Jill Kuzma

Yes....this is ANOTHER speech language pathology specific thank you.  Sadly, that will not change the fact that I am not proofreading it for mistakes.  Really, people.  I have less than 14 minutes to write this, finish packing lunches and fall asleep.  Sorry.  Sleeping over proofreading during allergy season.

This also has the potential to be creepy for the recipient.  I know, those of you who have received a thank you and texted, emailed, called, or unexpectedly hugged me in public find that odd.  But let me assure you, for some people there is something just a wee bit creepy about a handwritten note appearing in the mail.  That's what the girl from Things Remembered said a few weeks ago.  Right after she thanked me, she said she was a little taken back at first.  Jill does not know me.  I don't have her actual address, which means I had to send it to the school district where she works which is....ever so slightly stalkerish.  But we are all going to put that icky feeling aside and focus on what really matters.....GOOD LANGUAGE THERAPY MATERIALS FOR FREE!!!!

Last year, Sam's school based speech therapist, whom I LOVE, emailed me and suggested I attend a presentation given in a nearby county.  Jill was the presenter.  If you serve students who have pragmatic language issues, I'm sure you already know her.  If you don't know what pragmatic language is, it is social language.  Like when you ask a male, "Does this make my butt look big?" and he makes the mistake of saying "Why, yes it does!" and is utterly confused by the nonverbal cue of you winging the nearest object at his head.  That really is a good example.  After all, Max did tell a girl once that she had a butt like a lead anchor and was then confused why she punched him.  Sometimes, a boy needs a social autopsy.

Here is what I really appreciated about Jill's presentation....she actually gave us strategies and therapy ideas that we could use with students.  You would be surprised how many times you spend several hours shaking your head in agreement with research or theory only to leave thinking, "But what do I do with my student?"  Not after Kuzma presentation.  You will have solid ideas from goals to treatment.  Jill also has materials that you can download and print on her website at no charge.  This year, I started a new job with a new district.  I can tell the person I followed also went to Jill's presentation.  Kind of a nice little bonus.

Jill, thank you for giving such a fantastic presentation with very practical useful ideas.  Thank you for offering to share your materials at no cost on your website.  Thank you for sparking all kinds of ideas and making my life just a little bit easier.