Our approach to teaching Spanish is based on our belief that the way language is taught should complement the nature of language itself. Language is not static and sterile. Rather, it is alive and organic. Unlike most language schools who emphasize a static program-driven approach, we believe that language instruction should engage the student and we believe that what makes a language learning experience engaging is a great teacher as a opposed to a great program. That's why we place a great emphasis on searching for and identifying exceptionally gifted teachers.
When we think of the truly great dining experiences, when do we ever associate them with how nice the menu looked or the recipe? We more often associate those memorable experiences with cooks and chefs. That's because in reality, when it comes to matters of gastronomy, art trumps science. Menus are about marketing while recipes are about science. Great cooking is about art. Art is about people. That's why when we think back on the handful of truly great learning experiences, we likely don't ever recall "programs" or curriculums, we remember teachers.
We believe that the quality of a student's experience with learning a language is most strongly influenced by the quality of the teacher who is teaching him. Learning a language is hard work but that does not mean that the process cannot be engaging. Our teachers are engaging because
of that fact that:
- They are highly experienced and/or trained in specifically teaching language. There is absolutely NO substitute for authentic language teaching experience.
- They are all NATIVE speakers of Spanish. We absolutely want NATIVE speakers of Spanish because a non-native speakers can never understand all of the subtle intricacies of a language like a native speaker can. We also strongly believe that only a native speaker is capable of weaving in the rich cultural dynamic that is always married to language. The underlying cultural context is what gives birth to the color and richness of language and our teachers are not merely teachers of a language but are in fact ambassadors of an entire culture.
- They are bonafide teaching professionals who love and are passionate about teaching.
- We compensate our teachers well above the going market rate our competitors offer teachers (sometimes double the average market rate). The great chefs of the world shouldn't be paid like busboys. We can afford to allocate more resources to teacher compensation because of the fact that we are exclusively an on-site based language service. Unlike the majority of our competitors, we don't have to sink a large percentage of our revenue into facilties and support staff. We can just direct those savings into what should be a language provider's most important resource, its teachers.
We promise you WON'T experience:
- HANDOUT MANIA: Have you ever had one of those classes where the instructor is always showing up with a boring handout or fill-in-the-blank exercise to do---IN CLASS? Our teachers are paid to teach, not babysit and teaching means that a class should be actively engaging so expect no timewasters like in-class handout assignments.
- UNPREPARED INSTRUCTORS: Have you ever had a class where the instructor just seems to show up and it seems obvious that he didn't have a lesson plan for the class? Again, we hire true teaching professionals so that will never be part of your experience with Premiere Español.
- DIRECTIONLESS CLASSES: Have you ever had the sense that there is absolutely no rhyme or reason to what you learn from class to class? And that you just can't connect any of the dots? Does the Spanish that you might have learned seem really random? Our teaching professionals have a plan and you will feel like you are going somewhere when you learn Spanish with Premiere Español.
- UNENGAGING INSTRUCTORS: Have you ever had a class with an instructor that seems like he just doesn't know how to interact with people? Or perhaps just doesn't want to be there and is just "mailing it in?" You won't have that experience with our teachers because our teachers love teaching and were selected because they have a genuine presence with people that is both warm and engaging.
- ENGAGING CLASSES: Our instructors approach teaching from the perspective of it being a craft rather than a job. They bring imagination and artistry to the learning experience so that classroom experiences are transformed from something that is traditionally endured to something that is enjoyed.
- A TRUE TEACHING PROFESSIONAL: Our teachers are true professionals who have a sincere respect for their craft. They prepare dynamic lesson plans and stay away from stale, passive time-wasting activities like in-class handouts or boring lectures.
- A SENSE OF DIRECTION: Experience the unique approach of learning in a loosely structured environment that gives you a sense of direction and a plan in the context of an experiential learning atmosphere that constantly creates opportunities for you to speak and interact.