Friday Fun: Lion, Beaver, Otter or Golden Retriever?

I've mentioned before, but my husband is taking a class for his school license. In addition to the school counselors institute he's involved in, he is taking a weekly class about teaching for special populations. It is a class that's required for a number of different programs, and he happens to be the only counselor in the class.

Since it is still early in the semester, they have been doing some icebreaker stuff.  This week, they did a personality assessment by Dr. Gary Smalley and Dr. John Trent.  It's a quick assessment that assigns you an animal to describe the type of person you are.

You can take it here for free. If you plan on taking it, do that before you keep reading. I don't want you to skew your results. 




OK, so you've obviously taken the time to figure out which animal represents you, right?  And if you scrolled down to page 3, you've probably read about the characteristics.  My husband broke them down in a bit more simplistically: Lions are leaders, Otters playful, Golden Retrievers are the people pleasers, and Beavers are the diligent workers.  The descriptions on page 3 of that link are a lot more detailed, giving pros and cons.

I found this interesting, because the professor made a point after the class took the assessment to talk about different school professions, and where they tend to fall. 

My husband falls as a golden retriever-otter (his responses were equal).  Apparently many counselors are golden retrievers. So well played there, dear.

The professor asked where the class thought SLPs fall.  My husband said his gut instinct was Beaver, and then he thought I might be tied with a lion (how's that for opposites attracting?  ;)  ).  According to the professor, he was spot on.  Most SLPs fall in the beaver category, but some of us are also lions, as are many administrators (which makes sense).

I don't put all my stock in this, of course, because I think these can usually be generic enough to fit anyone, and we all have a slightly skewed perception of ourselves anyway.  But we all do have to admit, being an SLP does take a certain level of attention to detail, problem solving, personal relations, and a healthy dose of passion.

So, where did you fall?  I think about all the SLPs that I talk to that love data collection and get excited about ways to organize their caseload and paperwork.  Most of us have goal areas for our students memorized within the first few weeks of the school year, and we are all about measurable outcomes.  I could definitely see Beavers.  I also think about the number of SLPs who go on to be administrators, and can see Lion, too.