Speech Therapy: Scheduling


This was the second year I used the "post-it" method of scheduling. There are several variations, but a sharp-eyed licensed assistant shared a post from Speaking of Speech with me, and I thought it was a great idea.

Other places to look:

I drew a very imperfect grid on my chalkboard, filled in spaces for lunch and walk-ups, and left the other spaces blank. I sent out a letter to each teacher who has a speech/language student and explained the process. The e-mail went out on Tuesday, the second day of school, for Thursday scheduling. I have to turn in a schedule by Friday and start seeing students next week, so I let teachers know that, and most are very understanding even though they are still working out their own schedules. 

When the teachers walk in, the speech groups are listed on post-its. Scheduling is painful, but I try to ease that with breakfast treats. This year, my wonderful mom made blueberry and apple-cinnamon muffins.
Here's a close-up of the time sections:
I arrived at school at 6:45. That's 6:45 a.m. Duty starts at 7:10, and I wanted everyone to have a fair chance at picking times. The first post-it is from 5th grade. They really put a lot of thought into their time because one of the students has a lot of services. The second post-it is from a kindergarten teacher who was already at school and followed me into my room to claim her time.

This is what the schedule looked like after lunch:
It's mostly filled in, but I have four more teachers to schedule with. Right now, I'm pretty happy because the schedule gives me time to work with my CFY and room to grow. That is not always the case.

I do have to point out that I have the support of my principal and assistant principal in doing the schedule this way. They saw how easy it went last year.

The benefit is that the teachers get to see the overall schedule, not just their students. Also, they get to pick the times which helps out with communication. Everyone was very accommodating, and there were very few instances where the first-choice time was taken.

And on an unrelated note, I have to share this product with you. It's called mavalus tape, and my sister and cousin introduced me to it. The tape is strong but doesn't pull paint off the walls. It's worth a try!







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4 comments

  1. Were your speech groups that were listed on the post-its for teachers kids all in the same class? Or I guess how do you group your kids to make this work it looks interesting!

    What I did and actually managed to have both sites done officially today with fairly happy teachers was:
    1. I personally check all "specials" times (pe music etc.)
    2. Check in with each teacher if there is any other time that a child ABSOLUTELY cannot miss.
    Fill in my schedule from there since I already knew who I wanted to group together. It was much harder to fit the kids all in at one site but super easy at my smaller site.

    How many kids do you have per group?

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    Replies
    1. I am at a big school with 6 teachers per grade level, Kg-5th. Most groups are in the same class because they were grouped in home rooms for services. There are a few groups with different teachers. Usually one teacher picks a time and the other is okay with that time. I do have to decide between grouping students by teachers or goals, but I usually go with classes for less interruptions during the day. Right now, my biggest group has 6 artic only students, but most groups are 2-4 students.

      Congrats on getting your schedule finished!

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    2. wow that is creative! I finished my scheduling today and I know it will probably change since the ELL teacher hasn't even been hired for the year ;)

      I send teachers an email telling them I will look at computer lab time (2x per week), library, keyboarding, art (2x month) and music but no guarantees. If they have specific times they'd like I tell them to respond to my e-mail and I will accommodate requests in the order I receive them :) (this year I sent the e-mail out at 11pm and by the time I checked my e-mail at 6am I had 8 responses)
      I schedule around RSP and OT and won't pull from Language Arts. Our principal sets the Language Arts time for the grade levels so I have that...whew...I feel exhausted and the only students I have seen so far are those HIGH PROFILE kiddos and the ones in the SDC classes.
      I then send teachers my finished spreadsheet and that helps since they realize that my schedule is VERY TIGHT and they are then happy with their times.
      I send a hard copy to them with their kids highlighted wrapped around a chocolate bar

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    3. I love the candy idea! The first week is hard and tiring. I am ready to see kids!

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