Meet the teacher


About you

You are not a beginner, and neither am I

  • You are committed to the journey.
  • You are ready to make mistakes so you can learn from them.
  • You are interested in the cultural aspects of the language and curious about the mindset behind. (including why we speak the way we do)
  • You are ready to explore, discover, and embrace different approaches to learning and accessing the deeper levels of Spanish experience through language.
  • You take the student / teacher relationship seriously but also crave and enjoy having fun while learning (our goal is that you have an enormous amount of fun and pleasure while learning and during immersion courses).

If you recognise yourself in the description above (or you aspire towards this learning model), I’d be honoured to take your hand and help guide you through this exciting and passionate journey.

Explore, discover, and learn a new way of improving your Spanish while embracing the culture and deepening your understanding.

About your teacher

There is a perfect teacher for every student

  • María is a trained, certified, and experienced teacher and examiner (Instituto Cervantes certified Teacher of Spanish as a Foreign Language and certified DELE examiner) and certified SIELE exam trainer.
  • Degree in Arts (Languages) by University of Burgos (Spain).
  • Masters in Scenery Arts by University of Burgos
  • Spanish grammar expert who can also simplify and make structure accessible.
  • Part of a community of teachers exploring the latest, best, and most novel methods.
  • Industry speaker and community organiser: CREA 18’
  • Global traveller and self-employed business woman.
  • 14 years of language teaching with 100’s of delighted students
  • I love mistakes, because it’s only through them that progress can happen.

Your level of commitment to learning will also determine the effectiveness of your teacher.

Having the best guide however, ensures you don’t just get to your goal, but you get there faster and with more consistency.

Anyone can learn independently or speak with a native, although you won’t get the benefit of a trained teacher who can explain why grammar and syntax rules are the way they are or provide corrections which facilitate and accelerate deep learning.

You can engage me to accelerate your learning, deepen your understanding, and make your life easier. Learning should be entertaining, interesting, and fun. Unlock your learning. Let me be your guide.

Talks

  • Multilingual Poetry Creation: connect with your inner polyglot – Mother Tongues Festival, 22 – 23 February, Dublin (Ireland)
  • Creative Writing, Performance and Public Speaking (with Kerstin Cable) – LangFest, 23 – 25 August 2019, Montréal (Canada)
  • Creative Writing for Rhythm and Intonation in the target language – Women in Language 2019
  • Descifra el código del español a través de la poesía y la expresión personal – CREA (Congreso de Profesores de Español como Lengua Extranjera), 15 – 19 Julio 2018, Salamanca (España).
  • Cracking the Language Code Through Art and Self-Expression – Women In Language 2018
  • Emprender como profesor online – Conferencia de Profesores Online

Testimonials

Me encantan las clases porque es una oportunidad de charlar en español con alguien. Son variadas, divertidas y bien preparadas. Es obvio que te esfuerzas mucho en pensar en el contenido apropiado. ¡Gracias!
Sarah Watson
They are very organized, effective, cover all aspects of language learning (listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammar, vocabulary etc.) Good balance of homework and in class practice. Great materials (books). Accurate assessment of my Spanish level and weaknesses.
Ben Hsu
Well balanced -in terms of the 4 main areas of communication (listening, speaking,reading and writing). Focused on the application of the fundamentals rather than just reviewing grammar/vocabulary. Very effective teaching approach -class is very much orientated towards the goal of effective communication in the real world as opposed to just instruction in grammatical principles/vocabulary lists. Very well organized- there is always a plan that we are working from with a description of the goal of the unit to help get your mind set up, a summary of the new expressions/material to be applied in the exercises followed by the interactive exercises to help you apply the material. Comfortable- a non-threatening, positive learning environment which always encourages the achievement of potential and stimulates you to want to do your absolute best. Teaching is always respectful with understanding of limitations/difficulties experienced. Prompt always- love it. Valuable both in terms of knowledge/skills imparted as well as in terms of being a very positive interaction with you María and the overall experience is an enormous contribution to my personal development . Worth every penny spent. Collaborative- genuine interest taken in the learners goals and working together to achieve them while drawing on a wide variety of resources to assist in achievement of objectives. Tailored to the needs of the learner, learner-centred always.
Mary McCollam

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