"My Spanish learning began, as with many, in 8th grade. I took four years of Spanish and would have taken an additional one during my final year in high school, however I would have been the only student. Sadly, the teacher did not want to create an independent class for me. Around 1993 I moved to Spain, with the military, living off base for the three years there. My high school Spanish came back little more...
"My Spanish learning began, as with many, in 8th grade. I took four years of Spanish and would have taken an additional one during my final year in high school, however I would have been the only student. Sadly, the teacher did not want to create an independent class for me. Around 1993 I moved to Spain, with the military, living off base for the three years there. My high school Spanish came back little by little every day with continued practice speaking with my non-English speaking neighbors and watching Spanish TV. By the time we left I was proficient enough to hold normal every day conversations with varying Spanish speakers. When I returned to the States, I took a CLEP exam and tested out of two years of college level Spanish. I later returned to college at Virginia Wesleyan to receive my Bachelor's in Spanish graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2005 and have been teaching Spanish in a public high school ever since. For the past five years I have also been teaching students in preparation for the International Baccalaureate program. I'm proud to state that one of my graduating seniors just earned ORO (gold) on the National Spanish Exam.
While at VWC I participated in a Spring Break Service program by going to the Dominican Republic with three other girls to help out at a local orphanage. Two years ago I lead a group of six students and three adults on an educational trip to Costa Rica. We learned so much and it was so nice to see my students using the language in real life situations and beaming with their abilities.
Due to my experiences in Spain, the Dominican and Costa Rica, as well as to the teaching philosophies of my college professor, I believe that immersion in the language and real life application is the best way to learn a language. I do, however, realize that in a tutoring session this may not be the best strategy. I will look for opportunities to use real-life situations, as mutually agreed upon. Depending on the level of the student, I would prefer to hold sessions in the target language" less...
