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I'm on a mission:

to make acquiring Spanish

as easy and enjoyable as possible

for you and your employees

Hi there!

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I'm Colleen and I'm here to make the process of acquiring Spanish attainable, enjoyable, and as efficient as possible for you and your employees. I know first hand what it's like to learn a second language as an adult. And guess what? For me, it was a long, HARD road. I spent YEARS (!) of my journey memorizing vocabulary and grammar rules to no end.

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Sure, I could apply grammar

and vocabulary to exams, no problem.

.... Easy Peasy.

I could conjugate verbs all day!

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But when it came time to spontaneously

communicate in Spanish, my brain would freeze up.

***cradles head in hands*** 

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It was frustrating. My goal, after all, was not to have the ability to fill in grammar sheets. I wanted to have fluent conversations in Spanish! I was determined. And I kept at it the only way I knew how... by studying more: making flashcards, buying textbooks, using Spanish learner websites, signing up for more classes, listening to the local Spanish-language radio station... you know the drill. This went on for years, my friends! 

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And sure, I was slowly,    ever...    so...    sloooooowly,  building fluency. But I never felt like I had truly "made it." I even spent a semester in Spain! Surely that would do the trick! 

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"Immersion is the best way

to learn a language, after all."

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Complete immersion is a myth. Turns out that being thrown into a completely incomprehensible environment to learn a language doesn't work. *shrugs* Might as well try to learn Spanish from Charlie Brown's teacher.  Let's skip forward a bit...

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Fast forward 10 years.

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My happy ending is, of course, that I did eventually become confidently fluent in Spanish. And after YEARS of trial and error with my students and experimenting with dozens of teaching methods, you know what I learned?

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Language acquisition doesn't HAVE to be a long, rigorous process. No one should have to suffer to achieve fluency in a another language. There IS an easier, faster,

more enjoyable and more natural way!

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On my quest to find a better way to teach Spanish, I learned that, even as adults, our brains are designed to acquire languages. In fact, we can acquire as many languages as we please! We can be the "sponges" we tout our kiddos to be if we are given the right opportunities and support.

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The best part? The most brain-friendly methods to acquire languages don't feel like work. This is important. Because language acquisition takes time. And you and your employees already have enough work to do. You need a language class that feels like an escape, that leaves you craving more.

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I have developed a curriculum based on research-backed methods that will guide you and your employees along the path to fluency in an entertaining and natural way.  It is a holistic approach to learning a language in which we focus our time and energy on what we need to use the language from the get-go.  I give you the important words that you will need in order to communicate and build a mental representation of the language. Most importantly, learning this way will give you the confidence to speak without constantly second-guessing yourself.

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Curious to learn more? The table below summarizes the differences between a traditional approach and my communicative approach to teaching Spanish. 

Meet Colleen

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  • Masters in teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language from La Universidad de Alcalá de Henares

  • 13 years experience teaching Spanish as a 2nd language

  • 8 years experience teaching Spanish to Adults in Corporate Settings

  • 4 Years experience as a Presenter & Teacher-Trainer 

  • Founded & directed a school for adult Spanish learners for 4 years

  • 2 bilingual kiddos (well, one just babbles right now...)

  • Joyfully acquiring French & dabbling with Catalan

  • Too many hours to count spent learning Spanish the hard way... let me show you how to do it right!

Ready to begin? Click here to get started if you are a corporate or private group.

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Are you an individual (not part of a Corporate or Private Group) looking to acquire Spanish as effectively and efficiently as possible? We have some options for you!

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Still got questions?

Shoot me an email at info@spanishalive.org

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