¡Bienvenidos a la clase de español !

Español con la Señora Kirby

¡Hola, bienvenidos!

Welcome to our classroom site. A little about myself, experience and perspective on teaching:

 I am a Spanish teacher, travel enthusiast and continual student. I began studying Spanish as a high school student but it wasn't until I went on a school-trip to Europe that I  knew I wanted to speak another language and immerse myself in another culture.  

In college I spent a year abroad in Seville, Spain. I finished my undergraduate degree with a BA in Spanish and International Relations. I started working in Boston for a company where I negotiated contracts for suppliers in Latin America.  This experience gave me the opportunity to travel and see many new areas in the world.  I always knew that I wanted to teach and after five years of the business world, I transitioned to teaching.  My students inspired me and their questions prompted a brief hiatus from teaching to travel and experience the Spanish speaking cultures we had been discussing.  After two years of living, working and traveling in Central America, I returned to the classroom, certain that it was my calling and ready to share my experiences in the classroom.

I earned my Masters in Teaching Spanish as a second language from Bennington College.  The experience put me back in the students' chair and helped me to reorganize how and why I teach. I believe that learning a new language requires an understanding of the cultures that are represented.  Learning a language is social and providing students with opportunities to use language in meaningful ways is always my goal.

In my classroom students can expect to practice the language on a daily basis.  While we cover grammar and vocabulary we always do so through a larger essential question and approach understanding through cultural artifacts such as art, stories, poems, video and many other texts.