My Journey to Learning Spanish--and How Your Child Can Learn Spanish Too!

When I talk about how I have been learning Spanish for over 20 years, people sometimes assume that it has always come easily and naturally to me, and I hardly had to work at it. However, while it has been one of my stronger subjects, it was not always a breeze, and I actually consider that a good thing now! Read on to find out why... Since I tutor children in Spanish, I thought I would share with you how I learned Spanish and why I am so passionate about teaching it to others.

My experience with Spanish started over 2 decades ago. When I was very young and just starting to learn to speak English, my first language, I also had a Peruvian au pair. She and her daughter who I was friends with would often speak to me in Spanish, and so I learned some basic words and phrases, and I believe most importantly, became familiar with the vowel and consonant sounds and the structure of basic Spanish. My parents encouraged this and encouraged me to try to speak to them not just in English but with a few words of Spanish. I will forever credit them with getting me started in learning Spanish.

This example shows that very young children can start to learn a second language. This is also why I will start working with children as early as preschool or Kindergarten age, because it was so valuable in my own life! I had no way of knowing just how important this would become for me.

Then when I came to school, I had the rare opportunity to start Spanish classes at an early age. With my background very early in life in the language, combined with these classes, my ability in Spanish started to ramp up quickly. I loved learning new Spanish words and phrases!

I continued to take Spanish classes throughout elementary and middle school, and took the chance to use my Spanish whenever I could. However, it was not until high school and even college when I started to realize just how much of a blessing I had been given through this opportunity to learn a second language my whole life. Through late high school and into college, I started to realize that this would open up a whole new world of opportunities, both in my career and personal life. Throughout this time, I put a huge priority on taking Spanish classes, both because I loved learning it and because I realized how important it could be for me.

Now, I get to tutor students in the subject I have come to love so much, and hopefully pass on the love of languages. The best part of the job for me is watching a child get excited about something new they just learned in Spanish in real time! Another part of learning Spanish that I absolutely love is learning about the different countries where it is spoken. It is not recommended to learn a language in a vacuum. Children and adults alike will get so much more out of learning Spanish or any other language if they simultaneously learn about the culture or cultures it comes from. Spanish is spoken in many different cultures around the world, each with their own unique history and traditions, so there is a lot of amazing information to learn!

However, even though I love the language, as I mentioned at the beginning, this doesn't mean it was always easy for me. I remember one time in particular during my junior year of college where my Spanish class was getting so difficult, that I wanted to throw in the towel completely and give up on my dreams of speaking Spanish in my daily life and career. I am SO glad I didn’t though! It took time, but I pushed through the difficulty and asked for help when I needed it. I believe this experience makes me a better tutor today because I can relate to those students who are struggling with Spanish, maybe don’t even see the point in trying anymore, and want to give up. I know what it feels like to have to seek help, but how that can be just the breakthrough a student needs. I also know how to identify those areas where the student is struggling, and the gaps in their learning that may have contributed to the current issue, and can help them move forward from there.

Just because a child learns Spanish, does not mean that they have to become a Spanish tutor or teacher. There are so many ways that knowing Spanish can be beneficial to their future! Even if they never use a word of it in their career (which is unlikely in this day and age because many companies in pretty much every industry are actively looking for people who are bilingual), there is so much intrinsic value in learning a second language. I have talked about just 5 reasons here: https://www.spanishlearningsuperheroes.com/post/why-should-kids-start-learning-spanish-secret-superpower, and there are many more.

I hope you enjoyed reading about how I came to learn and love the Spanish language. Please let me know if you have any questions about it. However while beneficial in my story, your child does not need a Peruvian au pair, or even formal Spanish classes in school starting in Kindergarten to get a good start in Spanish! I would love to talk to you about how fun, interactive, personalized tutoring can be a great first step for any child. Fill out the contact form on my website if you would like to schedule a free consultation to see how this could be a good fit for your child! You can find it here: https://www.spanishlearningsuperheroes.com/contact.