Susan O. Stephan is a credentialed Spanish Teacher in the state of California who earned her Master’s degree in Educational Linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania. She has taught in Spain, Japan and the United States. She teaches Spanish at a 7-12 public school in southern California, she also uses her teaching skills with her sons and in her Spanish speaking play groups.
Back in August, a question in the Ask an Expert column really hit home with me. The mother who felt that her vocabulary was weak and her proficiency in Spanish was lacking particularly moved me. She was seeking ideas on how to build her own Spanish proficiency to best help her child become bilingual. As a non-native Spanish speaker, I could relate to her fears and insecurities about being a non-native speaker. I was also impressed by her determination to giveRead More ...
I get a bit jealous when I read about other contributors’ travels to visit family in Spanish speaking countries. What a great way to not only connect with family, but also to reinforce the Spanish being taught at home in the United States. Unfortunately, I don’t have family abroad to visit, but I was convinced that my own children would greatly benefit from the experience of visiting another country and being immersed in Spanish. Back in high school I startedRead More ...
Last weekend I had the pleasure to watch Disney’s Mars Needs Moms with my children and their cousins. In the movie, nine-year-old Milo discovers just how important his mom is to him when she is kidnapped by Martians who plan to rob her of her maternal attributes in order to nurture their own young. In his quest to save his mom, Milo realizes just how much he loves and needs his mom. This movie uses motion-capture animation which added visualRead More ...
Recently a question in the Ask an Expert column really grabbed my attention since the writer wanted to know if she should speak a language to her child that was not her mother tongue. The main concern being that her daughter would not be getting much native input in this second language. This article really made me stop and think because I have been speaking to my sons exclusively in Spanish since the day they were born, and I amRead More ...
In their search for high quality Spanish classes for their own children, two accomplished Latina mothers founded Isabella & Ferdinand Spanish Language Adventures. Their innovative Spanish language-learning program for children includes the exciting CD-Olé and Play! Songs from Isabella & Ferdinand Spanish Language Adventures. The music is fabulous and is a great way to introduce your child to Spanish and the cultures of Spanish speaking countries. Produced by Grammy and Multiple Latin Grammy award winner Andres Castro, and sung byRead More ...
Joining a Spanish speaking playgroup is a great support for raising bilingual children. Soon after my first son was born, I joined my Spanish speaking playgroup, and through our participation, I have really seen the value in the Spanish development of both my sons. More than anything else, the group has also been a lot of fun for all of us. The educational benefits to joining a playgroup were obvious for me. Having a group of friends that know SpanishRead More ...
Ana
Roxana
Just two mamás raising bilingual kids
