309: New Year, New Vibes: Rebooting Speech After the Break Without Losing Your Mind

Show Notes:

In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, Hallie tackles the chaos of returning to work in January. If you're feeling like you need a vacation from your vacation, this one's for you. She's dishing out practical strategies for easing back into therapy mode, getting your students re-engaged (even when they'd rather be literally anywhere else), and turning that New Year energy into actual buy-in. Hallie also shares how one simple activity can hit multiple goals across your entire caseload—because who has time to prep five different things? It's all about working smarter, not harder, and remembering that relationships matter just as much as data.

Here's what we learned:

  • Stretching before the sprint—ease into the first week instead of going full throttle. 
  • Your students are coming back just as tired and unmotivated as you are (totally normal!).
  • Asking “what would make speech more useful or fun for you?” is a game changer. 
  • One activity can work for your entire caseload when you know how to adapt it. 
  • Show students their voice matters, and they'll actually want to show up. 
  • You don't need to be perfect—just present, creative, and compassionate.

RESOURCES

📘✨ Grab your copy of The Secondary SLP Roadmap here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/stf-book 

Learn more about Hallie Sherman  and SLP Elevate: 

JOKE OF THE WEEK:

Q: Why do math books look so sad in January?

A: Because they have too many problems.

Where We Can Connect: 

Subscribe & Review on Apple Podcasts

Are you subscribed to the podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to subscribe today so you don’t miss any future episodes! I already have so many amazing guests and topics lined up, I would hate for you to miss a single one!  Click here to subscribe on Apple Podcasts.

Could I ask a big favor? If you are loving the podcast, I would LOVE it if you would leave me a review on Apple Podcasts. I read each and every review.  Plus, you get to pay it forward because it will allow other teachers like you to find the podcast! Wondering how to leave a review? Click here to review, then select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review”.  So easy and so appreciated! 

Do you have a question you would like me to answer on the podcast?

GREAT! CLICK HERE TO FILL OUT THE FORM! 

TRANSCRIPT

00:00:00 Hallie: Hey there SLP friends, is Hallie here, popping in with the best news ever. My new book, Secondary SLP Roadmap is officially available. If you've ever wished for a clear, practical guide for working with middle and high school students, this is it. It is packed with real stories, ready to use strategies and tools you can use right away. Grab your copy now. Check the link in the show notes or search Secondary SLP Roadmap on Amazon. And then of course, please do me a favor. When you are reading it, snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @speechtimefun. I love seeing where you're diving in. The speech room, the couch, waiting in a doctor's waiting room, all the places. All right, ready? Go grab your copy and let's make secondary speech feel doable and fun.

00:00:58 Hallie: Welcome to SLP Coffee Talk, the podcast designed exclusively for speech language pathologists who work with older students, grades 4 through 12. I am your host, Hallie Sherman, your SLP behind Speech Time Fun, the Speech Retreat Conference, and the SLP Elevate Membership. And I'm thrilled to bring you conversations, strategies, and insights that will give you the jolt of inspiration that you need. Whether you're tuning in during your morning commute, on a break in between sessions, or even during a well-deserved relaxation time. I am here for you each and every week. Let's do this SLPs.

00:01:38 Hallie: Hey, hey, and welcome to another episode of SLP Coffee Talk, your go-to podcast for practical tips, real talk, and inspiration brewed fresh just for your school-based SLPs. And I'm your host, and yes, we made it. It is 2026. And if you're anything like me, first week back after break can hit harder than like a rogue Nerf dart in the therapy room. Let's be real, coming back after holiday break can feel like you're trying to run a therapy session in a room full of sleepy bears emerging from hibernation. And those sleepy bears are yes, you and your students. Okay, that's definitely the difference, especially when you're working with those older ones, that they are gonna definitely come in tired, cranky, and not wanting to be there.

00:02:29 Hallie: So today we're gonna be talking about how you can reset yourself after break without needing another vacation, ways to re-engage your students who are still emotionally attached to their cozy winter break pajamas, and how to use the New Year buzz to talk about personal goals without making it feel like a health class. Plus, I'm gonna be sharing some ways that you can use one single activity with all your groups and how it can all tie into my secret sauce, my speech therapy recipe for success, which is understanding creativity, adaptability, and compassion. So, let's get to it.

00:03:04 Hallie: All right, so first things first, you. Before we can engage our students, we have to find our rhythm again. And no, drinking your fourth cup of coffee before 9 AM doesn't count as a strategy. Let's be real, we don't have that much time to go to the bathroom. So here's what I recommend, start light. Don't try to dive right into progress monitoring, IEPs, and hard data first thing. I know you might have some deadlines but hear me out. Think of the first week back like, stretching before a run. You wouldn't sprint out of the gate unless you want to pull a metaphorical therapy muscle.

00:03:42 Hallie: Review, connect, and reset. Use that first session back with each group to do a quick check-in, play a get to know you game, talk about what they did over break. This isn't time wasted, it's relationship building. Remember, connection before data collection. Okay, so take the time to just have a little fun, maybe play a game. It doesn't have to be elaborate to be effective. And SLP Elevate members, don't forget you have tons of conversation cards and things like that in SLP Elevate that you can always use if you need a quick warmup activity that is a little prep ready to go. We got you covered in there. All you have to do is go into your monthly resources in conversation starters and you can pick a random theme and use it. Okay, you don't have to start from scratch.

00:04:29 Hallie: All right, next up, let's talk about your students. Coming back from break, you will probably notice they are quieter or not quiet at all, okay. They might be very chatty and wanting to talk about their break, but either way, their motivation is probably somewhere between meh and what's the point, okay. And that is totally normal. Let's be real. They do that all year long. So why should this day be different than any other day? But it's also an opportunity. Think of their brains like etch-a-sketches, those things that you draw a picture and then shake it and like gets redo it. A break gives them a little shake. You get to redraw the map and get them back on track, okay?

00:05:10 Hallie: So here are three simple ways that you can reboot their engagement. Involve them in setting set like the goals of their speech sessions, not their IEP goals, but ask them like what is something you want to get better at this year in 2026? Use those like New Year's resolutions to motivate them, okay? Or to have conversations with them like, if speech felt more useful or fun, what would that look like for you? Get their feedback, have conversations, let them feel like they're designing their sessions. They'll be more bought in and hey, you'll make the rest of the school year a lot smoother for you.

00:05:48 Hallie: And of course, you can use like New Year's themed tasks, such as having them write new speech, like speech resolutions. like they're probably doing like… they might be even too old for that, but like, make it fun, make it age appropriate, okay? You can even do like mad libs with a New Year's theme that you can find online. There's free online generators. Like have several New Year's freebies, one in my TBT store that you can utilize that just allows you to ease into goals with a New Year's theme. Okay, you can even create vision boards with like free images from like Google images and Canva. If you're really feeling crafty, like you can get all creative, okay?

00:06:30 Hallie: You can even gamify it using Kahoot, Blooket, Bamboozle has some like conversation starters and things like that, New Year's theme stuff. Have fun with it, okay? That is my goal for you guys. All about using one activity, as many goals as possible. So use these icebreaker games and getting to know you games and working on their goals. And for all your articulations, students can practice their sounds while saying their goals.

00:07:05 Hallie: For language, they can use sentence structure or certain vocabulary words while describing their goals. For social skills, you can make it a group discussion and have debates on whether who has the best goals. For executive functioning, you can break up their goals into steps and make a plan. There are so many possibilities you can still work on goals while still discussing their goals for the future. It's all about SLP magic. Same activity, different goals, zero prep, but of course getting their buy-in.

00:07:30 Hallie: Okay, so here's the deal. Setting the goals with students isn't just fluffy stuff. It's gonna build their self-awareness, their buy-in, and of course, motivation. And here's a metaphor time. If your therapy plan is like the GPS, your student's goal is like the destination that they picked. And when students get to help set that destination, they're way more likely to stay in the car. Even if their goal is to not hate speech this year or to graduate from speech, that's a start. Take it, run with it, and build on it, okay? It's a powerful way to show compassion, which is one of my key ingredients when it comes to having a successful speech lesson with your older students. When we ask students what they care about, what they want, and how they feel about coming to speech, you're telling them that their voice matters here, and that is huge. 

00:08:20 Hallie: Okay, quick recap. Head back to work after break. You're going to reset yourself first, start light, reconnect. Remember your why. Why are you there in the first place? And if it's to just collect that paycheck, hey, that's a why. Use fun, low-pressure activities to get students talking. And let the new year be a springboard for personalized, student-centered goals and creation. And use that activity to work on many different purposes. Hello, adaptability. And don't forget, compassion counts just as much as creativity and content, okay? 

00:08:56 Hallie: And if you want activities done for you, if you're tired of 2025, beginning of the school year, spending hours planning for your sessions and students still wanting, looking like they're gonna throw rocks at you, make sure you check out SLP Elevate. It is a game changer for SLPs working with grades 4 through 12. Okay? And SLP Elevate members, make sure if you haven't checked out your January pack, we have resources for you so that you can just show up first day back, click print and go. Okay?

00:09:28 Hallie: If you are not a member yet, what are you waiting for? You have access to passages at different Lexile levels for your students that are reading below grade level activities, task card games, digital resources, worksheets for working on main idea context clues, inferencing, all the things. So you can literally just show up and be the best SLP you can be for your students. And members are saying they wish they joined sooner. if that is, if you're on the fence, what are you waiting for? Go check it out. You can always cancel at any time.

00:09:59 Hallie: All right, that's it for today, SLP friends. Let this be the year you stop chasing perfection and start leaning into connection. You've got this. You don't have to do it all. Just one step, one group, one breakthrough at a time. All right, here's your Joke of the Week. Why do math books look so sad in January? Because they have too many problems. All right, thank you for hanging out with me on this first episode of 2026. If you loved it, share it with your favorite SLP bestie and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another episode. Until next time SLPs, stay out of trouble.

00:10:42 Hallie: Thanks so much for tuning in to another episode of SLP Coffee Talk. It means the world to me that you're tuning in each and every week and getting the jolt of inspiration you need. You can find all of the links and information mentioned in this episode at my website, speechtimefun.com. Don't forget to follow the show so you don't miss any future episodes. And while you're there, it would mean the world to me if you would take a few seconds and leave me an honest review. See you next week with another episode full of fun and inspiration from one SLP to another. Have fun guys.

Similar Posts