Now, I'm a Spanish Teacher

Now, I’m a Spanish Teacher

I moved to Sacramento, California in 1988, with my eldest sister, Bridget. It was my second year of college. I had hoped to fulfill my dream of attending school to study acting, directing, or some facet of the theatre industry, but attending a university as an out-of-stater was just too expensive. So, I decided to enroll at Sacramento City College in the meantime as I established residency there.

At SCC, I took some elective classes, just to keep me busy, I guess. However, my experience is unforgettable. I was blown away at the ethnic and cultural diversity of this campus and the Sacramento area at large, a drastic difference from my roots in Central Mississippi. The west coast was a true melting pot - a microcosm of what the United States is as a whole.

As you could imagine, I got to experience this diversity up close, making friends with people of various cultural and linguistic backgrounds. I especially took a liking to the Spanish language during this time. I could not help but notice its prevalence and usefulness in everyday life. I had met a friend who had begun to teach me a word or two, which I enjoyed.

Fast forward to several months later, I made my way back to Mississippi. Needless to say, the acting career path did not pan out. But no disappointments. It was 1989, and I needed to finish my undergraduate degree. I enrolled at Mississippi College, continuing a major in journalism which I had begun at Hinds Community College right after high school. My preference was creative writing, but there was no such major at MC at that time.

As it would have it, my major required that I take a foreign language. I had the potential of earning advanced placement in French since I had taken two years of that language in high school. But, oh no, my short-lived experience as a Californian had opened my eyes to the language that was of greater need in the States - Spanish. After attending my first class, I had fallen in love with Spanish. That love has not waned over the years and has been the foundation for my career as a Spanish teacher and for my desire to grow in my own language-learning skills.

If you are a teacher on any level, you love it when that proverbial lightbulb goes off in your student’s head. Suddenly, you have made a breakthrough. I have had plenty of those moments as a Spanish teacher. But more importantly, I want students to realize the long-term benefits of studying and learning the Spanish language or any second language. Just to name a few perks, learning another language improves one’s memory and brain function (“Benefits,” n.d.; UOTP Marketing, 2021). Enhanced academic outcomes such as elevated test scores, reading comprehension, and vocabulary acquisition are also impressive gains (“Benefits,” n.d.). And my favorite - learning a second language helps to develop one’s own first language (UOTP Marketing, 2021).

Lastly, I would say that you are never too old or too young to begin learning a second or even a third language. As I mentioned above, I have a background in French, and I have also dabbled a bit in Mandarin Chinese (ni hao:). So, I am well on my way to becoming a true linguist. For now, I’m a Spanish teacher, delivering instruction in the traditional classroom, online, and through my video lessons. Take a look at the video samples posted!

References

Benefits of Language Learning | ACTFL. (n.d.). ACTFL. Retrieved July 23, 2022, from https://www.actfl.org/resources/guiding-principles-language-learning/benefits-language-learning

UOTP Marketing. (2021, December 5). 9 Benefits of Learning a Second Language. University of the Potomac. https://potomac.edu/benefits-of-learning-a-second-language/