Mom voice

I was paid a very nice compliment by my supervisor in the St. Paul schools today. The compliment? I am developing a good mom voice and I don't even have kids yet!

Why is this important to a speech-language pathology student? Um...hello? I use a freakin' mom voice so much that it annoys me. Some kids just know how to push my buttons. Some of the sentences that I know I've said in the past week include the following:

• Please don't throw your trash on the floor. Use the garbage can.
• It is not okay to put down other people.
• It is not okay (or funny) to not listen to your teachers.
• We do not talk like that at speech.

Despite the need for the mom voice, I am still enjoying my practicum in the schools. The days go by really fast -- there is always something to do, and every day is different. I am learning a lot and feel like I would easily fit in a school setting, if that ends up being the path I'll take. Who knows....

The one thing that is sad sometimes is that a lot of the kids come from some pretty tough homes. There seem to be a lot of parents in jail or families living in homeless shelters. It's odd to hear kids and parents just mention things like that so nonchalantly. Like a parent at a meeting the other day mentioned that her kid goes to a tutor everyday. When we asked where, she said, "at the shelter." It's just not brought up as a big deal, and the mom didn't seem ashamed or anything. Not that she should be. It's just very different than I would think I (or one of my friends/family) would bring something like that up. I actually admire her matter-of-factness. I think sometimes I care too much about what others might think of me. Anyway, it's really interesting. And about the whole tutoring program at the shelter -- that made me super happy that really great programs seem to be alive and kicking in places that really need them. So yeah, schools can be frustrating and sad, but they are also filled with a lot of energy. And I laugh a lot at what these kids say and do.

In other SLP news, I had a phone interview with Children's Hospitals and Clinics today here in MSP. (Enough abbrevs for you?) It only lasted like 10 minutes, so I really have no idea how it went. The interview was for a summer practicum at one of their locations (either hospital or clinic). So we'll see. If I don't get it, it's okay. Then I'm thinking I'll work with adults this summer and take a break from kiddos. I'm also hoping for a lighter load of practicum this summer seeing as how I'm getting married and all. :)