Mrs. Sheila McAlpine has been teaching since 2008; she now teaches American Sign Language (ASL) and Culinary Arts at Mid-Metro Academy.

I am lucky to have been one of her students for three years and have enjoyed her teaching. I asked her some questions about her classes, her goals, and her philosophy.  

How does she make her classes some of the most popular choices at MMA? “I just try to be the best version of myself,” she explains. “I try to stay positive in all situations. I think that helps me to be able to deal with quite a bit inside and outside the classroom.”  

Mrs. McAlpine has a hearing son and a deaf daughter. She learned ASL to communicate with her daughter and started teaching it to teens. She also teaches Culinary Arts, which, she says, is “AWESOME! Not only successful, but delicious.”

A few of the many recipes students made in her class this year were potato pancakes, fried calamari, and toaster tarts. Why does she teach Culinary Arts? “I’m hoping that I can teach kids that cooking can be fun,” she says. “It is important to teach that not only can food be fun, but learning how to cook can be healthier and can save you a lot of money in the future.”

She also shared her goals for her ASL classes: “By teaching ASL, I hope to inspire the younger generation to want to learn how to communicate with Deaf people. Communication is so important. No one wants to be isolated because of a language barrier. Also, there is a huge need for interpreters. I hope by sharing what I love, someone else will love it like I do and want to continue learning past my classes to become an interpreter.” 

When I asked her about her philosophy of life, Mrs. McAlpine replied, “To work hard, show others respect, and be positive in situations out of my control.”