CRUCIAL CONVERSATIONS - JUNE 5, 2020

This week has been incredibly hard as we all confront the senseless acts of violence directed toward Black and Brown people in our country. I have been feeling and learning a lot by reading, listening and engaging in difficult conversations. I am making a personal commitment to becoming more intentional about the materials I use for speech and language services so that each student feels honored and represented and sees races and cultures different to their own.

It can be hard to know where to start when talking to our kids about race. I have found that books can serve as a springboard, helping to initiate these conversations. They also provide background information and insight into what we may otherwise not get to see or understand.

This list is not comprehensive but it is a list of books about race for children. Many of these books are available as read-alouds online. I will be sharing more resources on my website next week.

I am here for you. Please be in touch with questions, concerns and suggestions.

NCSD SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST STATEMENT:

We won’t be silent.

As NCSD Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs), we affirm that Black lives matter, Black voices matter and our Black students and Black families matter. It is our passion and responsibility to help our students, each one of our students, discover their voices. We guide and empower our students to improve their abilities to communicate with others. For our black and brown students, their words can cost them their lives. Last week, once again, the world witnessed the brutality of racism. George Floyd's breath was cut off by the weight of hundreds of years of white supremacy and by the knee of a police officer who was supposed to safeguard his life. We acknowledge the brutal history of the founding of this nation and the institutional racism that has plagued and continues to infect our society at the expense of the health, safety and wellbeing of black people and all people of color.

Change begins with having honest, informed and open discussions with our children. We are committed to fostering the requisite language abilities in our students and intentionally incorporating content and literature that is representative of BIPOC. We have a responsibility as members of the NCSD community, clinicians and educators, and humans for the welfare of everyone we serve.

Echoing a recent statement released by an over 130 strong collective of SLPs for Justice, “...we condemn anti-Black racism, systemic and structural anti-Blackness, and the biases that are perpetuated against Black individuals that threaten their lives and silence their voices. We advocate for justice and equality in our daily work, committing to interrupting racism and speaking out against systemic oppression and police brutality, which historically have, and continue to threaten, the lives of the black community.”

We are here to listen, to learn, to support, and to advocate.

We won’t be silent.

Language is Literacy

Language is literacy! Students with communication disorders are at-risk for reading and writing difficulties. Did you know that reading and talking with your child are the two most effective methods of improving their language skills, increasing background knowledge and critical thinking abilities. These links and videos full of resources and replete with clear and concise language for how to support your student and advance literacy learning at home!