Teacher spotlight – Beth Sauers – Elementary School Speech and Language Pathologist
Central to ISB’s philosophy of holistic education is its focus on personal improvement. This commitment takes many forms, including physical activities, creative projects and performances, community involvement, and many other initiatives that go beyond the confines of the traditional classroom environment.
Among the essential skills for children to develop are those related to speech and language. Verbal and written communication are at the heart of their interactions with the world, but sometimes young learners need extra support to help them meet the challenges of this delicate field. That’s why at International School Bangkok (ISB) we provide several specialists with particular expertise in helping children develop clear communication skills.
A speech-language pathologist (SLP) can help with all elements of communication, from the formation of sounds, as well as other voice and fluency issues – all the way to basic literacy, a cognitive understanding of language, and practice navigating social situations. These skills pave the way toward success in many other areas of life, and can therefore be considered core needs of young learners. In order to achieve these goals, SLPs need to be able to break down complex ideas into parts that can be easily understood, absorbed, and replicated by learners.
Giving students a voice
Beth Sauers gave speech and language assistance to students for eight years in American public schools, before joining our school in Bangkok, Thailand nearly three years ago. She is licensed by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, certified as a Speech-Language Pathologist, and is also certified to work with students from grades Pre-K through 12.
Her love for children and education is accompanied by a keen interest in travel and exploration, and she is grateful that her travels brought her to Thailand. She currently supports learners in our Elementary School, incorporating creative lessons and activities throughout the day to help her students gain skills and confidence with understanding language and communicating ideas clearly and effectively.
In practice, this means plenty of fun activities for herself and the children to participate in, including rhyming games, whole body listening exercises, and countless other enjoyable routines to give her learners experience with the creative use of new speech and language concepts. These activities involve students of all ages at the Elementary School, from Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 5.
The benefits of this approach are enormous, and go beyond the convenience of having a happy and comfortable learning environment. Each activity is carefully designed to be emotionally engaging, while also developing the learners’ communicative abilities, which include voice, articulation/phonology (speech sounds), literacy, language comprehension, speaking fluency, and social skills. Indeed, by teaching selected games and self-improvement exercises to kids, Ms. Sauers gives them the motivation to become self-directed, self-managing learners. She also makes sure to continually read new research in her field, in order to integrate the latest insights into her lessons.
Ms. Sauers creates a supportive and fun structure for her lessons. She has found that such an environment allows young learners to feel empowered as they develop, grow, and thrive.
Her efforts depend on staying adaptable to new situations, and carefully considering each student’s particular needs and preferences in the classroom. The result is the type of respectful and responsible approach to learning that makes ISB proud, as Ms. Sauers and her many talented colleagues work together to deliver the best education possible for each child.