So that we are all on the same page, this is where I am coming from:
I am a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist working in a large, urban public school district in a major metropolitan area. At this point I’m not up for sharing exactly where I work, because I hear there are psychos hiding among the internets, and I am trying to avoid them. But I will share some deets:
My City
- One of the top ten most impoverished cities in the United States. Its suburbs are the wealthiest cities in the entire state. Cue my rage.
- Almost 40% of families make under $25,000 a year (aka, the “poverty line”)
My District
- Serves almost 90,000 students and employs over 12,000 people
- 85% of students are considered “low income”
- 100% of students receive free lunch and free breakfast during the school year
- Students are 55% African-American, 25% Hispanic, 14% White, and 6% Asian
- 10% of students are English-language learners
I work in a Title 1 K3-5th grade elementary school. 98% of students at my school are African-American, 2% are Hispanic/2 or more races/Asian. At my school we have international refugees, displaced Hurricane Katrina survivors, English language learners, and several children in foster care. We have been on lock-down due to gang violence and neighborhood shootings on more than one occasion last year alone.
My caseload
- approximately 50 students
- Diagnoses include Autism, ADHD, lead poisoning, hearing loss, phonological disorder, speech sound disorder, stuttering, and intellectual disability
- My students are the sweetest, cutest, most creative, most lovable kids I have ever met
And because you’re probably wondering . . . I’m white. And I did not grow up in this state, let alone this city. But it’s home.
innercityspeech 