My teacher, a caring and wise man, called me into his office to ask me what was going wrong. He could see that I had some potential and vague interest, but that I wasn't putting in the time and effort. He did what other Spanish teachers had not done before - push me to a whole new level. I studied harder. Began speaking more. Started listening to the radio in Spanish. I brought my grade up, and he made a deal with me. Don't come to class - I want to work with you one-on-one. Only come to class to take a test, then leave and we'll meet later. Before I knew it, I was meeting with him before school and during my free period every day. No English allowed. Then came the short essays. The articles. The Spanish films. The poems. I was hooked. Then I began choosing the assignments, and my proficiency soared. I had found a passion for something I had never thought I would enjoy, and all it took was a simple challenge and vague interest. I realized quickly that he had given me something so much more than any textbook or report card ever could - he gave me the tools to increase my understanding without him. I could go on and on about how learning other languages has changed my view on life, how it has opened so many doors for both my personal and professional growth or how I challenge myself every day, but that would detract from my main message:"Foreign languages are hard... if they remain foreign in your life."You MUST put forth effort every day to use your skills in some way. All I ever hear from people who hear me speak Spanish or Russian is this - "Wow, that's great! How'd you learn to speak like that? I took (Spanish/French/German) for six years and can't remember anything!" My question and their response is always the same, "Well, did you ever use it outside of class?" "No..."My style is this - we will practice, practice, and practice. Not book exercises or random sentences: I'm going to show you to use your language to paint your world in a new light and make you THINK.Think of it like this:No more "Pedro went to the store at 3:00 PM." I'm going to make you think - "Why did Pedro go to the store? What was he wearing? Would he had done the same thing if it was 3:00 AM? Does his mom know? Etc., etc...." It may seem strange at first, but it's the first important step in mastering a language - thinking in it.

Guitar, traveling, international politics.