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Learn Spanish with
The Well-Trained Mind Academy!

Registration Open for 2023 - 2024 School Year
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Why Spanish?

Spanish is spoken around the world, and likely also next door (if your family doesn’t speak it already!). As the number of Spanish speakers in the United States grows, there’s also a need for more services to be offered in Spanish. It’s more than likely that students will benefit from being able to speak Spanish in their personal lives as well as in their careers. More and more job postings include bilingualism as a preferred or desired skill, especially since the countries in South and Central America are key trading partners for the United States. And it’s not just the ability to speak Spanish that benefits the student who learns the language; students also learn about Spanish-speaking cultures, which helps with communication, whether in English, Spanish, or another language. Spanish is also an excellent language for students who want to see the world. The language is spoken widely across South and Central America, as well as Western Europe.

There are many English cognates in the Spanish language, which means the language is also a great choice for students who may be hesitant language learners. The similarities between English and Spanish mean that a student will be able to understand quite a bit relatively quickly and try out what they’ve learned, likely even in their hometowns. This is a huge motivator for students!
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Why Learn a Language with Well-Trained Mind Academy?

Language classes at the Well-Trained Mind Academy focus on acquiring the language—making the language your own and using it to communicate with others—rather than just learning grammar and vocabulary. This goes back to the classical roots of learning a second language, where Latin speakers learned a language like Greek through a combination of grammar and vocabulary lists, but also through reading stories and engaging with other learners and speakers. Our classical, acquisition-based approach means class time is spent using the language to encounter the world, particularly at the higher levels. Students might compare housing in the country they are learning about and their home country, read and interpret graphs related to recycling, and discuss favorite films and books. Whether a student communicates effectively can be gauged in real time, and students have an opportunity to negotiate for meaning, just as they would if they were communicating in a community where that language is spoken. It’s then that the students realize a need for correction, and better understand the tools at their disposal.

Our small, live classes feature student-instructor interaction that makes it possible for students to see that they’re communicating in real time. And our support for learning grammar and vocabulary outside of class help students succeed in the more traditional classrooms they might encounter in college and beyond, as well as better understand their own language.

Registration for 2023-24 Courses is Now Open!

Enroll now for One Semester and Full-Year courses.
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