Many of our highly-trained faculty, staff and Speech-Language Pathologists give back to the community by sharing their expertise at speaking engagements throughout the year.

Recent conferences at which TJS employees presented include:

• ECMC (Early Childhood Methodist Conference), Katy
• WE CARE Early Childhood Conference, The Woodlands
• Second Baptist School's Tech Fest
• HAIS (Houston Area Independent Schools) Summer Advancement Conference
• HAIS Communications Professionals Events
• The Momentum Academy's Annual Gala, Clear Lake

TJS students bidding UH Extern Lauren farewell on her last day

When The Joy School opened, a professor from the University of Houston named Martha Dunkelberger visited TJS a few hours a week to do speech therapy with our students.

Martha had a connection to Dr. Rosner, co-founder of TJS, because they ran a diagnostic clinic at UH that combined vision testing with language testing.

When The Joy School had enough students to need a full time speech-language pathologist on staff, Martha mentored one of her students from UH who took on that position, thus beginning the wonderful externship program between UH and The Joy School.

The program benefits both TJS and UH students. All of The Joy School's current Speech-Language Pathologists came to TJS as externs during grad school at UH.

Externs come to us during their final year of graduate school. They typically stay with us for 16 weeks, while still taking classes at night to complete their degree.

At The Joy School, externs are given the unique experience of working with children of varying age ranges and learning differences. Externs observe our Speech-Language Pathologists in the classroom doing group and individual language therapy.

Then, when they are ready, they take on their own caseload of TJS students under our supervision. They plan lessons, bring new ideas and carry out those activities in the group.

At the end of each semester, they participate in our report writing process by sharing therapeutic feedback regarding students’ expressive, receptive and social language needs.

Externs bring their knowledge from the graduate classroom and apply it to their work here with us. Each semester, externs share new ideas on speech and language therapy techniques, creative lesson plans and new materials to use in the classroom. Our Speech-Language Pathologists value the opportunity to support and learn from UH graduate clinicians.

The Joy School has had a total of five externs from the University of Houston return to us as Speech-Language Pathologists. Other externs have gone on to work in other private and public school settings, private clinics, rehab facilities, home health programs and hospitals.

Students smiling with their EHS intern

Each January since 2005, The Joy School has welcomed a group of seniors from Episcopal High School to our campus, where they serve as interns under our teachers' guidance for about 10 days. By the end of the program, many interns have created and taught their own lessons to our kids!

This glimpse into the life of an educator gives the seniors hands-on experience and helps them decide whether they want to pursue a career in education.

The Joy School offers several tours a year to education professionals so they can develop their knowledge of teaching children with learning differences. After a tour, education professionals know whether TJS is right for the children they serve.

All tours start at 9 a.m.

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