Ms Laura

Country:

Spain

Education:

University of Alicante & University of La Rioja

Work experience:

I have been teaching Spanish for over ten years, working in international and bilingual schools, universities and language schools in Poland, Turkey and Russia. I have taught students of all ages, from young children and teenagers to university students and adults, and at different levels, from complete beginners to advanced learners. Working with such a diverse range of students and educational settings has taught me to adapt my approach to the people in front of me, and it is also what makes teaching interesting and rewarding for me.

What makes you a good teacher?

I chose teaching because I enjoy helping students discover that learning a language is not just about learning words and grammar, but about opening a door to different cultures and being able to connect on a deeper level with people from different backgrounds. One of the things I enjoy most is seeing students gradually become more confident and realise that they can actually communicate in a language they are learning. I try to make Spanish practical and enjoyable, while getting to know my students and understanding what motivates them. I want my classroom to be a place where students feel comfortable taking part, making mistakes and learning from them.

Professional achievements:

Over the past few years, all of the students I have prepared for end-of-school and university entrance Spanish examinations have successfully passed, including those taking internationally recognised DELE examinations. I have also been fortunate to see students I taught in Poland achieve success in the Giner de los Ríos Spanish Writing Competition, organised by the Education Office of the Embassy of Spain in Poland, including first-place winners in consecutive years.

Personal achievements:

One of the things I am most proud of is hearing from former students who have gone on to visit, study or live in Spain and have been able to communicate with people in Spanish. For me, seeing students take the language beyond the classroom, connect with people and use it as part of their everyday lives is one of the most rewarding parts of teaching.

Lifestyle:

I enjoy cooking and baking, especially trying recipes from different countries, and I have always enjoyed keeping active through stretching and long walks. Reading has also been a big part of my life. I have always enjoyed discovering new ideas and stories through books, and some of them have stayed with me long after I finished reading them. I also love travelling, and some of my most memorable trips have been the less conventional ones, such as travelling across Siberia and volunteering on a farm in Mongolia. I particularly enjoy getting to know a place through its food, people and everyday life.

Dreams & Ambitions:

One of my current goals is to become reasonably fluent in Chinese and, hopefully, put it to good use when I travel around China. More than anything, I hope to stay curious, keep learning and have new experiences that make life interesting.