Private tutors

[sugarplumfaerie]

I am looking for a tutor after trying a couple of different group lessons. I think I may be happier with private so I can learn at my own pace. I talked to Ole Mexico but they said no to tutoring and I have talked to one other tutor who was highly recommended but, in my mind, very expensive, which may be worth it if she is that good, but it could also be an expensive mistake since you buy a block of classes up front. So any recommendations? I am centrally located in central Ajijic and willing to walk or bus to classes. Thanks.

[cstone]

If you are a beginner, or are struggling with listening or pronunciation skills, I am going to recommend something fun, easy and cheap for you that I practically GUARANTEE will improve your Spanish skills dramatically !

Volunteer for 6 months to 1 year on a regular basis at a local kindergarten or first grade. If you can handle kids, and many people cannot , you will learn almost all you need for survival Spanish from the teacher and the kids. For free, with no homework, and in a context that makes perfect sense to the language center of your brain.

For many older adults, attempting to learn a foreign language from a textbook or classroom setting doesn't work, because it does not engage the language center of your brain. It tries to force your brain to use its cognitive or intellectual center to acquire a skill which will be used from a different section of your brain. That is why it doesn't work as well as acquiring a language in a natural context.

If you go to school at the beginning of the year and just participate, listen and play along, you will amaze yourself at how much you learn, how quickly you learn, and how much fun it is. No stress, and you get to be a kid again. No worry about messing up or getting lost, just follow the teacher. It's their job to shepherd the group around, and I promise you they will be grateful for an extra pair of grownup hands to hold onto a few squirrelly young things !

After a year of K, you could progress to a few days a week of Grade 1, and then you would be reading and writing, too. You can learn and have fun and be of help. School's over by 1PM.

I have 40 years in the field of teaching, and you can take my word for it .... learning a language in the natural way in a natural context will be much more fun and you will be much more successful. After you have a bit of Spanish ingrained in the language center of your brain, using a textbook and adding to previous knowledge will make a lot more sense !

C. Stone