Valeria is one of those teachers who instantly engages with everybody. From her extremely friendly good mornings, to her ability to connect with every single student - Valeria brings joy and learning together in the classroom.
She'll push you, because she knows what you're capable of - but you'll always feel supported, comfortable and walk out smiling! We're very pleased to have her onboard with us - read on to discover more about Valeria and her story.
Paula from Colombia is a lover of languages. After completing a bachelor degree focusing on three different languages, she realised she could make a career out of her passion through teaching!
Read about Paula's journey and her useful tips for students!
With a background in modern languages and teaching English, Naira was prompted to learn more about her own language after working at a Summer Camp in the United States. Following further study, and experience as an online teacher, Naira found her way to Australian shores and into the El Patio classrooms. She loves teaching her native tongue and is inspired by the curiosity of her students to learn more about Hispanic culture and language.
Read all about Naira's experiences and her advice (including some useful tips on how to roll your R's)!
Meet Clara from Argentina!
Clara realised from a young age that she loved teaching AND that she loved languages. When it finally struck her to combine her two passions, she set out to become a language teacher - and never looked back!
Read about Clara's journey and her advice for students!
Isidro is one of El Patio's most sought after and revered teachers. Having been with us for almost 10 years, he's earnt the respect and admiration of hundreds - perhaps thousands - of students.
In this article we dive into what makes Isidro tick - his strategies, his inspiration and the challenges he faces as a teacher. You'll also get lots of advice and even some practical exercises!
Coming from a small town in the North of Italy, Beatrice was always fascinated with life elsewhere in the world. Naturally, this curiosity (like many others) lead her to the discipline of languages - her speciality? English and Spanish.
Now Beatrice gets to live in an English speaking country and teach Spanish - neither of which were her first language! We think that's pretty wonderful, and we hope you do too.
Originally an English teacher, Ángeles (Angie) started teaching Spanish practically by accident! When one of her colleagues in Buenos Aires didn't show up for a class Angie stepped right in to cover her. This could have been a disaster for some but Angie took to it like a duck to water. After falling in love with Melbourne on a holiday and deciding to stay put, she's now sharing her language and culture with El Patio students.
Find out all about Angie's journey as well as her teaching strategies and advice for students. Stick around till the end for a song exercise using Argentinian Folklore!
Monika is one of those teachers who instantly lights up a room. Her infectious energy has led to what can only be called a 'cult following' - so many students just can't get enough of Monika!
Monika (from Poland) is living proof that being a fantastic Spanish teacher doesn't mean you have to be a native Spanish speaker. In fact, learning from a teacher that has themselves learnt the language from scratch has many amazing advantages.
Those who've ever had the pleasure of being in one of Isidro's classes know just what a true master of language he is. Yet they may be unaware that he is also a total literature fiend, and a published author himself!
In this article read 9 of Isidro's mini-tales from his short story collection: La travesía de los sueños perseguidos (The Journey of Dreams Pursued); with wonderful side-by-side translation.
Read to the end to enter the draw to win a copy of Isidro's book!
Meet Andrés Treviño (if you haven't already met him in class)! Andrés is one of El Patio's teachers - but also, a traveller and a writer.
In his book 'Fragmentos del paisaje', Andrés invites us to share his experiences throughout a year of travelling through Latin America; past the beautiful postcards and brochures and into the lives of the locals. Through his eyes and ears be a witness to the amazing moments, and raw truths of Latin America.
Read the inspiration behind and enter the competition to win one of four copies of 'Fragmentos del paisaje'!