Lifelong Learning (#1)

This year has been an incredible year of change and growth for me. I have always believed in continuing my education beyond the university experience; however, I find myself striving like never before to improve my skills and broaden my perspective this year.

My family and I moved to Texas fairly recently (approximately 18 months ago). This may seem like a long time ago to some, but when you consider that we moved from our home of 20 years, it was a tremendous shift.

We came for a better education for our children, more career opportunities for my husband and myself, and a brighter financial future. We are attaining all of those goals here, and have gained a great deal through being able and willing to embrace the ideal of life-long learning.

I have been a school-based speech therapist for 10 years. When we moved to Texas, I found myself broadening my skills into the medical field, to help my family survive economically. I spent 14 months learning and growing, expanding my skills.

Then I was able to transition back to what I truly love-working with children. But I was surprised yet again by the differences in the roles of educational SLPs in Texas, versus my home state. I gained greater appreciation and understanding of new professional perspectives. I grew in flexibility as I now was expected to become more proficient with technology, familiarize myself with new state special education regulations and requirements, and gain some of that Southern hospitality and grace via osmosis.

I now divide my time between the schools (5 days) and long term care settings (1-2 days) per week. My husband's corporate position, like many others' in this great nation, has been a casualty of the recession. I find myself grateful for the ability to support my family in this difficult time, when so many people don't have options.

My husband has used this time to reflect on his past career, and has realized that he was happiest when he was teaching. He is expanding his knowledge base of the most current teaching techniques by completing an alternative certification program. He hopes to obtain a position in the fall teaching science to 4th-8th grade students. He is hopeful that our children are realizing the necessity of lifelong learning, perseverance, and flexibility.

I am continuing to strive for improvement in my work performance, becoming more organized, learning more about technology to increase my productivity, and deepening my knowledge base of instructional techniques and programs. I am proud of the example I am setting for my own children, and for my students. I know flexibility and a commitment to lifelong education will continue to be the keys to a successful career in the 21st century.