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. 

The New Year

I don't usually make new year resolutions. They are one of the things that very few people can keep up with. Am I going to make them this year? Yeah. I feel like they are important, it's just something I've always been cynical about.

Here are my new year resolutions:

1. Make friends with more Deaf people
2. Finish my last semester strong
3. Move to Texas to be with my family.
4. Learn new recipes
5. Visit my Canadian friends
6. Learn to be more feminine.
-I feel like I need to expound more on this. I would like to be more feminine. Not because anyone has told me to, but because I think I should. I have always been a little rough and since living in NY I have gotten a little rougher. I would at least like my appearance to be more feminine even if my personality is more rough and tumble.
7. Read my bible more and pray.
-This past year I have been very lax with keeping up with this. I have not been and it's been detrimental to my spiritual health.

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. 

What I've learned about Interpreting.

When I first started this major, I did not have a full understanding of what it meant to be an interpreter. I had seen spoken language interpreters from the time I was young and I had seen sign language interpreters on and off throughout my life. I thought I knew what they did, but I was wrong.

When I started taking my American Sign Language (ASL) classes, I thought interpreting would be easy. It was simply doing word for word from English to sign and sign to English, right? No. Then I attended my first Deaf event. I was a level 1 ASL student which is the equivalent to level 0. I had very basic understanding. When I arrived, I was lost. I found the table, but I had no idea what was going on.

It seemed very loud, but when I looked around it was quiet in the restaurant. The visual noise sounded like auditory noise to me. The ASL 4 student that saw me there was impressed because I came. Almost nobody from my level would come to the Deaf events. I had a very basic understanding of sign. That day I learned so many new signs and my receptive skills were tested. I loved it. But it wasn't interpreting.

When I got to ASL 3+4 (combo class) I was considered talented in my receptive. I could understand at a level 6 level but could only produce at a level 4 level. It appears that my ability with oral languages has translated into my signed languages. An ability to understand and retain, but an inability to produce.

When I finally got to the college I am at now, I did pass all my ASL classes and still have. But when I started my first real interpreting class, I started to drown. The process of interpreting is very difficult and is not for the weak of heart or mind. You need an exceptional grasp of the vocabulary and vocal range.

Interpreting isn't just language mediation. It is also cultural mediation, expressing emotions accurately, conveying jokes that might not translate, and making human connections. If you aren't good at one of those things, it can skew the entire message.

Interpreting is hard, exhausting, but rewarding. Everyone should have the opportunity to take interpreting classes, even if they never become interpreters. 

Choosing a different path

I can't afford college if we're being real. The class that I'm likely to fail is a prerequisite to many of my classes next semester. These classes also aren't offered during the summer. I am starting to think about a different option that has to do with Deaf people.

If there is one thing I've learned in class, it's that it is a disservice to Deaf people to continue if you're bad at it. And right now, I may be good at the language, but interpreting is a totally different animal. And I'm not sure I can wrestle that animal. 

Men in the interpreting field

In a woman dominated field, where do men fit? I would love to see more men in this field because there are so few. In my graduating class we will have 3, which is a miracle. In the one before mine there is 1. The one before that there were 3. 

But how many of the men that go through my college for interpreting, stay with interpreting? That is a number we aren't as familiar with. My peer mentor decided to dual major in psychology because he wasn't sure he wanted to stay with interpreting. One interpreting student I know switched his major from interpreting to psychology while in his program, he wanted to be a psychologist instead.

But let me make this clear: Female interpreters wish there were more male interpreters in the field. We want male interpreters in the field. They bring other skills to the field that some of us may not have. There is also a large demand for male interpreters, especially in the medical field. That being said, we also need straight male teachers. The only straight male teacher I had for ASL was in my third semester, second year. He was one of the best teachers I've had to this point. His signing was sometimes sloppy, but my receptive skills improved more than with any other teacher. His feedback was fantastic and he always made sure to stick around after class to help me with my upcoming presentation.

I haven't had a teacher do that since. I now have an Interpreting 1 professor who is awesome, he does not teach ASL. He is also one of my favorite teachers because he takes the time to meet with students and help them improve.

So, honestly. Teaching, interpreting. Men, we need you in this field. Please, please, please start considering this as a valid option. 

Sexual Harrassment talks: Why are they necessary?

TW: Sexual Harassment, Rape, suicide

When arriving on my campus, I noticed that there were a lot more men than woman. I wasn't too worried at first, I grew up with men. I always got along better with guys, and orientation was no exception. Looking back on orientation now, there was one orientation leader who was way too friendly. So much so that my orientation leader wouldn't leave me alone with him. Not that I wanted to be near him anyway, he was acting very unusual.

My second semester I started a dance class. It all went well, there was this one guy who was super attentive and flirty. At first, I was flattered and amused. Flirting is hilarious to me, so I would laugh. Did you know that can be taken as flirting back? I was unaware. He also started to put his hands places where he shouldn't of. It wasn't necessary for the dance, which I only know because my teacher had to keep moving his hands.

The last day of classes was when it all came to a head. He came on hard, placed his hands places he shouldn't while making comments I did not feel comfortable with. It got to the point where I was afraid he might try and rape me. I had never felt that way about a man before, that he could and would hurt me. I did throw a punch, he dodged it and backed right off. After class he left like his pants were on fire.

To this day I am still bothered by it. I can't walk to my car at night anymore without my heart racing. What if he's there? What if I can't get away this time? When walking near the frats, I find myself walking a little faster with my eyes on the ground. Hoping that if he does happen to be there, he won't recognize me.

I was angry for days afterward. I couldn't get over it. I even wrote out a "note" and than deleted it from my computer.

My class recently had a sexual harassment talk. I think they are necessary, but why are we giving this presentation to the girls? I don't need to be told that it's wrong, I am well aware. I don't need to be reminded how to stay alert, I never stopped. We need to give these talks to our young men so these situations don't happen. And we need to teach them how to intervene if they see something happening.

Maybe everyone needs these talks, but I think the way we go about doing them is a bit off. 

Shy People and ASLIE programs

When I first started on my road to learning American Sign Language, I was not intending on becoming an interpreter. I am shy and considered that it may be a setback for interpreting. I did not think I could get around my limitations.

The sad fact is that my ASL interpreting program did nothing to dissuade me from that thought process. I still applied and made it into my interpreting program, I have made it to my third year. However, they are not friendly towards introverts or shy individuals. As I have gone through my program they have led me to believe that I would be no good at my job. Many teachers even questioned if I'd make it to my third year.

But as I've gone through this program I have met individuals that are shy/introverted who are successful interpreters.  There are not many of us, but we are the few who have defied expectations. A quote from my one teacher, "When I first started interpreting, I would puke in the bathroom before each assignment. I am very introverted, so it is possible for shy people to do this job." And a quote from another professor, "It isn't me speaking, it is the Deaf person. That mentality has helped me a lot as I suffer from extreme anxiety."

So, honestly, don't allow anyone to tell you that just because you are shy, that you cannot interpret. It is possible, it just means we have to try harder than other people.

My second year, I almost dropped out. After spring semester, I was worn out. I was tired, stressed, and felt like it was impossible. My advisor set me up to interpret for a Deaf woman at a church camp. Initially, I was only supposed to be doing conversations. I ended up doing church services. Those three weeks were what revived my desire to be with and interpret for the Deaf community. I had to be reminded why I was doing it.

Access to speech, church services, conversations, and presentations are a human need. Equal access is important because without it, where are we? Even as hearing people, we feel left out. Imagine what it is like to not even understand the language, yet still have the feeling of being left out.

This is easy for me to write in my fall semester when I get a TON of breaks. However, in the spring semester I'm sure I'll go through all the same doubts and fears that I did last year. I know spring is rough, but hang in there. Maybe we can all make it out together.