ESL LANGUAGE TEACHERS

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Hello,

I am new to this community.

I was in tears earlier while reading some of the posts by educators which really struck a chord with me and mirrored my own experiences. I too have been teaching for many years while dealing with the added stress and anxieties attached to AS. I do, however, feel immensely proud of my achievements, although it hasn't been easy at all. Along with lots of tears, there have been so many rewarding moments.

I am due to commence a university programme and have come to realise that very little research has been conducted on teachers with AS. I think it would be wonderful if I could produce some literature on the unique teaching strategies and daily struggles of ESL teachers, in particular.

I hope to make contact with any ESL teachers who may be interested in contributing toward my research.

I believe we are wonderfully unique teachers, and I want make a contribution to removing stigma attached of educators with AS to produce evidence of successes and achievements gained, despite the struggles we encounter on a daily basis.

Right now I am in holiday (on my own, as usual) in a quiet hotel in an attempt to recharge from my recent experience of teaching over the summer period prior the commencement of my studies.

I hope some of you will make contact with me.

Will update with improved language/grammar at a later date.

I'm not a teacher by profession, but when I worked in customer service I have given 3 to 6 week training on call center operations to fairly large classes (15 to 20 agents). After training, I'd keep accompanying them on their first weeks on the job. I like to think I was pretty good at it, and I found all sorts of strategies to minimize/eliminate any AS related anxiety. I'm even going to say it helped me more than it helped them: I've felt closer to some of my students than to my friends, yet the boundaries of our relationship was clearly defined, creating a symmetrical relationship (something I can't seem to find through regular interaction).

It If that sort of experience interests you feel free to PM me, I always enjoy reading good research, I'd like to contribute back.

**edit** Worth noting at the time I had never heard of AS, and am still not diagnosed, so that might screw with your data even further :/

I teach ESL in an Intensive English Program at a University in the US, and was diagnosed with ASD last summer. Please feel free to PM me if you want.

Just out of curiosity, why do you want to focus on ESL teachers in particular?

A lot of Aspies are professors, a lot of them in things that are their obsessions... no surprise. Is English an obsession of yours or just an interest? Either way, if you really want to do it and set your mind to it you can do it. Good luck! I thought to be an ESL teacher in some foreign country once. I never ended up doing it; became too busy; but maybe sometime. My mom was an ESL teacher once and she held up flashcards of stuff and the foreigners she was teaching would laugh at the names the stuff had that it said on the flashcards because they found the English words so funny.

Lol, Charity, that was interesting what you said about English re/obsession. I know it was directed more at the OP, but for me, while English itself is not an obsession, learning foreign languages is, so teaching English as a foreign language fits pretty well