¡Hola, Soy Señora Havana!
I’m a wife, a mom, teacher, business owner, and founder of Grow Spanish, which is all about helping busy learners and teachers like you become confident, by learning how to build language skills, maximize your best learning style, and create a bilingual life you love.
And I struggled with becoming fluent in Spanish for years.
Like so many other people, I had tried and failed to learn Spanish more times than I can count, taking every class that came my way. I’d learn some vocabulary here or grammar there, but then not be able to understand my new Spanish speaking family and friends.
After studying Spanish in school for years, I discovered that I had zero Spanish skills in the real world.
It wasn’t until I had the opportunity to work in a bilingual job that I realized something had to change. I wanted to be able to communicate effectively but I still made so many humiliating mistakes.
But more than that I didn’t feel good.
I wanted to hide. I was tired of being confused, not knowing what to say, and feeling dumb. But I knew if I was going to get serious about becoming bilingual, I’d have to start thinking differently because everything I’d tried up to that point had failed.
And so, for the first time I started digging into the actual science of language learning.
What I discovered shocked me because I found out that so much of what we’ve been taught about foreign languages and learning them doesn’t work.
It turns out that all those things I had been hearing all those years “memorize vocabulary” and “study the grammar rules” were totally and completely wrong.
Language is a skill, not a subject in school.
It turns out that becoming fluent – and communicating in another language – is far more dependent on actively listening, reading, speaking, and writing than on the amount of vocabulary and grammar rules memorized, and how much you study.
I received a BA from UCLA in Spanish Language & Literature
I have done a lot in Spanish over the last 25 years. I have worked with Spanish speakers and helped them prepare taxes, translate documents, complete paperwork, and managed property. I have traveled to Panama, Cuba, Spain, Mexico many times. Not only that, many of my close friends are Spanish speakers too.
All while running a small business, being a homeschool mom to five kids, teaching them some Spanish too, and continuing to socialize.
Being bilingual has enriched every part of my life.
And now my goal is to help others do the same.
Because my own experience has taught me that our language skills are the center of everything else we do. If you don’t feel good, nothing else really matters.
And ultimately that’s what Grow Spanish is all about.
Yes, it’s a program designed to learn and teach languages.
But it’s also so much more than that.
It’s a way of life that will help you connect with others, create new opportunities, and free yourself to enjoy a life you love.
So welcome, amigos. I’m glad you’re here!
Welcome to Grow Spanish
We’ve got a lot of amazing resources to help you. If you’re more interested in learning or teaching Spanish, including raising bilingual kids, then this is the place to start. Discover how our Skill Building Framework can help you.
