Goals

My goals for working with my older students were slightly different than for my kids. For my younger students, it was important to emphasize why learning English at an early age helped them progress in their education and future careers. My adult students, on the other hand, were looking to use English to help them progress in their already established careers and professional lives. Working closely with each of these students was a very rewarding and impactful experience for me. It helped me reach my own goals of teaching at a higher level to establish deeper connections as a teacher, while also helping my students achieve their own personal and professional goals.

Adult Tutoring

Tutoring my adult students was different than any of my other teaching experiences in Madrid. I tutored three different adults in English throughout my time in Spain, who each requested we focus on different aspects of language learning in our sessions.

One of my students was a fluent English speaker of Spanish descent and sought out classes solely to get more exposure speaking English with a native like me. Another one of my students was a French-native studying for her master's in Madrid. She aspired to attend law school in the United States one day, so we spent our time focusing on the logistics of English grammar and the American dialect. My other student, Jairo, was a small-business owner of Peruvian descent. He needed more practice with English in order to understand his English-speaking customers at his cafe. We met in Cafe Green Bakery weekly, practicting coffee shop and restaurant jargon through simulated conversations. I even helped Jairo translate his menu from Spanish to English, which helped him market himself toward more English-speaking customers.

Regardless of level, all of my adult students were a pleasure to teach. They sought out and enrolled in tutoring classes themselves, so student motivation was never an issue. Because they wanted to be there, they sometimes even came to class prepared with their own topics, exercises, and simulated conversations that they wished to focus on. Whatever they asked that we work on, I listened with open ears!