Meet Sr. Schmieg

I grew up near the Mexican border in Chula Vista, California and fell in love with the Spanish language and Latino culture at a young age. Taking Spanish classes every year of middle and high school laid the foundation for a passion that I still carry with me today.

I decided to pursue teaching Spanish because it gave me the opportunity to be an advocate for youth and because as a non-native Spanish speaker, I have seen first-hand what a student can achieve when they have effective teachers and lots of perseverance. 

Research shows that each person is born with the ability to acquire multiple languages just as they acquired their first language. But your environment and attitude have the ultimate say as to whether you acquire those languages or not. 

I believe a language learner’s role is not merely to receive information from the teacher, nor to simply memorize grammar rules; it is an interactive one that begins with lots of comprehensible input (or messages) in Spanish and is solidified through pop-up grammar lessons, meaningful interactions, and individual exploration of the language. 

Students in my classes can expect to improve in all four domains of their language ability - speaking, listening, reading, and writing, as well as their interpersonal skills, interpretive skills, and presentational skills simply by being present and engaged. Students will interact with their peers in group activities, storytelling, role-playing, projects, technology, music, movement and hands-on learning. Click on the image below to find out more about what a "TPRS" classroom looks like.

Acquiring (as opposed to learning) a new language is different from every other subject area and therefore it requires students to be open to new ways of learning. So make sure to bring an open mind and a positive attidute!

I’m looking forward to a great year with you!

Sinceramente,

Señor Schmieg