Student Spotlight: ERIC AND OLIVIA (FATHER-DAUGHTER SPANISH, INDIVIDUAL CZECH)
How the story began:
We had the pleasure of meeting Eric Ramirez-Weaver, Associate Professor of Art at the University of Virginia in 2017, when he began what was to become a 1.5 year individual Polish language course. In 2018, he decided to switch his Slavic focus to Czech, learning online with our Prague-based instructor, Jan. This past fall, Eric and his daughter, Olivia, decided to use their time at home to craft a Spanish silver lining, taking online Spanish lessons together with one of our stellar teachers, Paula Mercado.
We asked them - and their teachers - to share a bit of their language-learning journey with us.
A few words from Olivia!
“¡Hola! I’m Olivia Ramírez-Weaver, and I’m an 11-year-old Charlottesville native with a shared Puerto-Rican and Germanic Swiss heritage. This fall, I’ve been taking Spanish lessons with my father, Eric, on-line. Señora Paula Mercado teaches us grammar and vocabulary every Tuesday, but it’s not all work. For our Christmas unit we compared customs of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the USA. We’re trying to improve our Spanish now, so that post-Corona, we can visit our ancestral home off the coast of San Juan.”
Dad’s Perspective:
“And, I’m Eric, working with Olivia has given us a chance to connect with each other and with Spanish, which today is the primary language of Puerto Rico. Syntax and semantics contain logic and structures that share the soul of a people. Our lessons have enabled us to better tap into our roots as a family. Even one hour a week is enough to witness major rapid progress. Olivia gains confidence weekly, and during Covid-19 learning or honing language skills forges new connections, making our world bigger while we’re trapped indoors.
You can also find me in Prague every Sunday morning where I study with Jan Čihák, Park Lane International School, Director of the Czech language program, and IB Coordinator (in addition to Speak! Teacher!). There is no way I’d rather start my week than in jazykové škole. We’re about halfway finished with our A2 textbook and then we’ll tear into B1. Before my lessons with Jan, I could stumble through book reviews in Czech, in part because of my prior training in Russian and Polish (at Speak!). Now, I use Czech without hesitation in my research and publications.
The UVA Professional Development Benefit for faculty has been an invaluable aid, making second language acquisition possible at Speak!
These Czech lessons also gave me a friend with whom I look forward to laughing through the grammar. We even got to meet early on during a research trip to Prague!”
What Their Teachers Say:
Paula, Spanish Teacher:
“I love working with Eric and Olivia! Every week I look forward to teaching this fun dynamic duo. They are always ready to learn and participate in my Spanish lesson. The parent-child lessons are very effective as both students support each other and it is wonderful to see both parent and child play the same role as students. Family lessons are a great way to bond with your child while learning a new language.”
Olivia is all laughs during a holiday week Spanish lesson with Paula!
Jan, Eric’s Czech Teacher:
Working with Eric on the development of his Czech has been a pleasure. He already has a solid grasp of the grammatical concepts in Czech and he keeps on working hard, always keen to be challenged and to improve - I especially enjoy his oral summaries of his week, which is how we usually start our lessons.
It is not only once a week that we meet together online but there is also a substantial amount of homework Eric needs to complete between the two lessons - and that keeps him busy and in the loop. We practice Czech by developing reading, writing, listening and speaking skills in a balanced way focusing on practical use of language in everyday situations but we also enjoyed reading Prague Legends together or watching videos about the Czech community in Texas among others.
All the above is supported by the use of various resources in order to enrich Eric's exposure to cultural and other circumstances related to everyday life in the Czech Republic but also to historical contexts which are Eric's field of expertise in his professional life. A good sense of humor and frequent language games just spice up our sessions together and I am very grateful to Speak! for enabling me to meet Eric and to work with him in such a relaxed, friendly but yet apparently fruitful atmosphere each Sunday!
Working with Eric on the development of his Czech has been a pleasure. He already has a solid grasp of the grammatical concepts in Czech and he keeps on working hard, always keen to be challenged and to improve - I especially enjoy his oral summaries of his week, which is how we usually start our lessons.
It is not only once a week that we meet together online but there is also a substantial amount of homework Eric needs to complete between the two lessons - and that keeps him busy and in the loop. We practice Czech by developing reading, writing, listening and speaking skills in a balanced way focusing on practical use of language in everyday situations but we also enjoyed reading Prague Legends together or watching videos about the Czech community in Texas among others.
All the above is supported by the use of various resources in order to enrich Eric's exposure to cultural and other circumstances related to everyday life in the Czech Republic but also to historical contexts which are Eric's field of expertise in his professional life. A good sense of humor and frequent language games just spice up our sessions together and I am very grateful to Speak! for enabling me to meet Eric and to work with him in such a relaxed, friendly but yet apparently fruitful atmosphere each Sunday!
Learning, while laughing
“A good sense of humor and frequent language games just spice up our sessions together” (Jan, Eric’s Czech teacher)
