About Me

I am a licensed mid-high Spanish teacher with my Masters of Education, 10+ years of Spanish teaching experience and 3 years cumulatively spent living, working and traveling in Latin America. I have taught hundreds of students of all ages and learning styles throughout the Bay Area and offer highly-personalized sessions that target student challenge zones and build on student strengths. Note that I am not a general tutor but specialize in teaching Spanish only, guided by research-based theories and standards of second language pedagogy and acquisition.

My primary goal as a Spanish tutor is to engage students in a unique and exciting learning process that propels them towards academic success and sustained engagement with the Spanish language. Paying attention to the distinct abilities and challenges of each student, I tailor my teaching to accommodate a range of learning styles and needs. While I ground lessons in students’ provided materials, I also supplement from a vast library of my own resources as I know that language proficiency can skyrocket with meaningful connections to the target language.

As a second language Spanish learner myself, I can relate to my students’ Spanish language journeys and bring expertise based on years of refining my teaching methods through public and private school teaching and one-to-one tutoring. I have taught in the Mountain View-Los Altos and Santa Cruz County school districts, at Springfield High School (OR) and at Lydian and Fusion Academies along the SF Peninsula, within each setting expanding the ways I connect with unique learners and employ differentiated strategies to develop their Spanish skills. Furthermore, having started my career in education teaching in SPED and RSP programs, I’ve grounded my teaching in the flexibility to adapt and serve learners with identified learning differences and exceptionalities.

Equally important to my experience as an educator, I have worked and traveled extensively in Latin America and Spain, including: founding and managing a cycling tour operator on the coast of Uruguay, running a successful group adventure tour in Argentina to experience the total solar eclipse, hosting tour groups on a traditional Patagonian estancia and, more recently, spending the better portion of a year in Baja California Sur, exploring remote corners of the peninsula and immersing myself in the choyero way of life. From these experiences, I have noted cultural and idiomatic differences useful in empowering students to gain a more wholesome understanding of Spanish language and culture to apply in real world settings. After all, Spanish is a living, breathing entity that is meant to be spoken! I firmly believe that the more Spanish is applied outside the classroom, the more a learner internalizes the power of bilingualism and can accelerate their language skills to an exponential degree.

In all of my sessions, I aim to bring the Spanish language alive and invigorate students to embody their full potential as lifelong learners! Please contact me with any questions or for current availability. I am happy to discuss you or your student's needs in further depth and propose specific ways I can help in reaching personal and/or academic goals.

Education:
University of California, Santa Cruz - B.A. in Art
University of Oregon - M.Ed. in World Languages & Mid-High Teaching Licensure (Spanish)

Schools I've taught at:
Mountain View High School - Mountain View, CA
Harbor High School - Santa Cruz, CA
Springfield High School - Springfield, OR
Lydian Academy - Menlo Park, CA
Fusion Academy - Palo Alto, CA

Spanish-speaking countries visited:
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Peru, Spain & Uruguay

Recent favorite Spanish-language...
Book: Poeta Chileno by Alejandro Zambra
Movie: Nadie Sabe Que Estoy Aquí
Podcast Episode: Acuario de Papel (Radio Ambulante)
Song: "Madonna" - Natanael Cano
Visual Artist: Rafael Lozano-Hemmer

Like many of my clients, my Spanish journey began in school as a young mind curious about a new language. Through the right teachers and immersion in communities both near and abroad, I cultivated a passion for the Spanish language and Latin cultures that continues to grow every day. Now, as a dedicated Spanish educator, I carry the torch forward, embracing transformative theories and techniques that bring Spanish to life and empower students to realize their potential.

"Tener otro idioma es como poseer una segunda alma."
"To have another language is to possess a second soul."

-Charlemagne