Barbara is from Italy and was one the first language teacher to join the Bilingual Bridges family! She speaks five languages and teaches English, Spanish and Italian with us. We asked her about her English language learning experience and she said, “When I was in high school I didn’t like it at all. I was not learning and felt like it was a waste of time. It was very much a struggle at the beginning, but then something changed.” As often is the case, it was the experience of traveling abroad and exploring new cultures that motivated Barbara to pursue English language learning.
“I went on a vacation to Sweden and realized that I would have enjoyed my stay better if I had spoken better English and had been able to communicate with locals. That awareness made me want to pursue a degree in Languages and Linguistics when I went to college.” Also inspired by a wonderful language teacher, Barbara began her language journey. “I loved my college English teacher. She was very good at making classes interesting, and she patiently assisted me with my weaknesses.”
Now that Barbara is a language teacher herself, she focuses on making her classes engaging and helps students master the material – whether it be in Italian, Spanish, or English. Barbara now lives in Guam, embraces the multicultural environment that surrounds her, and is an advocate for bilingual education. Her son is growing up bilingual in English and Italian, and Barbara wouldn’t have it any other way.
Would you like your children to have the opportunity of growing up bilingual? Help them develop a set of lifelong skills that will give them a competitive edge throughout their lives.
