Hi ya’ll!

I’m Katie Beckett (“Miss Katie”) and I LOVE working as an SLP in the public schools!  I absolutely love what I do!

Educational History

I received my Bachelor’s degree and initial Master’s degree in speech pathology from Eastern Illinois University in 2010.  I then completed my second Master’s degree in Educational Administration in 2014.  I would definitely consider myself a lifelong learner, and anticipate obtaining a Doctorate sometime (when my babies are older!) in the future!

Work History

I started my career in Channahon Schools for 9 years, and am now in my 4th year at Lynne Thigpen Elementary School in Joliet, IL. Traditionally, I have worked with students from 3rd to 8th grade.  The past four years, I have also worked with younger students, Pre-K to 2nd grade.  I love the variety!  I also really love working in Joliet–we have fantastic teachers and administrators.

In addition to working in the schools, I have also worked privately at a speech therapy clinic, and at Silver Cross Hospital on the acute and rehab teams.  In those settings, I have typically worked with patients who have had strokes, brain injuries, or other neurological speech/language impairments.  It is such a blessing to be able to experience both ends of the spectrum in terms of therapy clients.  I’m currently ONLY working in the schools, as I can’t quite give up much more time from my family!  Hoping to do some in-home therapy down the line, as well. 🙂

Personal Life

I have been married to Mike for 10 years!  We both have brothers with disabilities, which gave us a unique perspective on life and a shared love for giving back to those with special needs.  My brother, Andy, has Down syndrome.  He is perfect in his own way!  He has taught me so many life lessons, most importantly how to see EVERY day as a good day!

Because of our siblings and the passion they have given us for those with special abilities, Mike and I dreamt of adopting a child with special needs one day.  We spend most of our time now with our son, Carson, daughter, Charlotte Mae, and our newest daughter, Stella!  Carson is 5 and is a tiny intellectual… he loves to learn, all things dinosaurs, super heroes, and asking billions of questions a day! Charlotte is our sweet and spunky red head who loves to play, giggle, and smile. Stella is the happiest baby, who is the perfect finale to our family of 5. They’re growing so fast and we are loving every moment with them!  

Our puppies, Lucy and Gizmo, keep us on our toes as well!

I wanted to create this webpage and blog as a way to connect, share materials I’ve made, link others to beneficial resources, and share my love of all things speech pathology!  

Love,

Miss Katie