I started my career in education teaching science and have taught in the science classroom for 15 years. I also have been an educational administrator for 11 years. So that said, I have both a bird's eye view of education as well as a view at the microscopic level as well. About six years ago, I decided to try something different though. I went back to college and took several courses so that I could teach both Spanish and English as a Second Language. It has been three years now that I have been teaching both Spanish and ESL in the classroom and I must say that I love it! It has been extremely rewarding and I do not regret the extra courses and/or cost. However, it has only continued to fuel my insatiable passion for language learning. So just recently, as a lark, I decided to get back on the horse and tackle some new languages, the Romance language family. Now of course, that would be quite an insane task due to the sheer number, so I am focusing my efforts on the following: Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, Romanian and Catalan. Even though the number of languages is still quite a task, I think it is quite doable since I function in Spanish at an advanced level and French at an intermediate level. But the point of this blog is to reflect on the process in acquiring these languages.
For sure, I am not concerned about beating others in the race for acquisition, rather I just want to finish it. Nonetheless, the tools to complete the race are quite varied. I do not know exactly where to begin, but just to get some simple regular practice with each language, I am using Duolingo as a starting point. Also, I am looking for reliable language partners in each language, and although I easily have good connections in Spanish and French, I could always use more in all six languages. So if you have any great ideas or feedback for me, please feel free to suggest away!! All my best for the New Year to everyone on this great website. It is a truly remarkable website!
Hello, @jedds. Your story is amazing. I'm from Brazil and lately, I discovered that languages are a huge passion of mine. I thought about learning all of the Romance languages as well. At the moment, I already know Portuguese as my native one and I'm also learning Spanish and French, like you. This year I want to improve my English to an advanced level written and spoken. I have a few recommendations for you in Portuguese: Canal Nostalgia, Ciência Todo Dia, and Manual do Mundo on youtube. Spanish: Se regalan dudas and Radio Ambulante, on Spotify. French: OuiPodcast, InnerFrench and Coffee Break French, on Spotify. I hope you like it. You can also check Steve Kaufman on Youtube. He's a polyglot and has a lot of wisdom to give us. Best regards
Bruna,
Thanks so much for the suggestions! I will follow up on them. In particular, I did not have anything specific with Portuguese and Manual do Mundo intrigues me since it seems so varied and well-rounded in its offerings. I already know about Radio Ambulante and I would wholeheartedly agree that it is very well done! Let me know of your progress! Jedd
You're quite the polgyglot,Jedds. How you have the brain bandwith to tackle all that language study as well as studies in sciences is beyond me.
I am totally hooked on learning to be truthful! I cannot stop myself! Thanks for the post!