Stephanie Jeret Of Speak with Stephanie On 5 Things You Need To Know To Be A Highly Effective Educator or Teacher
An Interview With Jake Frankel
Keep Things Interesting: When students are engaged and interested, they are more open to learning and likely to retain information. For example, during vocabulary lessons, I often encourage students to interact with the words in various ways. Recently, I taught five new words in one session, including “compensate.” Each student shared personal experiences of compensation for a job, hypothesized about a picture that had to do with compensation, created original sentences using the word “compensate,” and discussed their hourly babysitting compensation. By making the vocabulary personal and interesting, retention is improved.
As a part of our interview series about “5 Things You Need To Know To Be A Highly Effective Educator”, I had the pleasure to interview Stephanie Jeret.
Speak with Stephanie, established by Stephanie Jeret, MS, CCC-SLP, delivers speech and language therapy services to children and adults across Illinois, New York, and New Jersey. With nearly ten years of clinical experience, Stephanie has honed her skills in various environments such as public schools, skilled nursing facilities, hospitals, and private practice. Her approach is customized to suit each individual’s specific needs and preferences, fostering collaboration to empower clients in reaching their communication objectives. Explore further details on her website.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share the “backstory” behind what brought you to this particular career path?
I grew up in a family that valued charity and assisting others. During my childhood, we welcomed several foster children into our home. Witnessing the various therapies these children required, particularly the work of speech therapists, intrigued me. This experience ultimately led me to pursue a master’s degree in speech-language pathology.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your teaching career? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
You never know what impact you’ll have on a child and what will stick with them. I remember working with a student who had a significant stutter. Together, we focused on strategies to boost his self-confidence, change his self-perception, embrace his stutter, and enhance his fluency. After I left the school, a colleague took over his case. She later called me to share that his fluency had improved tremendously. When she asked him what made the difference, he simply said, ‘Ms. Jeret.’ This story is close to my heart and reminds me that progress, even if not immediately apparent, is possible with time and patience. It also reminds me of the impact you can have on students.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
I’m not currently involved in any new projects at the moment, but I’m looking forward to taking on something exciting in the near future. I’m eager to contribute to initiatives that make a positive impact and help improve people’s lives.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the main focus of our interview. From your point of view, how would you rate the results of the US education system?
From my perspective, the US education system demonstrates strengths in several areas, yet there are also notable opportunities for improvement.
Can you identify 5 areas of the US education system that are going really great?
Teacher Professional Development: Many districts invest in ongoing professional development for teachers and other related-service providers to ensure these professionals stay updated with best practices and new, evidence-based teaching methods.
School Safety Measures: Efforts to improve school safety in many school districts across the United States have led to a safer school environment and improved student wellness and learning.
Education Technology Integration: In this century, students have a greater affinity for technology than in the past. Schools are leveraging technology to enhance instruction, communication, and learning experiences.
More Emphasis on Social-Emotional Learning (SEL): Many schools are integrating SEL programs to improve students’ interpersonal skills, not only benefiting them during their school years but also preparing them for life after graduation.
Advanced Placement (AP) Options: Many high schools offer AP courses that allow students to earn college credits while still in high school. This not only helps students save on college tuition but also prepares them for the academic rigor of higher education.
Can you identify the 5 key areas of the US education system that should be prioritized for improvement? Can you explain why those are so critical?
Teacher recruitment and retention: I understand there are significant shortages of Speech-Language Pathologists and a notable number failing to retain their positions. Offering competitive salaries, professional growth opportunities, benefits, and supportive work environments may assist in the recruitment and retention of teachers. This is crucial because without teachers, the education system cannot sustain itself.
Career and college readiness: Improving or initiating career and college readiness programs can help prepare students for post-secondary education and success in the workforce. While it is important to focus on academia and standardized testing, we must consider how this education is shaping our students for the future. Above all else, we must ensure career and college readiness. After all, this is a significant goal of the educational system.
Special Education, Inclusion, and Accommodations: Ensuring students with disabilities receive appropriate support and accommodations within the least restrictive environment is essential to promoting educational equality and ensuring that these students have the opportunity to succeed just like their same-aged peers.
Reducing Dropout Rates: Implementing strategies to identify and support at-risk students can reduce dropout rates, provide opportunities for these students to succeed, and improve overall graduation rates, potentially increasing entrance rates into post-secondary education.
Early Childhood Education: Investing in early childhood education programs can have significant long-term benefits. Quality early education can improve school readiness, cognitive development, and social-emotional skills. Ultimately, this will reduce achievement gaps and improve lifelong learning outcomes. Research has proven that early identification and treatment can have lifelong benefits.
Super. Here is the main question of our interview. Can you please share your “5 Things You Need To Know To Be A Highly Effective Educator?” Please share a story or example for each.
My top five principles for becoming a highly effective educator are:
Keep Things Interesting: When students are engaged and interested, they are more open to learning and likely to retain information. For example, during vocabulary lessons, I often encourage students to interact with the words in various ways. Recently, I taught five new words in one session, including “compensate.” Each student shared personal experiences of compensation for a job, hypothesized about a picture that had to do with compensation, created original sentences using the word “compensate,” and discussed their hourly babysitting compensation. By making the vocabulary personal and interesting, retention is improved.
Flexibility: Recognize that not all students learn in the same way. If one method doesn’t work, be open to trying alternative approaches. For instance, I had a student struggling with reading comprehension despite various interventions. Switching him to a smaller group not only improved his skills but also boosted his participation. Sometimes, adapting to change is key to serving our students effectively.
Collaboration: Collaboration with colleagues, administrators, parents, and other service providers is important in ensuring students’ skills generalize beyond the classroom. It is essential to translate classroom goals into other environments. For instance, while working with a student with a lisp, achieving generalization required collaboration with the student’s teacher and parent. Together, we implemented specific strategies to promote successful generalization.
Classroom Management Skills: Creating a structured environment that supports learning is essential. When students are disruptive, it can hinder the learning process. I once faced challenges managing a group of students due to one student’s behavior. After trying various methods unsuccessfully, implementing a sticker chart — where students earned stickers for good behavior and received rewards after collecting ten stickers — proved effective in improving session management and student learning.
Commitment to Lifelong Learning: Continuously seek professional development opportunities and stay informed about new research. Personally, I utilize resources like speechtherapypd.com to access unlimited continuing education courses across various topics, expanding my knowledge and skills in different areas. This commitment to lifelong learning enhances my effectiveness in the classroom.
As you know, teachers play such a huge role in shaping young lives. What would you suggest needs to be done to attract top talent to the education field?
Attracting top talent to the education field is important for improving the quality of instruction and improving student outcomes. Here are some strategies that could be implemented to attract and retain the right candidates:
Competitive Compensation: Offering competitive salaries and benefits is important when looking to attract talented individuals to teaching.
Professional Development Opportunities: Providing professional development programs that support career advancement can attract individuals who are motivated to grow in their roles.
Supportive Work Environment: Providing a supportive work environment with manageable workloads, access to resources, and supportive colleagues can improve job satisfaction and thus, retention.
Appreciation: Acknowledging and appreciating the hard work of educators through awards and incentives can boost morale and attract more qualified talent to the field.
Promotion of Work-Life Balance: Allowing for flexible scheduling and other supportive policies can make teaching more attractive to individuals looking for a fulfilling career with a healthy work-life balance.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“The only thing standing between you and your goal is the story you keep telling yourself as to why you can’t achieve it.” — Jordan Belfort
I have experience working in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and schools. I always wanted to start a private practice but consistently gave myself excuses as to why I should wait or why it wasn’t the right time. At a certain point in my life, I remember thinking, “Enough is enough; I need to stop making excuses and just go for it.” This quote reminds me to challenge my own limiting beliefs, which ultimately postponed my progress.
We are blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
I would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with Pink (Alecia Moore). She’s a talented musician and an advocate for many important causes, including LGBTQ+ rights and mental health awareness. I admire her dedication to using her platform for positive change. I would love to hear firsthand about her creative process, experience in the music industry, and how she balances her career with her advocacy work.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
While I am still in the process of building a social media platform, those who would like to follow me can follow me on Facebook.
Thank you so much for these insights! This was so inspiring!
Stephanie Jeret Of Speak with Stephanie On 5 Things You Need To Know To Be A Highly Effective… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.