Do you have questions about working in speech therapy for middle school students?

This past school year I switched to working full-time for a new, wonderful district. The position they offered me was full-time in a middle school. I did not want to work in a middle school, but really wanted to work in this district so I took it, hoping an elementary position would open up soon.

In the past 7 months, I’ve absolutely fallen in love with middle school! The students are so clever, motivated, and engaged, just not always in the ways you’d want 😉

Below are some pros and cons that I’ve found when working with middle schoolers in speech and language therapy. Hopefully it’s helpful if you’re considering a position with this age group!

PROS for Working in Speech Therapy for Middle School:

1. You can have real, adult-like conversations with students every day in speech therapy for middle school. My students open up to me about intense, real, ongoing issues. These issues are complex and I love being a problem-solving partner for them!
2. You have a BIG opportunity to make a difference in a very challenging time in a student’s life. A little support and love goes a LONG way.
3. I have more prep time! I consistently hear this among middle school SLPS. Because scheduling can be tricky (see below), you actually have a bit more time for prep and paperwork within your day.
4. I feel so much more connected to my middle school students than I did with younger students. Many of my students consider me a friend/safe space.
5. Less “gross stuff” haha. There’s overall less bathrooming issues, diapers, snot, germs, coughing, sneezing, puking, etc.. 🙂
6. Fewer initial evaluations.
7. Less case management aka less “let’s start with speech and consider additional services later”. By the time they are in middle school, most students have a more appropriate eligibility label.
8. You can work more on materials related to the curriculum. It’s fun (to me) to target these higher level skills with some critical thinking thrown in.
9. Planning speech therapy for middle school is WAY easier. I laminate very little these days! I can do so much with an age-appropriate book, a short video, or index cards. I felt this way a little bit in elementary but I never felt super effective during those sessions. Middle schoolers have increased literacy skills, the ability to sit still and complete worksheets, and discuss their learning. To me, these factors combined make planning so, so much easier.
10. You know what else is easier? Rewards – I don’t do any! I almost always provide gum or tic-tacs (thanks Costco!) while students participate. I sometimes bring putty to keep busy hands busy. I rarely let students keep my “fancy pens” for particularly great things. That is it. No prize box, no brag tags, no rewards. It’s wonderful – and cheap!
11. I come home less exhausted! I love my preschool students so much BUT they are seriously exhausting. It is easy to forget how much energy they take – running, jumping, lifting, pulling. It’s a blast but I didn’t have much left when I got home.

CONS:

1. Some students are really over being in speech and language therapy. They start to really become embarrassed about needing extra services and this often comes out as behavior and frustration with you.
2. The attitude. There is a middle school attitude and it’s real. I combat it with sarcasm, jokes, being playful, and not taking anything personal but it.is.real.
3. I find scheduling to be more difficult. There are very limited times I can see each of my students. I combat this by doing a ton of in-class minutes which is super fun too.
4. Because times are limited, my speech therapy group size tends to be larger in middle school. I try to keep groups around 4 students to each group.
5. More (intense) behaviors. Older students are bigger and to be honest, some of my students can exhibit pretty unsafe behaviors directed towards themselves or adults. This has always been true across settings, but middle schoolers are so much bigger!
6. You’ll have tricky decisions about dismissal. I find that middle school seems to the the age where dismissal is considered for a variety of factors. These decisions are not easy or simple and make me overthink everything at times.

From what I can tell, certain personalities do better in a middle school. You should be fairly relaxed, open minded, be able to not take things personally, and be able to stay calm in pretty stressful situations.

*this is me ignoring a naughty student who grabbed my phone off the table and started taking pictures of me 😉

This year, I’ve had students get their faces right in mine and swear at me, completely refuse to come to therapy, and pinch/kick/scratch/punch me, but I seriously wouldn’t trade my position for any other one. My students see me as a cheerleader, a constant positive force in their lives, somebody who believes in them, and somebody who respects them. Because of this, I have really great success and wonderful buy-in from students 99% of the time.

If after reading this you are considering an age-range swap, try it! You can always go back… but I doubt you will 😉

Have you ever worked in a middle school? What is your favorite age-range?

{thanks for reading}