Highly Engaging, Professional, Online Spanish Tutor with more than a Decade of Tutoring Experience

Find out more about Katherine

• 1) Do you speak this language fluently because of your origins or because a teacher inspired you to learn? 

  I learnt Spanish at school for seven years, took GCSE and IB higher and I have to say, it did not come naturally to me! I then went and lived in the Amazon Jungle in Iquitos, Peru at the age of 18 and I always say I learnt more in that year than 7 years at school! I returned to the UK and studied Spanish (along with Social Anthropology) at the University of St Andrews and loved it. I’ve since spent many years living and working across Spanish Speaking Countries including Peru, Spain, Guatemala, Argentina and Mexico. Each country I visited I fell more in love with the language and now I really enjoy teaching my students, giving them the same opportunity that I had to get to know more about all these incredible places and this wonderful language.

• 2) Can you name a living, historical or fictional character that you think is the emblematic representative of the language's culture?

  Spanish is the language of so many different countries and cultures that it makes it difficult to choose just one person that can represent them all at once.
  
  But one Spanish speaker who really stands out for me would be Frida Kahlo – arguably the most recognisable female painter in the world – she has gone into history, iconic for her self-portraits and for her honest and unique painting style. She was a fascinating Mexican woman who has really made her mark on history.

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3) Is there a typical word, phrase, tradition, or behaviour in the language that you particularly like? 


  Yes! There are hundreds – my husband who is a Spanish speaker and I are constantly playing with words, in both English and Spanish. My favourite words though are some that I learnt in one of my first Spanish classes – all the words to do with things you need for school – la mochila (backpack), el sacapuntas (pencil sharpener) el cuaderno (excercise book) el lápiz (pencil) – though they are simple words, they all have a musicality about them that I really enjoy. I also got a good grade on that vocab test so they remind me of that happy feeling!

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4) Why does speaking this language matter to you? 

  The fact that I speak Spanish is one of the things that I am most proud of in my life because it is not something that came naturally to me at all. I had to work hard to get to the fluency that I have today. I remember Spanish exchanges when I was at school and those first few trips, arriving on my own to a Spanish speaking country and thinking ‘why on earth am I doing this?’ It would have been so much easier to stay in my comfort zone speaking English. But each country I visited, I met new people and made more friends, I learnt about different cultures and ways of being. Learning Spanish not only allowed me to access a different part of my brain, but it also allowed me to deeply engage with people from all over the world. I wouldn’t exchange those experiences for anything.

• 5) What is the main difficulty in learning this language and what can help the process of learning? 


  For me there are two main challenges learning Spanish – first up is the grammar, which at first feels utterly overwhelming. But in my opinion, this is the key to getting the foundations in place of the Spanish Language. It needs to be carefully explained in a way that makes sense. When it is, it’s a complete gamechanger to understanding the language. I have worked with hundreds of students, doing just that and if it is done right, it completely changes one’s experience of learning Spanish.
  
  The second challenge of learning Spanish is getting over that initial hump of speaking – breaking away from that fear that we have all felt; that fear that the words that come out of our mouths are going to be wrong or that we are going to sound like a fool. I work with my students to overcome that fear, to just start speaking and having fun with it – no matter if it sounds right or pronounced correctly – to just push through and to generate that feeling of confidence that is an essential part of being able to speak a language.

• 6) Provide a valuable anecdote related to your language learning or your days at school. 

  I remember very clearly at a parents evening at school crying my eyes out because I was finding it so difficult to learn Spanish. I had a very good, but extremely strict teacher and we just didn’t see eye to eye. She was perfect for the smartest kids in the class, but I felt like I was always in trouble because I couldn’t get my head around what she was trying to teach us. I think that is one of the reasons I decided to become a Spanish tutor, because I really do understand what it is like to simply not get it, I’ve been that student sitting in class trying my best and feeling like a bit of a fool. But the truth is it’s not easy to learn a language, not for most people and that’s why I approach all my classes with patience and kindness. When it comes to something like learning a language, I believe a carrot is far more effective than a stick.

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7) How has travel or a specific trip helped you to increase your skill and knowledge of the language? 

  The first time I ever stepped foot in Latin America was when I was 18 years old, I went to spend one year living and working in an orphanage in, Peru, deep in the Amazon Jungle. I arrived, with an okay grasp of the language (having muddled my way through Spanish at IB) I got there thinking surely there would be someone who could speak English, but I was wrong! Not only was it completely Spanish speaking, but this was also Spanish from deep in the jungle – thick accents, unusual vocabulary and everyone spoke so fast! – I honestly felt like I was starting from scratch! But I didn’t have a choice – either I had to learn, or I would spend a year in silence – so I got to work, my vocabulary book became my bible – I wrote down every new word I learnt and returned a completely different person – that year taught me not only how to speak and communicate in a second language, it also taught me the importance of understanding the nuances of the place that you are in – in the same way that when you go to the United States and speak English – there’s so much involved in communication, much more than simply the words that come out of your mouth.

• 8) What makes you a Superprof in language? 

  I’m a Superprof in Spanish because every single one of my classes is unique – adapted to the personality and learning style of my student. I take the time to really get to know everyone who I work with, what kind of brain they have, what it is that gets them feeling motivated and excited – and that’s what I use to teach Spanish.
  
  The core course content is the same whether it’s GCSE, A-Level or IB Spanish, but the way that I teach it is different for each student. I know that learning a language has a profound impact on our brains, how they work and how we process information. It can lead to increased confidence in many other areas of one’s life and make people feel good about themselves. So that’s my goal, to make learning a language a positive rather than a negative experience in my students lives.