I LOVE the Spanish language. I also LOVE telling stories. I created the podcast “Simple Stories in Spanish” to continue my love of language and storytelling and share it with the world.
My goal with the podcast “Simple Stories in Spanish”, and this website, is to help others learn Spanish through comprehensible and compelling stories. Language guru Stephen Krashen said: “We acquire spoken fluency not by practicing talking but by understanding input, by listening and reading.”
I believe that stories make learning easy and fun. We listen and read to understand the message, and the language (vocabulary and grammar) is acquired along the way. I try to make my storytelling clear and engaging for learners of all levels, but especially beginners.
If you have a topic you would like to hear a story about, I am always looking for ideas! Please email me at smalltownspanishteacher@gmail.com
My language journey:
I decided I was going to be a teacher in 1st grade – pretty early, I know. I always knew that I would teach high school, but I wanted to teach math. Growing up in northern Minnesota in the 80s and 90s, I didn’t get my first taste of Spanish until my first class at the age of 14. My Spanish journey did not start well. My worst grades were in Spanish (and science). I took Spanish 2 the next year because I knew colleges liked to see two years of a language on your high school transcript. I was terrible. I did not learn Spanish easily. Math, on the other hand, was a breeze. While I was still determined to become a math teacher, I kept taking Spanish classes and getting mediocre grades.
I had a wise math teacher who, upon hearing that I wanted to become a math teacher myself, decided to let me teach her class so that I would get a feel for it. I learned one very important lesson in that class: I couldn’t teach math. It was so easy for me to understand that I was at a loss to help my classmates that just didn’t get it. So, I set my sights on Spanish. Perhaps it would be easier for me to teach a subject in which I understood the struggle. Perhaps I could reach the harder to reach students. Perhaps I could find a better way.
In Spanish 3, I started reading more and my language journey changed immediately. I discovered that I liked Spanish. I liked it a lot. I read everything I could get my hands on in Spanish (which wasn’t much back then). I devoured the stories in my textbooks. I actually wanted to take Spanish 4 and study Spanish at the university level.
I attended Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota – famous for its amazing choir and fabulous language villages. I majored in Spanish Education and Theatre Arts. I spent a semester in Spain at la Universidad de Navarra in Pamplona. After my second son was born, I decided to go back to school again and earn my Master’s in Spanish Education through the online campus at the University of Nebraska at Kearney (Looking back, I have no idea how I survived those two years teaching full time, taking classes, and raising a toddler and newborn).
I have taken trips with students to Spain, Peru and Ecuador. I also traveled to Costa Rica as part of my Master’s program.
I have learned a lot through my classes, but I have learned more through my teaching. I have learned what helps students learn and what doesn’t. I have learned the importance of staying in Spanish as much as possible. I have learned that input is more important than output.
My teaching journey:
Over my 18 years of teaching, I have changed a lot. I started with the traditional textbook methods, which were how I was taught. I used to assign a practice sheet of grammar or vocabulary for homework every night. Then I was introduced to TPRS and my life changed.
Now, I like to think of myself as a hybrid teacher. I only do direct grammar teaching when necessary. I start levels 2+ with FVR (Free Voluntary Reading). I do picture and movie talks, PQA (Personalized Questions and Answers), short stories, novels and sometimes we play with Legos. I still do worksheets and I give a small assessment every week. I believe in holding students accountable for doing their part in the classroom, but I also recognize that they will learn language at their own pace. I don’t create questions to purposefully trip them up, rather I ask them to show me what they know, then I know where to build them up.
I have taught Spanish 1, 2, 3, 4, AP Language and Culture, Heritage Speakers 1 and 2, Dual Enrollment CEPA SPA 111, 112, 211, 212, 261 and 262 classes through Colorado Mountain College (CMC), evening Conversational Spanish 101, 102 and 201 also at the Rifle CMC, ELL, and Aerobics. I also translated special education IEP’s for our school district. Currently I co-sponsor our school’s book club
About my classes:
Our school has a 4-day week. We only have classes Monday through Thursday. That Friday off is nice, but it means we have to work a little harder in the four days we have. Class periods are 55 minutes long and meet every day. The first 5 minutes of every class are dedicated to FVR (Free Voluntary Reading). I have a decent library that I am constantly adding to.
Every week I am required to enter an assessment-based grade. That can be a formative or summative assessment, but it must be more than participation. These quizzes are reading, listening, writing or speaking based
Right now, Spanish 1 focuses on self identity, family, food and friends. Spanish 2 and Heritage Speakers focuses on Hispanic culture. We eliminated Spanish 3 and 4 in favor of dual-enrollment college courses. They follow the college common curriculum.
At home:
I am mom to 2 wonderful boys who support me in my many endeavors. Indoors I enjoy playing board games with my boys, building Lego creations, reading, knitting and crocheting. Outdoors I love hiking, cross-country skiing, and camping.
I would love to hear from you as well! You can find me on Instagram and Facebook. Or you can email me at smalltownspanishteacher@gmail.com.