Homeschool Spanish Academy is a wonderful way to learn Spanish. We were blessed to review both the High School Program and the Adult Program. The classes are done via Skype and their website, and are broken down into four programs: Early Language (as young as age 5), Middle School, High School and Adult. Each of these programs are broken down into four levels which are then further broken down into two sub-levels. Each sub-level has about 14 lessons with quizzes and exams. What does this mean? Lots of learning opportunity!
Not only are the teachers certified, but they are from Guatemala so you are learning from someone who speaks Spanish fluently. The beauty of this program is the instant feedback if you pronounce something wrong. This is immersion learning at it’s best.
The High School Program classes are 50 minutes in length and you can take one or two a week depending on what you sign up for. Each session is conducted via Skype, and the teacher will share a screen with your student so they can see the worksheets. The student starts out by repeating what their teacher says, and then progresses to answering the exercises on the sheets. Early on, the students are encouraged to speak as much in Spanish as possible.
After each class, the student can then sign into their dashboard on the website, and look for their homework. Sometimes they are assigned actual homework which they download to the computer, fill in, and then upload back to the website. Other times, they have worksheets to study and practice. The teacher works at the student’s pace, takes time to answer questions, and let’s them know if they need to prepare for a test.
The Adult Program works much the same as the High School program only with a different focus. The student still has the same basic class elements, but the teacher gears the class more to the individual adult. They work with you to customize your class to what you want or need to learn. Classes are 50 minutes, and can be scheduled as best fits your schedule.
They offer classes with two students in the same level, so I asked if they would mind if my daughter (17) and I could take the class together. They said it wouldn’t work because we would be in two different levels, but they said I was welcome to try their adult class while my daughter does the high school one. So we both got to take classes. I’m so thankful for the double opportunity.
The first thing we did was set up our accounts, choose our teachers, and then schedule our classes. We chose the same teacher for each class, and scheduled them out all at once. We had classes once a week.
Before our first class, a technician called and walked us through making sure our computer and connection were ready. After that, I waited for my teacher to call on Skype. After my lesson, I checked the dashboard for my homework, and either printed out to study, or downloaded to complete it. Once I finished my homework, it was easy to upload it back to their site. Mostly, my homework involved reviewing what I learned so I would be ready to practice again next class. Chrysti’s classes went the same way.
This was out of both of our comfort zones, but our teacher (we had the same one) put us at ease quickly. She’s really sweet, and patient with us as we stumble on our words. We both feel like our heads will explode from all that we learn in those 50 minutes, but we have a week to practice and let it all sink in. It’s been a lot of fun, and I can’t express what a difference it makes to have someone correct you immediately on your pronunciations.
Not only are we learning from the worksheets, but she applies things in real time. For example, she will ask us what we did over the weekend. If we say swimming, she will give us the Spanish word for to swim. If there is a word or phrase you’d like to know, you can ask, and she will teach it to you. She also will ask if you have any questions before she ends the session.
Honestly, learning from someone fluent in Spanish by having conversations with them live is the best way to learn in my opinion. Knowing your teacher will have you practice what you learned the previous lesson inspires you to study a little harder. It’s wonderful accountability.
If I were to sign up for classes, I would supplement with other curriculum, and not because anything is lacking. There is nothing lacking in this program. I would do it simply for more practice, and to maximize my learning.
Final words: I love this program, adore my teacher, and highly recommend Homeschool Spanish Academy.
Highschool Program: Half Semester (1 class/wk for 7 wks) is $99.99 or $14.28 per class.
Adult Program: Individual Sessions are $16.99.
There are more pricing structures and bundles which allow for greater savings. Check the websites for those prices.
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