ne of the reasons I chose first guided walk with one of the
to travel to Cuernavaca teachers through downtown on our
this past April was that it first day (with first-hand
is one of the world's centers for instructions on how to use the
Spanish teaching. Cuernavaca has bus system), to our field trip
in excess of 40 language schools (to a gallery opening), to the
and attracts language students coffee breaks, to some of the
from all over the world to this tasty authentic Mexican snacks
beautiful city with the near served (e.g. chilaquiles), to
perfect climate. After all, various birthday and going-away
Cuernavaca is "La Ciudad de la celebrations. The ambience was
Eterna Primavera", the City of very personal and enjoyable,
Everlasting Spring. almost family-like.
During my first week in The school itself is located in a
Cuernavaca I had the oportunity beautiful residential
to study Spanish at the Ideal neighbourhood with a tropical
School for Spanish and I enjoyed inner courtyard. My classroom was
my one-on-one instruction with outside, under a "palapa" (a
Estela, one of Ideal's most palm-leaf-thatched Mexcian sun
experienced teachers. With humour umbrella) and learning Spanish
and patience she put me through open-air, amid blooming
the usual torture of the Spanish bugainvillas and chirping birds
subjunctive, of "ser y estar" and was an experience in itself.
many of the other grammatical
nuances that the Spanish language Let me present to you Hermilo
tosses at us non-Latinos. Brito, the creator of the Ideal
School for Spanish, and also the
During my stay at Ideal I really president of the Association of
enjoyed the atmosphere, from our Spanish Language Schools in
Cuernavaca. Coordinator, Director of the
Spanish Programs and General
1. Please tell us a bit about Manager.
yourself and your personal
background. How did you get In 1975, Ivan Illich decided to
involved in the field of language close the center, this
teaching? represented an opportunity to
establish IDEAL (Instituto de
Now many years ago, on the 60’s, Estudios de America Latina) just
I had the great opportunity to like a Spanish school, following
work in the first Spanish the path that I had initiated in
teaching center in Cuernavaca. CIDOC doing what I like: teach my
This center was established by language.
Ivan Illich, a philosopher and
catholic priest; the center was Over all these years I continued
named CIDOC (Centro Cultural de training myself to improve my
Documentación). It actually skills in the language-teaching
wasn’t a school, it was a center, field, taking courses and
well known in the university and attending conferences related to
intellectual circles, to discuss this subject. My concern has been
innovative ideas about the end of to improve and develop our
the past century. Among the methodology, in order to become a
activities at CIDOC were the leader in our area.
sending of volunteers to
countries in Latin America; those 2. You are also the President of
volunteers were required to learn AIPEC, the Association for
Spanish, so CIDOC had an Spanish Language Schools in
important Spanish teaching Cuernavaca. Please tell us about
department. In CIDOC, I acted as the association and Cuernavaca as
Spanish language teacher, a language learning destination.
schools, in addition to the
The association of Spanish development of an appropriate
Language Schools in Cuernavaca teaching methodology also
was organized 11 years ago; 12 resulted from the city’s
schools concerned with turning excellent location; we are 1 ½
our city into a global center of hours away from the largest city
Spanish learning got aid from the in the world, Mexico City, and
Mexican government to promote very close to various places
Cuernavaca. After 11 years, where students of Spanish
Cuernavaca’s overall cleanliness language and Mexican culture can
has improved, we have more get to know the different facets
tourist services available to of this country, through
foreigners, the city is safer, we activities which range from
have talked with our colleagues cultural visits to museums and
from the tourist services to archeological sites to
coordinate our efforts to offer recreational destinations such as
the best to our visitors, we have Acapulco. Visitors can choose
organized shows and cultural from among a wide variety of
events for all Spanish language places to visit.
students, and we are in contact
with different government offices Cuernavaca, by itself, offers
to promote Cuernavaca as “The numerous cultural and tourist
World Center for Spanish attractions. Above all,
Teaching” among other activities Cuernavaca offers the opportunity
and challenges. to admire and learn about the
different times of Mexican
Cuernavaca is the world’s second history. Above all, Cuernavaca is
most important city teaching best known for its weather; local
Spanish as a second language. The temperatures are between 20 and
success of Cuernavaca’s language 30 ºC (68 to 86 ºF) almost
throughout the entire year. Spanish-teaching. We both have in
mind to develop the best method
3. Please tell us about the that will allow students to learn
history of your school, Ideal the language in the best and most
Latinoamerica. dynamic way.
Our school, IDEAL, was 4. Please tell us about your
established on 1975, after the Spanish language classes, your
CIDOC (Centro Cultural de class facilities, your weekly
Documentación) project ended. The schedule and your teaching
CIDOC trained many teachers and faculty.
people to teach Spanish as second
language. I was one of the people The purpose of our courses is to
involved with the introduce students to Spanish as
Spanish-teaching activities and, a second language, as many have
jointly with a colleague, we studied it as a foreign language
established IDEAL (Instituto de in their countries of origin.
Estudios de America Latina). With Another goal is to encourage
the enthusiasm of the first immersion not only into the
years, we reached our goal to language but in culture and
create a place where students everyday life.
from all over the world could
meet each other to learn Spanish Our program at IDEAL begins with
and discover Mexican culture. individual Spanish of no more
than 5 students and optional
In 1996, due to the distinctive extracurricular activities which
didactics and philosophy of the are a highly recommended
School, I continued this project compliment to the program. Every
by myself together with my son, week these include charlas
who follows the tradition of (informal talks) and conferences,
round table discussions, songs 11 am), Monday through Friday.
and movies in Spanish as well as Students are invited to enjoy the
cooking classes, dance classes, gardens and areas within IDEAL
coffee social and excursions to once classes are through, they
cultural and historical sites can also watch TV, watch a movie
among many other options. or navigate on the Internet
(wireless) which are included in
We teach 9 levels of Spanish; the services offered.
each level emphasizes
communication and language A fundamental part of IDEAL is
practice as appropriate for each our teachers, who will accompany
student’s level of proficiency, you every step of the way in the
using various interactive adventure of learning Spanish and
techniques that allow the student discovering a new culture.
to speak and communicate in IDEAL’s teachers are specialists
Spanish from day one. with university training or many
years’ experience teaching
IDEAL has 5-student capacity Spanish to foreigners or both.
classrooms (plus teacher); some
of them are in the garden When teachers start working at
(palapas, small areas only IDEAL, they receive a course in
covered by palm-tree roofs). “Techniques for teaching Spanish
IDEAL has 2 conference rooms with as a Second Language”, which
a capacity for 18 and 60 covers the fundamentals of the
students, respectively. The method we use at IDEAL. All year
meeting area at IDEAL is the we provide training courses in
cafeteria, where students which teachers learn new
socialize and enjoy the “Hora del techniques and theories, discuss
Café”, the time when the school existing teaching methods, and
offers coffee and some snacks (at reinforce the teaching methods we
use. According to Stephen Krashen ( href="http://www.sk.com"
However, what distinguishes our title="http://www.sk.com"
teachers is their spirit of target="_blank">teamwork and enthusiasm for color="#001000"
teaching and making the size="-2">http://www.sk.comatmosphere at IDEAL pleasant and >.br/sk-krash.html): “One can
supportive. learn or acquire a second
language informally, the same way
5. Please tell us about your one acquires the first. Formal,
Spanish language teaching structured lessons represent
methodology and your another learning process and are
pronunciation improvement not indispensable in the
programs. process.” For this reason our
method is based on this “Natural
The method of IDEAL is directed Approach” (towards the development of the href="http://maxpages.com/thena/T
student’s ability to communicate he_Natural_Approach"
in Spanish, especially in the title="http://maxpages.com/thena/
spoken world. From the very first The_Natural_Approach"
day students will able to immerse target="_blank">themselves in the language and color="#001000"
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will become familiar with how we na/The_Natural_Approachlive, our beliefs, our history, >), and we try to channel the
our politics, our fiestas and why teaching – learning process in
we celebrate them, and much more this direction, so that students
regarding the Mexican culture and learn by interacting: teacher –
social life. student, student – teacher,
student – student, student –
surroundings. correcting pronunciation when it
turns into an obstacle to
Also our work is focused on communication. In the more
maintaining an atmosphere of advanced levels of our program,
courtesy and confidence in the pronunciation is more important,
classroom and in the institution because intermediate and advanced
in general. Here the teacher’s students need to improve the way
part is fundamental, as it they pronounce the words and the
consists of creating an way they modulate when they speak
environment in which students Spanish. Above all, Ideal is able
feel relaxed and at ease, which, to develop a specific program to
in our opinion, is the best way improve pronunciation if a
to learn an language. student or a group so requests.
We had worked for many years on
At IDEAL we place special pronunciation before I realized
interest in the process of it is not essential when speaking
immersing students in culture, Spanish as second language.
for the accessible points of
reference it offers them. For a 6. Please explain your "Spanish
student to develop sound for Professionals" program to us.
communication skills, she needs
to assimilate cultural elements Each year our student body
of the country or region where includes managers, attorneys,
she learns a language. Moreover, doctors, nurses, school teachers,
language and culture are law enforcement officers,
inseparable. firefighters, engineers,
ministers, seminarians, nuns, and
At the beginner’s level, people in many other professions
pronunciation is not a great for whom it is essential to learn
issue, since we only focus in the specific vocabulary of their
respective professions. Program (only 4 hours), Basic +
Private Program, Cuernavaca –
This program includes 4 hours of Cancún Program, and Volunteers
group Spanish lessons, designed Program, among others.
to reinforce general language
skills, and a 1 hour private The “Family Program” is oriented
lesson to study professional to host full families (parents
Spanish. Professional Spanish and sons) offering a complete
consists of vocabulary, aspects solution to their needs such as
of Mexican culture, visits to classes for children,
places of professional interest kid-friendly host families,
for the student, analysis and child-oriented activities, and
discussion of documents and others. The Family Program has
written information when needed, not yet had the success we
and meetings with professionals expected, however, should
in the student’s field, if deemed families attend IDEAL to study we
necessary. are able to provide them the
best.
7. You also offer a "Family
Program" in your school. What is For the entire article including
this program all about? photos please visit
Well, this program has now passed size="-2">http://www.travelandtra
to a second term now, since we nsitions.com/interviews/ideal_sch
are pushing new programs: Basic ool.htm
About the Author:
Susanne Pacher is the publisher of Travel and Transitions (http://www.travelandtransitions.com), a popular web portal for unconventional travel & cross-cultural connections. Check out our brand new section featuring FREE ebooks about travel.
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