I first began learning a language in sixth grade. I was the first generation of students in my hometown to participate in the “Sixth Grade Experience.” Students who scored well on reading comprehension exams had the opportunity to take French and Spanish for a half-year each. The point was to expose us to the languages so that we would be able to make an educated decision about which language we would chose to study the following year and throughout highschool. Although I began studying a language in sixth grade and I continued my studies through highschool, I was not passionate about learning a language until about half way through college.

As I reflect on my experience as a second language learner, I realize that I am probably not the typical foreign language learner. In highschool, I opted out from taking the AP Spanish class. I was not interested at the time, I didn’t think it was important, and I was attempting to avoid as much homework as possible for my senior year of highschool. However, when I began college, I chose to take a Spanish class during my freshman year. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to major in, but I had always been interested in Spanish, and I liked the idea of being able to speak a second language. My first college course was a disaster. I was in an advanced grammar course, taught by a native speaker. I was the only student who was not a native speaker in the class, and the only freshman. In fact, the other students were all seniors, majoring in Spanish. The level that the native speakers brought to the class made the whole course far too challenging for my language ability, and it actually caused me to become disinterested in learning the language. As my college education continued, I decided that I wanted to study abroad. Since I was almost done with my graduation requirements for my chosen major, my academic advisor suggested that I study abroad in a country where I did not speak the language. I was able to study in Spain because I had taken that one course freshman year that was a requirement for the program. It was the experience in Spain that changed my entire language learning experience.

I learned a lot in my classes abroad, but it was my experiences with native speakers that taught me the most. I wanted to be able to communicate, especially with my host family, and I learned more from that experience than I could in any classroom. I was inspired from this experience, and when I returned, I decided to pick up a second major in Spanish. My abilities had drastically improved from the immersion experience, and I felt much more comfortable and confident in the language classes. I carried what I learned and my experience with me in the years following graduation, and this served as part of the motivation for me to become a language teacher. I am passionate about learning Spanish and experiencing the associated cultures that I hope to pass this on to other language learners. For me, the most exciting thing about learning a language is learning the culture associated with the language. It is a personal belief that I hold that one cannot truly understand the culture without understanding the associated