Jamie Lontok

My Spanish language learning journey started in high school, where I started learning Spanish in order to fulfill the foreign language requirements necessary to graduate. It continued in college - including the semester I failed Spanish!

I was always intrigued by the idea of learning languages, but the teaching methods used in those classes left me feeling discouraged about ever being able to speak another language. It was honestly quite boring, and it caused a lot of anxiety for me.

However, after completing my Bachelor's degree in Anthropology, things took a positive turn when I decided to move to Spain and teach English for a school year. Although you might assume that living there would automatically make me fluent in Spanish, it actually took me about 4 months to see any real improvement. Throughout my time in Spain, I made a concerted effort to travel around the country, meet native speakers, and try various methods including private classes and group classes. I was determined to become proficient in Spanish.

Interestingly, it wasn't until I returned to the US and started delving into language learning strategies that I discovered the main issue wasn't necessarily the language itself, but rather the way in which students were being taught. It was a revelation for me. Since then, my passion has been to show students how to find the most effective strategies for learning languages. I am genuinely excited to help you see how capable you really are of learning Spanish!