Friday Feature: Lindsey Tallerico, GCE Speech Language Pathologist

by Mary Ann Mitchell, Public Relations and Communications Coordinator

From the age of 16, Lindsey Tallerico knew she wanted to be a speech language pathologist.  

“I have had many SLPs in my life, including a cousin and a mother-in-law, who all spoke highly of the field and encouraged me through my education. To me, the field of speech language pathology is the perfect mix of science and linguistics.”  

Tallerico is in her fourth year at Glen Carbon Elementary. It’s the second stint at Glen Carbon for the D7 alumnae, who was born and raised in Edwardsville. She is in her 19th year in District 7, having also worked at Woodland, Worden, Hamel, Columbus, Nelson, Leclaire, Goshen, and Lincoln.   

While she could have gone the private practice route, it’s the collaborative aspect of the school setting that Tallerico enjoys.  

“I’ve had the opportunity to work with great interdisciplinary teams over the years and learned so much from colleagues.” 

She also knows that communication impacts children across educational environments and wants to help those students.  

“I love to target communication skills that incorporate classroom concepts or literacy skills.”  

The biggest reward for Tallerico is simply helping a student communicate and advocate for their wants and needs.  

“Whether it’s increasing their speech intelligibility, helping them socialize with peers, or improving their ability to answer questions in their classroom, I’m making a positive impact on their lives. And I love to hear from parents and teachers that one of my students will not stop talking!” 

Throughout her career, Tallerico has worked with students of all ages, but especially enjoys working with K-2 students.  

“I love their enthusiasm and energy. We sing songs, we dance, we laugh, all while improving communication skills!”