"Nada es más simple, no hay otra norma, nada se pierde y todo se transforma."
"Nothing is more simple, there's no other norm. Nothing is lost and everything transforms." - Jorge Drexler, singer/songwriter
¡Hola! These lyrics sum up the feeling of great transformation I'm experiencing as I finish my second year teaching at High Tech High North County.
I grew up mostly in Corpus Christi, Texas, and until high school, had no idea I would ever become fluent in Spanish, much less a Spanish teacher. At age 15, I first started to travel deep into Mexico to surf much better waves than we could find on the Texas gulf coast. Once there, I realized the impact and benefits of being able to communicate with the locals in their own language. I had a new motivation to learn as much as possible in class and was lucky to have inspirational Spanish teachers in high school and later earning my B.A. in Spanish at USD. They seemed to really enjoy what they did and were highly effective in making a difference in my education and eventually my profession as an educator.
After completing my undergrad program, I worked at a Montessori-style language school for students of all ages. There, I began to develop a student-based pedagogy and realized the importance of learning about students' individual interests and needs in order to plan engaging lessons, often incorporating my guitar and music. As you may guess from the quotation above, I have personally found listening to and playing music an invaluable resource for learning a language.
Four years later, I transitioned to teaching Spanish privately in homes to young students before and after school as well as adults. When possible, I taught guitar and surfing as well to help fund my passion for travel and culture. I was fortunate enough to often spend entire summers surfing, working, and studying in countries like México, Venezuela, Spain, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. I have to thank my father, a pilot and avid sailor, for instilling in me a travel bug and sense of adventure early on. Together, we experienced Venezuela and neighboring islands by sailboat. My interest in different cultures was definitely influenced by living on the sailboat for six months exploring many different island cultures in the South Pacific. My mother is responsible for my artistic/musical side and my patience and interest in others
I hope to pay it forward and share my passion for travel, culture, and language with my students like my parents and Spanish teachers did with me. I would like to inspire my students and help transform their perspectives of learning a second language and of education in general.
I grew up mostly in Corpus Christi, Texas, and until high school, had no idea I would ever become fluent in Spanish, much less a Spanish teacher. At age 15, I first started to travel deep into Mexico to surf much better waves than we could find on the Texas gulf coast. Once there, I realized the impact and benefits of being able to communicate with the locals in their own language. I had a new motivation to learn as much as possible in class and was lucky to have inspirational Spanish teachers in high school and later earning my B.A. in Spanish at USD. They seemed to really enjoy what they did and were highly effective in making a difference in my education and eventually my profession as an educator.
After completing my undergrad program, I worked at a Montessori-style language school for students of all ages. There, I began to develop a student-based pedagogy and realized the importance of learning about students' individual interests and needs in order to plan engaging lessons, often incorporating my guitar and music. As you may guess from the quotation above, I have personally found listening to and playing music an invaluable resource for learning a language.
Four years later, I transitioned to teaching Spanish privately in homes to young students before and after school as well as adults. When possible, I taught guitar and surfing as well to help fund my passion for travel and culture. I was fortunate enough to often spend entire summers surfing, working, and studying in countries like México, Venezuela, Spain, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. I have to thank my father, a pilot and avid sailor, for instilling in me a travel bug and sense of adventure early on. Together, we experienced Venezuela and neighboring islands by sailboat. My interest in different cultures was definitely influenced by living on the sailboat for six months exploring many different island cultures in the South Pacific. My mother is responsible for my artistic/musical side and my patience and interest in others
I hope to pay it forward and share my passion for travel, culture, and language with my students like my parents and Spanish teachers did with me. I would like to inspire my students and help transform their perspectives of learning a second language and of education in general.