YOURENGLISHSPACE
Hey there! I'm Teacher Claire,
a world traveller and language learner turned English teacher, and I'm here to turn learning English into something your child looks forward to!
I'm not just here to teach your child English.
I'm here to stop the "I don't like English!" dilemma once and for all!
I want children to learn in a way that makes sense for them. I want children to be able to learn English in the way that I learned my second languages - on the street - but instead of on the real street, in my online classroom. I want to give them real, practical reasons to want to speak and understand English, and over the past ten years I've solidified my "teaching through stories" method, which has proven itself time and time again to get kids involved and having fun in my lessons. And do you know what happens when kids are having fun? They don't even realize that they're learning, and before you know it, they're chattering away in English like a Boss Baby, ready to conquer the world!
To learn a language, you have to speak it.
I know from experience that languages cannot be learned from books alone. Spoken communication is the key, and it's often the scariest part of learning! I want to show children that speaking English doesn't have to be scary or difficult, and that no matter how young they are, they are capable of communicating in a second language. When children feel safe and confident when speaking English from a young age, not only will they have an easier time at school, but they will grow up with a real superpower - being able to communicate with millions of people around the world - which will offer them so many personal and professional opportunities as they grow into the beautiful full sized humans that they were meant to be.
I don't believe in perfection. I believe in communication.
I experienced my first "language barrier" when I was 13. I helped out at the stables in Texas where I rode horses as a summer job, and the other people who worked there only spoke Spanish. I wanted to be able to communicate with them, so I tried to learn a few words like "por favor", "gracias" and "como estas?".
I decided to study Spanish in high school, and when I received a scholarship to go to University in Spain, I didn't need much encouragement! I thought, "Sure, I've studied Spanish for 5 years, I'll be fine!" Oh was I wrong. I got off the plane and realized that I didn't understand a single word of real, spoken Spanish. I will never forget these words of advice from a friend at University: "If you REALLY want to learn Spanish, DON'T hang out with the Americans".
It was then that I realized: learning a language comes with practice - only through making mistakes and trying again can you actually become comfortable speaking in another language, and so I tried, tried and tried again until I mastered first Spanish and then Italian. Yes, perhaps I'm a bit of a language nerd, but this nerdy passion of mine is contagious, and I want to pass it on to as many children as I can so that they can have as many opportunities (or more) as I have had, thanks to being able to imperfectly communicate in a language that is not my mother tongue.
BEHIND THE SCREEN[S]
For all you Curious George's out there, here's a bit more information on how I went from a curious 13 year old to the trilingual, business owner, Teacher Claire.
Where are you from?
I was born and raised in the United States, but I moved to Madrid, Spain, for college, where I lived and worked for 10 years before moving to Italy, where I currently live in a small house in the mountains with my husband, my dog and my beautiful vegetable garden.
Right, so you speak Spanish and Italian? Why not French?
Haha! I learned Spanish at University, and to be honest, thought I would stay in Spain forever! But then I met a cute Italian guy, who by the way also speaks perfect Spanish, and we ended up moving to Italy for his job. I learned Italian, and was finally able to properly communicate with my Italian mother in law (she's a doll, I'm so lucky!). For as logical as learning French seemed after learning Spanish and Italian, to be honest, I've just never had a practical reason to learn it! This is why it's so important to give kids a real, tangible reason to learn, because curiosity is the best teacher, in my humble opinion!
Cool. Good. Great. And your teaching experience?
I'm glad you asked! I wanted to be all the things as a child, but teacher wasn't on the list. But when I moved to Spain in 2007, I started babysitting kids (in English of course), and realized that I was actually pretty good at getting them to communicate with me, even if they thought they didn't understand a word of English!
So after finishing my first University degree in Spanish Literature, and then finding a job teaching not Spanish, but English, in a prestigious private school in Madrid, I decided to go back to school to get my Primary Teaching Degree so that I could keep teaching kids, both in private and public schools. When I moved to Italy, I began teaching in a language school where I soon became the Junior Academy Coordinator and head Young Learner teacher.
I learned so many things about what goes on behind the scenes of teaching kids, and then, in 2021, I decided to open my own online teaching business, and here I am today, Teacher Claire, 18 years after my first English babysitting gig, at your service!
Just for fun!
Us teachers are people too!
In my free time, you'll find me...
With my hands in the dirt in my cute little veg garden, snowboarding when there's enough snow, cooking because I love eating, doing Muay Thai because I'm an energizer bunny, on a walk in the woods with my enormous furball Alex, hanging out with my awesome husband and fantastic friends, or travelling and visiting my family.
I'm not so keen on...
Maths and all things numbers, mosquitoes, the slugs that eat my vegetables, Cambridge tests, leggings, impatient people, ice cream, bureaucracy, dishonest politicians, talking on the phone, hanging out the laundry, dresses, alarm clocks, oysters, warm beer, the color red, badly subtitled Netflix series, bad wifi connections and swimming.
My favorite things are...
The color green, the autumn, horses, scuffed up Vans, bananas and coffee, every vegetable on the planet (yes, even Brussel sprouts!), EDM and techno but also rap (not trap), pizza margherita - Neopolitan style, Mario Kart, The Lord of the Rings, old bikes, the smell of fresh baked bread, and the children's section of any bookstore.
My Bucket List
Have a farm - complete with chickens, goats and even a donkey!
See the Northern Lights.
Snowboard in the Rocky Mountains.
Write a children's book.
Learn to rock climb.
Read all the Harry Potter books.
Visit Iceland.
Run an ultramarathon.