Several years ago (and a great many years under our collective special ed belts) we decided to create a printable, shareable, free resource that described the special education process in a simple, easy to understand way. Our wonderful designer, Meagan, worked closely with THFers to bring this dream to life. Now, 4 years later, it… (read more)
Look at you. You’re committed to culture-building on your team. You’ve been working hard all year to do little, everyday things that make a big difference in how your team feels about the work they do and where they do it. You know that happy employees are 12% more productive than those who are unhappy and… (read more)
Any SLP in the schools knows that they wear many hats, only one of which is the therapist-hat. Depending on the building, other hats might include scheduling secretary, preventionist, collaborator, mediator, compliance specialist, and most certainly, advocate. In their advocate hat, SLPs advocate for and to students, families, teachers, but they might find themselves most… (read more)
The sun was out, the countryside was beautiful, and the company was unbeatable. Twenty THFers boarded the VIP Pdx bus last weekend and set out for an afternoon of food, friends, and wine in the Dundee Hills wine region of the Willamette Valley. We enjoyed visiting the Archery Summit and Lange Estate wineries, learning about methods,… (read more)
The job of a Special Education Administrator is one of the most challenging in a school district. Your responsibilities include overseeing the forward momentum of students with unique learning curves for whom there is no exact curriculum plus a thousand legal requirements that directly equate to funding for the entire district and reflect a district’s… (read more)
Even if you’ve never heard the phrase “practicing at the top of your license,” you probably instinctively know what it means: it is the idea that skilled professionals should engage primarily in activities that require their level of expertise and skill. This concept maintains that skilled professionals spending their time on unskilled tasks or tasks… (read more)
This is my 12th year working with The Hello Foundation and my 11th year providing speech therapy services via the Hello There model. I’ve worked in five states in over sixteen school districts or ESDs. Each placement has its own unique students, staff, relationships, problems, solutions, climate, and culture. I’ve been fortunate to have the… (read more)
THFers gathered for our 10th annual (!!) winter retreat last weekend. Looking back, we sure have grown over the years! In 2008, twelve of our clinicians gathered at a mountain cabin for a cozy, casual event. This year, we hit our record with 39 attendees. Wow! Our growth meant that we needed to change venues… (read more)
If there is one area where school-based clinicians always feel they can grow, it is in serving culturally and linguistically diverse populations. If you work in a school with a large number of Spanish-speaking families, there might be a system in place for supporting their needs, but everyone is acutely aware of how different the… (read more)
Happy New Year! Here at The Hello Foundation, we are very thankful for the wonderful School Administrators we work with. We appreciate all that you do to put kids first on a daily basis. We understand how stressful your jobs can be and truly value all that you do to make a difference! We are… (read more)