Gabrielle Elwood is the speech language pathologist at Goodwin Elementary School who works to help students improve their communication and reach their individual goals. Her impact on her school community also extends beyond her classroom as she plans events, assists other team members and gets to know every Goodwin student.
“Gabby has been an incredible force since she's gotten here,” said Goodwin Principal Dan Brodeur. “First and foremost, she's amazing with the children. She knows all the things when it comes to materials and strategies, and how to work with kids’ speech and progressing toward their IEP goals. She has amazing technical skills, amazing background. She’s really advanced. It seems like she’s been doing this for decades and decades, she has so many skills and so much poise.”
Brodeur said her ability to connect with children helps make her so effective as a speech language pathologist. While working on their speech, she’s also working on social/emotional skills and making sure students have what they need to try their best.
“She also has a way of making the kids feel welcome. They all want to go to room 6 to work with Ms. Elwood because she's kind and pleasant and they get a lot of work done,” said Brodeur.
Among her colleagues at Goodwin, Elwood has established herself as a leader. She helps plan school events for both staff and students, works on fundraisers, and is always stepping in to help wherever she’s needed.
“She sees things that needs to be done and she does them. She does them without waiting to be asked,” explained Brodeur. “I’m not going to say she does whatever it takes, because she does above and beyond. She does more than what it takes. She finds things that just, naturally, she does to improve our school and our community, both for the kids and the grownups.”
Learn more about Gabrielle Elwood in the Q&A below.
How long have you been at Goodwin? What brought you to this role and work?
Elwood: I have been here for around four years. I used to work at a clinic in Boston, and I was just missing my family and being where I'm from. So, I moved home, and I started the school path, which I love.
What drew you to working in a school setting?
Elwood: When I was first getting my degree, I thought there's no way I'm going to work with students or children. I wanted to work with adults. I wanted to be in a hospital, and I did one of my clinical rotations in a school and absolutely fell in love with it. I completely changed my career path from adults to children. I love working with the kids because you get to work with their families and it’s like, everyone's involved. You have your teachers, specialist teachers, homeroom teachers, families, and it's just everyone working together.
I also love working with children because, being a speech pathologist, there's so many different angles that you get to treat. So, there's language, there's speech sounds, there are some executive functioning and cognitive strategies, and then of course, you have the students who use assistive technology. So, I really just get to see everything, and you never get bored because every child has so many different needs.
What does a typical day look like for you at Goodwin?
Elwood: So, I work with mostly small groups. I do have some 1 to 1 students who have a little bit more of high needs. But my day is divided into basically different grades, all day, different groups. We come to my room and we do our small lesson. Sometimes I do go into the classrooms and I try to push in as much as I can where it's helpful.
Other than that, here at Goodwin, I'm also involved with planning different events, like we just had our Turkey Trot. So, I try to get involved with those things too throughout the day, just because I only see the kids that I have, and I want to get to know all of the students and build relationships with everyone. So, I think that being part of those planning teams is super important to my day-to-day as well, just to feel more a part of the school community.
How do you determine what to focus on while working in a small group setting with students with differing needs?
Elwood: Each student is evaluated and then you create a treatment plan. And then based on that treatment plan, you decide each student's individual needs and you create goals and objectives for them. Then, every year you revisit those goals and objectives.
So, I kind of group kids based on need, what they're working on, and of course age, so that it's appropriate. And I just kind of cater to each different group. In my planning, I try to choose a main theme for the week, so it's easier for me. But then I tailor it to each individual group and I work on those student needs individually, while we're also all working together. It sounds like a huge puzzle, but once you get into the flow of it, it's so much easier. And you kind of start to memorize, “Okay, this student needs this, while the student needs this.” And I try to pick activities that can target a range of goals in one.
What is it like to see students respond to the work you’re doing together and progress toward their goals?
Elwood: Sometimes I feel like the growth is so slow, and I get so in my head. But in the end, you really do see so much growth with each student. And sometimes it's slow, sometimes it's fast, but that's really why I do what I do.
I have some students who came into our programs without any modes of communication and no way to express themselves, and it's frustrating for them, it's frustrating for the adults. So those students, especially when you just see those little pieces of communication coming together and they're able to just tell you a basic need, that's when I'm like this, “This is working, and this is why I'm here, and this is why I love what I do.”
What is your favorite part about your job?
Elwood: I love my kids here. I stand out in the front in the morning, so I am immediately greeting them. They're giving hugs. They get excited when I go to their rooms to take them. And I just love being able to work with them and meet their needs, and just be another adult that they have in the building that they can trust and that they can go to.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.