Why Study Spanish?

-   Over 360 million people in the world speak Spanish! Spanish is the official language of 25 countries, mostly in the Americas.

-   The U.S. is the third largest Spanish speaking country in the world. Hispanic Americans are the largest minority group in the U.S. Also, Spanish is the language most often spoken at home after English.

-   Many businesses prefer employees who can speak Spanish.

-  The study of Spanish offers learners the opportunity to communicate, to learn, and to function appropriately in Hispanic communities.

-   Mexico and Latin America are our largest trade partners. Business, trade, and tourism with these Spanish speaking countries are expected to increase in the coming years.

-  Since Spanish derives from Latin, it is useful in learning medical and scientific terminology.

-  Spanish speakers have been immigrating to the U.S. for over 400 years. Many people in the U.S. speak Spanish as their primary language or have Spanish as a heritage language.

-  Students enrolled in the study of languages including Spanish have higher SAT scores for each year of language than students who do not study a foreign language.

- Children of today will need to be bilingual to be successful in the global society and economy of their adulthood. Today two languages are useful- tomorrow they will be required, and a third language will be desired.

- Childhood is the best time to develop an appreciation and understanding of diverse cultures, peoples, and perspectives in the world.

- An optimal time to learn languages is prior to age twelve (but it’s never too late to start learning!).

My Spanish Teaching Philosophy

    Building the foundation to support a lifelong language learning journey begins now. Everyday vocabulary and useful phrases are introduced and reinforced through listening, repetition, hands on activities, following directions (TPR) and musical and visual prompts. Students learn to utilize the language to communicate likes/dislikes, needs, wants, greetings, introductions, descriptions, and an array of questions and answers. Students also begin to cultivate an appreciation and understanding of the culture and traditions of Spanish speaking communities. Through practice, the primary goal of learning a secondary language is to understand and be understood.