Looking for a partner/tutor. How can I practice what I don't know?

[CaleanWsh 0]

I'm looking for someone to teach me ASL.  My local colleges teach it, even my local adult learning center teaches it.  However, two things there - neither one has an ASL class until next semester.  And - Neither one has a beginning, or, ASL 1 class until next fall  Plus - they are both damned expensive, not to mention lab fees and textbooks!  I didn't pay to learn the basics of American English; why should I have to pay to learn the basics of another language?  I never understood that one...  (My parents taught me the basics, school and society taught me the rest.)

I have tried some of the online free courses, but they are... useless.  There is no base.  What I get from them is:  Here is a sign for a particular word.  Here is another sign for another word.  Here is yet another sign for yet another word.  And so on and so on.  How do those words go together?  Grammar, syntax, sentence structure...?  What is the "etymology" (It is a language after all!) of a particular sign?  Why that sign and not another one?  One great example of what you don't get from a video is this:  I just recently heard of a guy named Clerc and another one name Gallaudet.  Both rather important to sign language in general and quite important to American Sign Language, one would think; yet not mentioned in any video lessons.

So, where can I go where I can:

• Not pay an arm and a leg
• Learn the history
• Learn about the "etymology" (I use quotes because I don't know if that is the proper term)
• Learn proper form of the signs
• Learn proper grammar
• and finally - be able to practice with someone who knows what they are doing (so I don't pick up any bad habits!)

Has anyone ever heard of Bill Vicars and ASLU?  Is he still teaching? (His website is very out-dated)

Thanks for any assistance that can be provided. 

I never got a response from my intro post, so I thought I would post here with more information.

CW

[Rolando Lucero Villalobos 12]

I have over a years worth of experience, and I made a friend who is deaf that is always showing me something new. I’m used to tutoring Spanish, and honestly ASL is quite the same (in terms of tutoring a beginner for Spanish). I’d love to share my knowledge and experience  of ASL.