big or small the wins

Ah, coming back from Christmas break well-rested and full of inspiration with lofty goals for the new year. I woke up on January 6th bright and bushy-tailed to be back at work, but I must confess there was this storm cloud of worry hanging over my head. I was eager to see my kids and to hear about their highs of the break, but I was not eager to see if all the progress made during the prior semester had lost itself in our time away. I was worried that all of the kids' hard work in mastering their sounds and language had reset itself without our practice. I had a moment of doubt in myself that maybe I should have done more before break in attacking or drilling more goals right to send them off fresh and fully immersed. Had I done enough or do I do enough to instruct my kids on feeling confident in their communication when I am not with them as much? However, I was truly wrong. 

I saw my kids this week and they blew me away! They shined! One of my little boys was telling me all the things he got for Christmas and never missed one /r/ which we have been really drilling since our time together. One of my kids told me about his break using appropriate possessives and syntax, which he needed various supports in conversation with when we first started, and one of my first graders was so excited to be back in speech and practice her /s/ that she told me she had been working on it over break. I was so worried I had not inspired, cared for, or supported these kids enough to feel confident in their communication without me or that I had not educated them well enough on strategies that they can implement themselves, but I was wrong. To see how the kids came running in hugs to me, showed off their practice from break, or just had a conversation with me achieving accuracy, I knew that I had helped in some way or another to help these kids feel confident, supported, and motivated to set them up for success. 

My kids inspire me every day and they display such strength and capabilities I don't think I have ever seen in myself. While yes, the point of saying all of this is to celebrate my win in seeing how my kids felt and exhibited to be better communicators from my therapy, I think the theme can stand true for every therapist or provider. We need to celebrate our small victories more and not only be observant of how our kids show up for us but also how we show up for them. I believe as humans and especially as therapists it is easier for us to critique ourselves than others or it is easier to see light or give credit to others than it is to ourselves. However, this blog is a reminder to have more faith that if we lead our jobs with heart and efforts to be better providers in everything we do, big or small, that no matter if there was a bad or good day, there is always a win to take away. We can always end every day knowing we tried and did our best and success does not have to present itself in a big way, but it can still hold great value even if it is small. 

I encourage other speech therapists to have more faith in yourself in how you are supporting your clients in big or small ways. Trust yourself more in knowing you are trying your best and that that can mean the world to your kids in how you show up for them every session. I challenge you to trust that you are a valuable asset to the team that is made up of you and your students. Go into each session no matter how long it has been to trust the skills, love, and therapy you provide, and it will make a difference.

By Madison Ross, M.S., CF-SLP