Wow! This is a tough question! Or should I say question(s)!! There's like 4 in this one prompt! Ok well I guess I'd better get them answered! First of all, continuing my academic and professional development is what I'm doing at this very moment. Continuing in classes, surrounding myself with people in the same field, and learning with them and from them furthers my development. These actions further my development as a student, as well as a future professional in the field. I think it's extremely important to never stop learning. Sure, here in a few years I'll be out of school (hopefully)! Just because I'm out of school does not mean that my learning should cease. I will continue to learn whether I want to or not! By simply being a practicing SLP, I will be learning every day and perhaps relearning things that I'll have forgotten by that time. The important thing is to keep researching, looking for new information, keep on top of things. It's like if I hadn't watched the news since 1995, look at everything that I would have no idea even occurred! It's the same way in learning; if we as professionals don't keep on top of new information, we'll have no idea what's going on. This is very dangerous!

Right now, our main outlet for learning is class. However, we become more resposible for our own learning with each passing day. In the 2 weeks that we've been in this CD class, it has become apparent to me that no longer is learning about going to class, listening to a teacher, and taking notes on what he/she says. Learning is about finding things out on your own, using all the resources available, asking questions, and reaching out for assistance in order to further learning. How do I meet my learning needs? Well, honestly, I probably don't meet all my learning needs. I don't always take advantage of the resources at my fingertips, and sometimes I'm just too lazy to go after something in order to learn. So, those are areas where I need to improve in order to meet my learning needs. Now that I'm becoming more and more responsible for my own learning, I need to take that responsibility seriously and run with it. I need to embrace knowledge, learning, research, and information!

Like some of my fellow classmates, I too enjoyed our Neurogenics class last semester. Studying how a person can go from having completely normal communication to having severe disorders was really interesting to me. Also, the brain is really an amazing thing! Another area that I'm really interested in is the elderly population. I worked for two years as a volunteer at the hospital in my town on the Nursing Care Facility Ward. I worked with elderly patients with a number of health problems and disorders. As one would imagine, there were many patients on the ward with Alzheimer's disease and it was really sad, but at the same time interesting to interact with these people. I've always wondered if there were some way that people with Alzheimer's could be taught strategies that would make them more functional and independent. It's sad to see them stuck in a nursing home just because of this disease. They might be healthy as a horse physically, but they're mind is going so they stick them in a home.

My essential question is...What can I do in my therapy to help patients with Alzheimer's have more functional language and communication?

Education, particularly the education of me and my sisters, has always been important in my family. I was always a very good student. I was in gifted in elementary school, took advanced classes in middle school, and honors classes in high school.I didn't make my first B until middle school. And all through middle and high school I made good grades, made the honor roll, etc. I had a 4.1 GPA my senior year and graduated with highest honors. I made the Dean's list both semesters my freshman year. Ok, it may sound like I'm just bragging, but I'm not. I'm listing all this stuff for a reason, to make a point in just a minute. My parents always expected me to get good grades, but I was never punished if I brought home a C or D. If I brought home a report card with one C or one D (which didn't happen often until I came to college) my parents would let me know that they knew I could do better than that, but that it was ok not to make straight A's all the time. I can't explain how grateful I am for the attitude they've always had about my grades. I've known people who were yelled at, grounded, and punished severely for bringing home B's! I don't feel that doing that does any good. If just makes the child obsessed with getting A's so that they won't be punished. While I wasn't punished for less than perfect grades, I wasn't always rewarded the same way some people were. I'm sure we all know kids that got paid like $5 for every A they brought home. Well, my dad always told me that you shouldn't always get rewarded for doing things you're "supposed" to do. I do remember getting to go to Showbiz Pizza (aka Billy Bob's Pizza Wonderland) when we got good grades, and the movie place in my hometown would give free movie rentals for good report cards! These were always great rewards for me and my sisters after getting good grades.

Now, remember how I said I wasn't bragging about how great of a student I was? Well, I listed all that stuff because I have to say that things have changed a little. I still consider myself to be a good student, I make good grades, but my college report cards have been known to include a C or D now and then. My parents still have the same attitude and are happy with my performance. They realize that college is harder, classes are harder, and I'm not in high school anymore. They don't "expect" me to get a 4.0, but they do expect me to do my best, try hard, and get a good education. While some people may not like this "no pressure" approach, it's always worked for me. My parents don't have to punish me for bad grades because I'm harder on myself than they are when it comes to grades now. I feel that they're approach to education has made me realize that it's ok to not be perfect, to not make straight A's, and has prevented me from developing an obsessive complex about never making anything other than A's. From my perspective, I think sometimes grades are a poor reflection of our true knowledge or education. Just beacause someone makes an A doesn't mean they know more than the student who made a B, or even a C! The C student might have actually learned something, while the A student could have cheated his/her way through. You can't tell by just looking at the grade. I know of a couple instances where I've gotten an A in a class, but didn't learn a single thing. I think with me and my family it's the education that's important, not so much the grades.