Marilucy Kennedy

¡Saludos! I am a native Spanish speaker, born in Puerto Rico and of Cuban descent.

I earned a B.S. in Nursing from Syracuse University in 1996. I loved every aspect of being a registered nurse but quickly found that my favorite part of the job was patient education. In 2004 I brought that love of teaching home and started teaching my oldest child, who was entering third grade at the time. We never looked back and have since homeschooled our four oldest children through high school graduation. Those four are now college graduates with fulfilling careers as a medical doctor, nurse, lawyer, and religious education coordinator. Our youngest two are currently in high school, so I am nearing retirement from my twenty-plus-year role as a home educator.

Throughout the two decades spent homeschooling my children, I taught various classes at several co-ops. I found teaching languages most enjoyable. Whether teaching Spanish at a co-op or teaching English to our two daughters adopted from China, I thrived in helping others decode and master a language new to them. Wanting to pursue formal training, I enrolled in graduate school. Soon I will have a Master’s of Education in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Foreign Language Education from Liberty University.

In my free time, I enjoy traveling and getting a taste of other cultures. My husband has served as an active-duty officer in the Air Force for the last 27 years, and his service has offered us the opportunity to explore the world extensively. It has been a great pleasure to introduce our children to so many different cultures, and I hope my Spanish classes open a window to the world for my students as well.

On teaching: I believe in giving my students ample opportunity to practice the target language in class. I enjoy preparing slideshows and fun presentations to introduce new material and believe these have a place in every lesson. In class I focus on providing opportunities for the students to engage in conversation or to participate in interactive games and activities that will help them gain language mastery. I also believe in creating a relaxed environment where students feel safe to practice new concepts, and fostering relationships between the students so that they will encourage and support one another.