September 6, 2016
Kira Wright, CCC-SLP
It is a rough process, this transformation from summer to school year. Exciting for the new opportunities and the fresh start. Tough as we feel the loss of the summer we’re leaving behind. And as with any loss, we try to hold on and keep some tiny part of what we’re losing. In the last moments of Labor Day Weekend, the final, end of summer task has become clear to me: Keep some part of what was wonderful about summer, and bring it with me as I launch headlong into fall. This is happening on all kinds of levels!
How do we hold on to the best of summer?
As an organization, Hello is excited to continue our newly-formed clinicians’ book club! We launched this experiment in June with a group reading of The Whole-Brain Child, and celebrated our accomplishment with a dinner discussion in August. This fall, we’ve elected to read Lost At School, by Ross Greene. How can we support students with behavioral challenges? We'll learn together as we read and share!
As a professional, I love the perspective that summer gives me. As I head back into school buildings and log on to telepractice platforms, I will endeavor to keep the broad view of issues and relationships that seems so much more clear in summer. And I can take the fruits of my summer reading and discussion and light research with me as I work with teachers, families, and other clinicians.
And finally as a mom and a wife and a runner and an Oregonian, I want to carry over the self-care that I have cultivated this summer. For me, that means continuing to prioritize a full night’s sleep. And taking advantage of any moment I am given to reflect.
Here’s to the start of a fabulous school year, filled with little bits of what was best about summer. How are you holding on to the best of summer?
