Meet the Spanish and Maya language team!
Our Spanish and Maya language team have been busy delivering online classes to students across the world the last few months, so we thought it was about time we introduced them. Read what they have to say about teaching at Na’atik, as well as their one piece of advice for language learners.Emily - SAY CoordinatorI started at Na'atik last October as the School Librarian, but I've been working as the Study Abroad Coordinator since mid-July. My favorite thing about working at Na'atik is interacting with students. We have so much to learn from each other and it's always a pleasure to see them grow.
My advice for someone learning a language is to find your "why" right away. Write it down, tell your friends, whatever you need to do to remind yourself why you want to learn that language. Also, learning a language uses so many parts of your brain and it's really helpful to be familiar with your own learning style so you can learn the way you want to.
Cesar - Spanish TeacherI’ve been working as a Spanish teacher at Na'atik for 3 years. I think what I’ve liked most about working at the school is that it has given me the opportunity to share and connect with wonderful people from all over the world. Moreover, it has allowed me to teach not only Spanish, but also about my culture, that of my region, my country and more.To learn a language you need two things: motivation and grammar. You have to know what you want to learn and complement it with the fundamentals, the rest will come by itself.
Osmar - Spanish TeacherI’ve been a Spanish teacher at Na'atik since the summer of 2017 - that would be three years now! What I like the most about being a teacher is being able to share and exchange ideas with our students, in addition to learning with and from them. I share Mexico’s culture through the language and I can get to know the culture and ideas of the places the students are from.For anyone learning a new language, I would advise working around the topics that you like and are interested in. Whenever we start with new students, we find ourselves asking: what motivates you to learn and what topics would you like to work on? Motivation is always greater when we talk about things that we like and are interested in: travel, music, culture, anything that seems interesting to us and makes us want to talk more and more about it.That undoubtedly goes hand in hand with: what do I want to do with the language in the future? Maybe you’ll want to be able to visit that place you love or be able to read or watch certain content, this helps us see where we are going and what we want to focus on as well.
José - Spanish TeacherI’ve been a Na'atik Spanish teacher since 2016. What I like most about being a teacher at the school is the authenticity of the classes. We can integrate the culture of Carrillo and Mexico in each of them. The best thing is the way we customize them to make them unique and attractive to each of our students.One piece of advice I would give to someone studying any language is not to be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. When learning a language, you will experience so many things like vocabulary, grammatical structures, culture and all that will make you love it. So challenge yourself to speak another language and practice day by day.
Adrian - Spanish TeacherI’m new to working as a Spanish teacher at Na'atik. I’ve been working for approximately 3 months, which for me has been a great new stage in my life. What I like most about working at Na'atik is the students. I think they’re all excellent people and we have a lot to learn from each other, both me and them. For anyone who tries to study a language, my recommendation is: "do not be afraid to make mistakes". Errors are a very important part in any learning process and, without them, we would not be able to advance at all. Even if it becomes a bit embarrassing, it will help us improve both in the language and as human beings.
Pedro - Spanish TeacherI’ve been teaching Spanish at Na'atik for 10 years. What I like the most about being a teacher at Na’atik is getting to know the different points of view of people from different parts of the world and to see that we can have similar ideas.When learning a language, don’t get frustrated because it's not like swallowing a pill. It takes time to learn and to enjoy it. Only when we’re enjoying it can we truly learn.
Paulino - Maya TeacherI've been a Maya teacher at Na’atik for about a year in total. What I like the most about being a teacher is meeting the objective of each class. If my students are satisfied with the results of each session, I think that, as a teacher, I share their same satisfactions. On the other hand, I like being part of the Na’atik team because it is an institute that offers flexibility at work with a trustworthy and collaborative environment, in addition to working with different cultures.One piece of advice I would give to someone learning a language is to have an internal motivation, a purpose, a taste and commitment in learning that language, as well as an interest and willingness to know the culture, since language and culture always go hand in hand.
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The best way to experience the Mexican lifestyle is in person, with a Na’atik Immersion experience. Not only do you live with a local Mexican-Maya family, sharing home-cooked meals and free time, but also receive expert instruction in your chosen language at our school. Best of all, every immersion experience helps fund our subsidized and free local education program, helping local students to access opportunities and make their own futures.