Welcome! I’m so glad you’re here to join me on your journey as a world language teacher and I can’t wait to share my passion and knowledge for language education with you. I created this site to be a place where language educators could come together to share creative ideas, tips and tricks, and resources to engage students and help keep our classes fresh!
So who is la Señorita Creativa?
I started my language journey as a 12-year-old when my church youth group went on a mission trip to Monterrey, Mexico. I quickly fell in love with the culture and the people in Mexico. We spent much of our time at one orphanage – Casa Hogar Douglas.
I wanted so bad to be able to talk to those kids and I did my best despite zero knowledge of Spanish. When I got back home I knew that I just had to learn Spanish. As soon as I started high school I signed up for Spanish. I was so driven to learn the language so I could go back and talk with these kids. Fortunately the language came relatively easily to me and my repeated trips back to Mexico gave me the motivation I needed to work hard to learn the language.
Once I went off to college at Miami University I decided to major in Spanish education. As part of my course of study I was required to study abroad for semester. Naturally, enamored as I was with Mexico, I decided to go back. I spent a semester in Cuernavaca, the city of eternal spring, where I had some of the most amazing experiences of my life, despite my homesickness. In addition to visiting Mexico City a few times (including trips to the Zócalo and the National Museum of Anthropology), I also visited Acapulco, Taxco, and Teotihuacán, among other places.
After returning home from my study abroad, I was as fired up as ever to become a Spanish teacher. Despite a very difficult student teaching experience, I graduated with my bachelors in Spanish education in 2008. Right after graduation, I moved to Austin, Texas and began my job search in earnest. I was hired that year to teach Spanish one and I’ve been at the same school ever since. I will begin my 12th year in the classroom this year!
Each year, I have added strategies and activities to my teacher tool kit and I strive to continue to grow as an educator, never satisfied with “good enough “. As part of my never ending quest for growth I completed my Masters degree in Educational Administration in August 2018 and I have been implementing the theories and techniques I learned from my program both as a teacher and as a leader.
I would love to hear the journey you’ve taken to becoming a language teacher! Share yours in the comments.
