I hold a Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Spanish language, from Ohio Northern University and Bennington College respectively. I have been a teacher in a high school setting for the past 15 years. My main focus has been helping students gain proficiency and confidence in communicating in Spanish with native or near-native speakers. I have traveled and lived abroad; I spent a summer in Mexico during my undergraduate degree and lived with a wonderful host family while taking classes and otherwise traveling central Mexico. I've led student tours to Costa Rica and Spain, as well as done personal travel to various places in the US and abroad. I believe every student is capable of learning to communicate in Spanish, provided that the internal motivation is there! My intent is to inspire a love of learning language that reaches far beyond the classroom.