(^ Thats my name up there! Weird.)
I have been teaching for 2 weeks now, and it's quickly becoming the highlight of my week. I have taught informally, and done mentoring and enjoyed that, but this I love! I am teaching an ASL 1 class of 25 students. It's 3.5 hours long, and we use every minute of it. Actually we have had a lot of fun, so as far as I can tell, no one wants to kill me yet. The students are already petitioning for me to teach their ASL 2 class. I reminded them that I am the only ASL teacher they have had, so they will be pleasantly surprised to know that others can do the job too. However, I think it helps that I love what I am teaching, and had some amazing teachers that helped me do understand the best ways to teach. I am also lucky that this type of class is hands on, and most students want to be there, and they tend to get the ASL bug so they are motivated and excited about class.
So often in my life, I feel like a fake. When I became an interpreter, I waited for someone to call me out. When I interviewed for a job as staff here and there was a big 20 person interview, I thought they'd figure out I'm a fake. Now that I am teaching I keep thinking all of a sudden I wont have anything left to teach and they'll get a real professional to do the job. For some reason I have a hard time realizing I am an adult and have an adult life. I guess that goes for being a professional in Sign Language as well. When will I ever feel "Legit?" Probably never. But I enjoy it anyway.
