The Spanish Experience at Oakwood

As a student at The Oakwood School, language classes have always been among my favorites. I’ve always wanted to expand my knowledge of different languages, but I often couldn’t inspire myself to put in the work to study the language. Now that I’m in the Upper School, I feel more excited to walk into the Spanish classroom instead of feeling worried or overwhelmed. A big part of this is thanks to Mr. Amador, who has made me want to learn Spanish and to actually put in the effort to understand. He makes us feel comfortable enough to ask questions or feel confused because it’s how we learn and expand our knowledge. In past years, I  have felt embarrassed to ask questions because I was afraid people would think it was a “dumb question.” But if you think about it, no question is a “dumb question” if you were genuinely confused and wanted to know more. I’m glad I can feel comfortable enough to ask questions now without the feeling of being judged by someone. 

Learning a new language can take time and patience. Mr. Amador makes sure to take his time when explaining something and ensuring we don’t feel left behind or stranded. He periodically will make sure we don’t have any questions or that we are taking our proper notes. When taking notes, Mr. Amador gives us very specific instructions to make sure we have all of the proper information to study with. You can tell he really wants us to succeed and to feel thoroughly satisfied with our work. I remember when we did a writing assignment and we needed to write about what things we like to see when we visit the zoo, or what animals are our favorites. Once each of us had finished, we read our short paragraphs aloud to the class. I felt nervous to read my work because I was afraid I had formatted something wrong or I may have pronounced something incorrectly, but once all of us finished reading, Mr. Amador made sure to praise each of us, making sure we felt proud of what we had learned and able to write. 

Learning anything new, especially a language, can sometimes feel like time is dragging on or your heart just isn’t in it. Mr. Amador never lets a moment be dull, especially when we’re singing along to a silly song. Even when we are working online for practice, I never feel bored in his class. The bright colors and the upbeat songs help us want to understand the information more and to feel more engaged and willing to participate. 

All in all, I appreciate Mr. Amador’s way of teaching and his way of connecting to us. I feel like he really wants to know us better as students and as people. I definitely will consider taking Spanish again throughout my Upper School experience. For now, I’ll just enjoy the moment.