Monthly Archive

School Based Clinicians Corner: Confessions of an SLP Name Caller

[Source: Crazy Speech World]

slpnamecaller
I’ve done something.  I’ve done it my entire career.  In fact, I’ve done it my entire life.  I call kids names.  It’s true. 

A few days back (or maybe more, I have no idea) I read some comments on a post in an SLP group about using names for kids.  Specifically, the word ‘kiddo’.  I read people horribly disgusted by the use of the word, and those defending it.  I had a pretty strong internal reaction, but in my 30’s I’ve learned to step back and think before speaking.  Being a passionate person, this has always been a real weakness for me, but the words I read really made me reflect.  So much that, I’ve continued to think about it and felt the need to write this post.
I thought about how I use the words kiddo, peanut, princess, handsome, and even pumpkin head, to refer to the children in my life, even my own.  Even the ones who aren’t my students.  Forgive my memory, but I can’t remember the third grader’s name in the classroom that I pull from once a week, but when he says “Hi Ms. Alcorn!”, I feel compelled to respond to him and it probably will be “hey kiddo!”.   I was horrified at the thought that that would make me less than good at my job in the eyes of some other people.  Other SLPs.  I felt defensive.  I hate that feeling.  I love my students so very very very much.  I respect them, their families, and their future.  I call them names out of nothing but love.  I think they know that.  They giggle, some older ones roll their eyes and smile, but I am confident that each one of them know that I am a person who they know loves them.
Read the Rest of this Article on Crazy Speech World

PediaStaff hires pediatric and school-based professionals nationwide for contract assignments of 2 to 12 months. We also help clinics, hospitals, schools, and home health agencies to find and hire these professionals directly. We work with Speech-Language Pathologists, Occupational and Physical Therapists, School Psychologists, and others in pediatric therapy and education.

BACK TO ALL ARTICLES

Latest Jobs