ASL & Open Doors

One of the things that I have been privileged to do this year is continue an American Sign Language class.

Back in August, some of our neighbors started taking an ASL class from a local public school teacher. They offered to let me come with them.

I agreed. I couldn't believe that after years of reading ASL books and wanting to learn more, I was really going to learn ASL.

What followed was an excellent learning  experience. In two months, I learned brought that I was able to communicate with some deaf people I met. Within four months I had had my first ASL performance where I signed a song.

My teacher is very passionate about ASL and teaches with excitement and patience. Even when I make mistakes or sign things wrong, she just laughs over it and shows me how to do it right. It makes the class fun and exciting.

One thing that she encouraged all of us to is to wear ear plugs off and on for a month. This was a tough project for me. In one sense it did cut down on a lot of distractions, but for the music loving girl inside me, I found the silence hard sometimes. And I missed hearing my families voices. But it gave me an appreciation for sound and for some of the struggles that deaf people have. It also helped me to realize that if I was deaf and someone was willing to communicate with me in sign instead of making me come into their world, it would mean the world to me.

This year, my vocabulary has improved and I'm able to have conversations with other deaf people. It's wonderful. It's opened up doors for me that I would never be able to think about before.

What do I hope to do with ASL? Apart from taking to deaf people and encouraging others, I'm not sure. It's one of those passions that God put on my heart, but I don't know all of what He wants me to do with it. For now I am content with what God has given me. And I'm sure that when God wants me to do more with ASL He will let me know.

For now, I'm enjoying the adventure of learning a new language and seeing what God has for me.

Talents and How to Use Them Part 4

Teaching


Teaching. Does that word give you chills? It gave me chills for a long time. I had so much that I wanted to share. I wanted to help point others to God. I wanted to show others God’s love.

But I always felt that I wasn’t a good teacher. I stammered and faltered. I was a bit of a scatter brain and clueless as to how to teach.

Then one day, I was asked to teach a homemaking class. I paused. I thought, I want to do this, but can I? After all I’m just an ordinary teenager. How can I teach a class? What if I fail?

As I struggled, one of the things that I realized was that I was more afraid of failure than anything else. I wasn’t afraid of planning or my students, I was afraid of failure and the unknown.

Needless to say. God came and helped me overcome this. He helped me to see that He would be in me and would help me.

I said I would take the place of head teacher of the class. Sometimes all we need to do to overcome fear is to face it head on. I found out that your fear lessens when you take it on.

After a lot of preparation and prayer, I went and taught my first class. I was amazed at how easy it was. We did a craft and talked about homemaking. It was surprisingly easy. They’re learning (hopefully) and I’m getting to help. It’s a rewarding and fun.

If you want to share some of what God or your parents have taught you, but are afraid of failure or teaching, can I encourage you? Face your fears. Don’t let them rule you. If you want to teach, let the Spirit be your guide. Follow God’s lead and let Him show you wonderful things.

Upcoming Classes

        You know when I wrote in my ideas corner about teaching a class? I could have imagined that in less then a year I would be the head teacher of a class.
        Last week I was offered to teach a homemaking class and I accepted. Now the planning and preparation begin.
        To be honest, I’m a little nervous. I’ve never thought that I have been a good teacher, but when they offered I felt God telling me to take the position. Needless to say, I’ve been doing a lot of praying and planning.
        The good thing is God has been helping me. He has been giving me strength and ideas.
        The good thing is, homemaking is a subject that I feel very comfortable in. Since I do a lot of homemaking (even though I’m still a stay at home daughter) I hope to teach about the elements of a good home, decorating, planning, cleaning, being a good hostess, and filling your home with love.
        I don’t know how well I’ll do, but I hope to teach them about more then just how to arrange flowers, but how to make a house into a home.
        We’ll see how my adventure in teaching goes.