The Best Spanish Language Advice

EPISODE 1

We are thrilled to introduce you to a brand new blog series. We have gotten in touch with book authors, bloggers, curricula writers, and other important characters that share a passion for raising future generations bilingually. They will bring you a breath of fresh air into the world of Spanish language education through their story, their experience, and their advice.

The BEST Spanish advice comes from families that have spent their efforts figuring out what works for them and their families, adjusting, and continuing to move forward. The best advice is that that comes from real-life experience and involvement with the language for many years in the past.

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Rachel G. is a second-generation homeschooler who shares her bilingual family’s homeschool journey on Youtube (Channel: Seven in All) and works with her family to create easy-to-implement printable homeschool resources.

We sat and chat with Rachel and below is the conversation we had about her connection with the Spanish language. Grab your favorite drink and read on, friend. Once you are done consider leaving us a comment below with questions for Rachel or your opinion about this interview.

Thanks for being here, Rachel. Could you share with us why is bilingualism important to you?

I began to fall in love with language learning thanks to some amazing language professors in college. I also met my husband in college. We’re both originally from the USA, but his parents are immigrants from Mexico, and he grew up in a Spanish-speaking home. Long before we had kids, we knew that we wanted to raise them with a close connection to the Spanish language so that they could connect to their heritage and extended family through the language.

That is wonderful. Being able to communicate with close relatives without a language barrier is is such an important factor. I’m glad we have that in common.

Tell us a little bit about your YouTube channel

What are some of the biggest challenges that your family faces during the journey of teaching your kids a second language and how do you overcome them?

We live in SE Asia, which can make access to Spanish language resources challenging. Thankfully, the internet makes it much easier, allowing us to access music and digital resources.

WOW, I can see how that can be challenging. That is probably one of the things that we take for granted here in the U.S. where you can just hop on your car and head to one of the millions of libraries available or can order anything through Amazon Prime and get it next day!. We are spoiled!

What are your favorite tools when you are/were teaching your kids a second language?

My children are very young. These are some things that have really helped us with surrounding them with Spanish.

1) Spanish picture books

2) Spanish music

3) Narrating daily routines in Spanish (i.e., putting on shoes, bedtime routines, etc.)

Nothing like inviting the language into the everyday happenings. I feel like that is a very organic approach

Please tell us a bit about your blog and the products you create.

“The most certain way to succeed is to try again.”

Thomas Edison

It has been so nice getting to know you better, Rachel. If you could give a piece of advice to families that are considering teaching their kids a second language what would you tell them?

Start now! Or yesterday (if that were possible). You won’t regret it. Your children will never regret having language skills. Have fun with the language you’re learning and stay consistent in using it, day after day after day. Consistent, faithful practice will yield great results!

And since we know you are also a homeschooling mama, what would you tell other moms going through the same journey of home educating bilingually?

I find the homeschool lifestyle to be an absolute delight. I give thanks everyday that my family has the opportunity to do life together the way we do. If you are finding homeschool and bilingual homeschooling challenging or stressful–don’t suffer alone. Reach out! There are so many homeschool parents out there with a heart for offering practical help as well as encouragement for the weary heart. Seek out people who can encourage you in this long, worthy road.

That is a fantastic advice! It is so easy to feel alone in this journey; especially for families who aren’t in the U.S or live in areas where the resources or connection with the Spanish language is so limited. It is wonderful though that we live in an digital era where you can reach out and create community, even if its via smartphone or the computer!

Thank you so much for your time. Would you like to share a discount code with our readers?

Absolutely! I’ll offer a 20% off discount code: CEDARHILL20 toward purchases in our website.

Thank you for reading, friend! We hope this interview has been interesting and relatable. Also, we hope you have found a few tips or encouragement that will fire you up to keep moving forward with your Spanish language goals!

Stay tuned because next Monday we will be interviewing the wonderful Jenna Vislisel from http://www.bilingualbalance.com

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