Interview with Shari Robertson, PhD, CCC-SLP, Professor, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
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Schreiber: Good Morning Shari. Thanks for visiting with me today. Robertson: Good morning! I am always delighted to have a chance to chat with you, Linda.Schreiber: Shari, would you please tell the readers a little about your professional background? Robertson: I am a second-generation SLP
Schreiber: Good Morning Shari. Thanks for visiting with me today.
Robertson: Good morning! I am always delighted to have a chance to chat with you, Linda.
Schreiber: Shari, would you please tell the readers a little about your professional background?
Robertson: I am a second-generation SLP growing up with a mom who spent her days traveling between numerous schools with her trusty sidekick, Mr. P. Mooney. It must have rubbed off as I spent 16 years as a practicing school-based SLP and supervisor in special education. I eventually attained a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in child language disorders and counseling in Speech-Language Pathology. I am now a professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvaniawhich is in the CITY of Indiana in the STATE of Pennsylvania!
Schreiber: I have known you for a long time and know you are an accomplished professional, an appreciated professor, a gifted presenter and writer. I have read your writings and attended several of your presentations, including one on strategies to use with children when reading to them (Read with Me) and practical stress management strategies. You have touched many lives as you share your knowledge.
But I know that many of the individuals who know you as the professor/speech-language pathologist/presenter/writer don't know about your other sides, in particular your "sweeter" side. You recently started a business that caters to those of us who have a pension for sweets. Please tell us about your new venture.
Robertson: My husband had retired from teaching and I made the mistake of asking him what he would like to do now... This led to opening Philly Street Sweets (located not in Philadelphia, but on Philadelphia Street in Indiana, PAhow's that for confusing!). I have always enjoyed making confections and we both grew up in a part of Michigan where fudge is a large part of the tourist experience (visitors are often called fudgies). We make all our confections on sitefudge, truffles, brittles, and chocolates of all types. People like to come and watch the fudge being made on our marble table. We also do specialty orderssuch as a pair of white chocolate swans for a wedding and a county fairincluding a carouselmade entirely out of chocolate for a centerpiece for the local country club. It's great fun and a wonderful creative outlet for me.
Schreiber: Where do you find recipes for your confections? Are they family heirlooms?
Robertson: Some are. Others I make up! Trial and error recipes are greatmy students love my mistakes (see question below).
Schreiber: So, do you ever get tired of chocolate?
Robertson: Are you kidding? We use the best chocolate available. Some people have told us we could dip old socks in it and it would still be delicious!
Schreiber: You've presented at many conferences on the topic of stress management so I am really curious: How do you balance this venture with your other life?
Robertson: Balance? It's more of a juggling act or, as I like to call it, "controlled chaos." I keep professional clothes at the store and store clothes (i.e., covered in chocolate) in my university office. Sometimes it's crazy, but most of the time it's fun. My students love the days that I bring odds and ends of various confections to class. They call it "scraps day."
Schreiber: And so how might a "fudgie" like mewho doesn't live in Indiana, PAhave access to your sweet talents? Do you have a website where we might order your confections?
Robertson: www.phillystreetsweets.com And I'm also the "webmistress!"
Schreiber: Well you are proving that SLPs are a varied and creative bunch.
Schreiber: Shari, I am always amazed at your energy and talents. Thanks for sharing your other side with me today. Of course, if you ever have a few "scraps" from your trials and errors, you know there is an SLP in Wisconsin who wouldn't turn them away.
