Refining ASL-English Interpreter Education

  I've been teaching in higher education for over 2 decades! 😲 My  work as an educator started even earlier by hosting mini-workshops for my local Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf group (Mid-SCRID). That's what led me to pursue a Master's in linguistics - because I wanted to teach interpreting in a college setting.  I started my faculty career as a part-time English composition instructor and as a part-time interpreting instructor at two different community colleges, while working on my Master's degree.  To listen to the audio of this video, you'll find it in the Faculty Resource Cente r. From there, I began my hunt for a full-time faculty position. After multiple interviews, I landed at Eastern Kentucky University - in a grant funded, non-tenure track faculty position. Eventually a tenure-track position opened up, and I applied and was hired into that position. I'm now a tenured, associate professor. Over the years, I've realized that what I need...

One of my favorite times of year is when I take time to do strategic planning…That sounds like a big fancy thing, but really, it is not. It’s just a time that I take away from distractions to check on my progress toward my goals and make sure my upcoming months’ projects and activities align with my goals.  To listen to the audio version of this vlog, click here .  In short, here’s what I do during my strategic planning sessions: Recenter my focus to make my highest contribution at work and in life by: Reviewing my Life’s Purpose and Direction statement to remind myself of my life’s work, why I’m here on this planet;  Reviewing my academic mission statement to ensure it still feels right for my current phase of work Brainstorm and plan my most important projects for the coming few months; List the next actions that I need to take on each project; Get started on the most important projects OR Rejuvenate with the relaxed pace of a few days. I host my own mini-strategic pla...

One of the most satisfying parts of my job is teaching. I enjoy planning lessons and activities. I love engaging with students to increase their knowledge and enhance their skills. These activities are cup-fillers for me. Watch on YouTube Listen to an audio for the video. If I'm not careful, the planning lessons and preparing for class interactions expand to fill all available time - leaving nothing for scholarship and service. I regularly track my time with toggl track to make sure that I spend my time in ways that align with my mission, values, and goals. The key to enjoying my class planning and preparation without spending too much time on it is templates. I use templates for planning the assignments and activities for each week of class. Students appreciate the predictability, and I appreciate the "fill in the blank" approach to lesson planning. Here is a sample I use for the introductory linguistics course I'm teaching this semester. The format is essen...

If you’re a full-time faculty member, it’s likely you have service as a job requirement. The specific expectations for service vary based on the type of institution, and the specific faculty position. My research indicates that both teaching and scholarship are more highly valued in tenure and promotion processes (Hale 2012). Studies also indicate that faculty are not likely to be denied tenure or promotion because of insufficient service. However, some faculty members invest time and energy in service to the detriment of scholarly productivity, which is more likely to lead to denied tenure or promotion applications. How are faculty to balance the requirement to provide service, and the expectations that teaching and scholarship are the primary areas that are judged in terms of tenure and promotion?     My recommendation is to be selective with service . Of course some service obligations are rotated among faculty members and everyone has their turn with that opportunity. (I’m...

Do you ever feel like university life, with it's teaching, service and scholarship, is overwhelming? Do you sometimes feel like no one at your university understands where you're coming from?  Or are you just now considering becoming a faculty member and you don't know where to begin? I have been in your shoes, and that's why I created this blog (and accompanying YouTube Channel ). I want to support you on your journey to becoming the best faculty member you can be so we can improve the lives of Deaf people together!  When we improve our practices, we can improve student outcomes to produce the best interpreters for the community. Click here for an audio version of the video. Welcome! Please subscribe to the blog and YouTube Channel to be notified about new posts.