Illness and online teaching

Is illness still a valid reason to miss teaching online? I would propose that yes, it is a valid reason. If you are sick enough that you are unable to focus, you should not be teaching any kind of material. I bring this up because today I am feeling sick. Sick from what? I am nauseous and unable to focus on almost anything. 

I canceled both my classes today and uploaded a video of the lesson in the moments when I felt good enough to do it. All my students and their parents were very compassionate and understanding. Part of the reason is probably because I have never missed a class and have been between 5-15 minutes early on a regular basis. 

Are you a bad teacher because you miss a class due to illness? No. Sometimes you just can't make it to class, no matter how badly you want to. 

Outschool, Tutoring, American Sign Language

I have started tutoring American Sign Language. I offer classes as well that cover the basics along with culture and grammar. 

Here is an overview of my classes:

One Time classes: These range between 15-20 dollars depending on how long I've been teaching it. 

Classes:

How do I Sign: Animals

How do I Sign: Animals (Ages 10-13)

The Alphabet in a Day: ASL Crash Course

How do I Sign: Foods

Multi-Day Classes: These range from $48-$150

ASL Interpreting: All about ITP programs

ASL Beginner

ASL: Level 2

ASL Kids Class (6-10)

Ongoing Classes: $15 a week

American Sign Language Chat: Eat, Drink, and Sign. 

Flex Classes: The one I have in progress is $200 for 10 weeks. 

WIP

What is Outschool like? We use Zoom to teach the classes and a message board to interact with the students. I love teaching on this site. They do take a 30% listing fee. I set aside 20% for my taxes and 10% for tithe at church, so a total of 60% comes out of my paycheck. 

I am mainly using Outschool to pay off my student loans and to add into savings for emergencies. My husband just started work, so it is always good to have a backup plan. 

Update

I graduated college in the midst of Covid-19. I finished out my semester online. I faced many issues like other people do, I lost my job at the library (which I loved), I was forced to wear a mask (Despite the fact my asthma makes it hard to breath (I'm allergic to mold, mildew is a trigger as well)), I had to search desperately for new jobs, I had a big move, and I also got married!

I was married on June 5th, 2020 in Texas. My church was in a county that had looser restrictions on churches and businesses. We were able to get married in the church with quite a few friends and family there. While his family was unable to come down, we still had a lovely wedding. 

I did pick up a job in April, I am teaching on an online platform called Outschool.com. This platform caters to children between the ages of 3-18. I teach mainly between the ages of 5-15. I am teaching American Sign Language. This was not my ideal plan, but in the state of Texas the only people currently allowed to interpret are BEI level 5 or CODAs. Since I am not even certified at level one, I am opting for teaching until I can certify. When I do certify, I plan on interpreting mainly church services. 

Since I've been married we moved about 5 hours away from my parents and 27 hours away from my husband's. It's been really hard on him because he lived in the same place for 24 years. He needs prayer as he is also looking hard for a job. A lot of places here are on a hiring freeze. (Texas) He is looking for anything at this point. 

I need prayer as well because I have been missing my family. My older sister is my best friend and she is one year older than me (26), I miss my two brothers (14, 16), and my baby sister (3, almost 4). I also miss my family quite a bit. 

Also, with each new milestone in my life, I miss my Nana. She died on October 2012. She wasn't there for either graduation, my first, second, or third jobs, she wasn't there for my marriage or first house. I often describe her as my superhero. We got along great and I miss her a lot. The hardest was when we were planning the wedding. All I could think of was how much I wanted Nana to be there. 

Me and my new husband could use lots of prayer as we try and figure out what direction our lives are heading in. We also need prayer on making sure everything is about the glory of God. 

Being home

Since I have been home, I've met more people than I thought I could. My dad is an elder at this church, and I have met some of the church members. Some of them I knew, but most of them I didn't. I have been home for about four days and have been massively overwhelmed.

However, I met a Deaf woman at church and it has been a pleasure to communicate with her. She came right up to me and started signing, it is well known in this church that I've been learning. She was happy that I could sign and I was happy to have a Deaf friend here.

I have started sending out emails to different interpreting agencies to see what their screening processes are like. I am going to try and take the certification anyway, but in the meantime I am going to make sure to practice often. I also plan on being with the Deaf community until then.

I still would like to work with elderly people. I feel like I could at least volunteer at nursing homes and other places that cater directly to the elderly.

I am also still applying at non-profits in Texas. I am hoping that I can find work here in some sphere with Deaf people specifically. 

My lisp and how it effects my classwork

If I'm honest this bothers me more than it should. I have a lisp that will sometimes manifest itself under times of extreme stress. I had an exam for my Interpreting class and got my grade back this weekend. One of the feedbacks I got was that sometimes my speech was unclear. This was after I explained what probably happened in my analysis. I can pinpoint exactly where my speech was unclear because I could hear my lisp. 

To be clear, I got a 57 on the test and now have a failing grade in the class. We have 3 tests that are weighted very heavily. Most of my failing grade is because of production and not because of information missed. I got 80-90% of the information but my production wasn't the best. I spoke to fast and my lisp returned with a vengeance. 

I saw this grade this morning right before my ASL class. I was completely off, so much so that even the people I didn't know that well noticed. My teacher was also unusually gentle with me. I was extremely fragile at that moment. If she had been unkind I probably would've burst into tears. I also haven't felt well in almost a week.

So, today I called off work and my final class of the day. I went back to my grandfather's house, climbed into bed, and slept for 7 hours. I allowed my depression to take control momentarily and slept like the dead. My stomach is still achy, but my emotions are in slightly better shape than they were earlier. 

I also met with my advisor today and discussed a leave of absence. With my stomach issues and continuing medical problems, it may end up being a necessity. I'm just hoping I can even finish school. I've spent too long getting to this point and don't want to fail now.