Student Spotlight: JEFF'S SPANISH ADVENTURE

Fishing for sea bass off the Florida Keys - another of Jeff’s favorite pastimes

Travel lover and University of Virginia business professor Jeff Leopold embarked upon his Spanish learning adventure with us in the fall of 2018, initially attending individual lessons at our space in Charlottesville. With the pandemic, he has switched to a semi-private online course, which he takes with a colleague. Our Lead Spanish instructor, Alejandra Cadiz, has been with him from day one.

Jeff, tell us a little about yourself by way of introduction:

I have three children and enjoy travel, adventure, sports, and spending time with family and friends. I enjoyed a long corporate career and I am now very happy to be a professor at UVA – where I teach business. I lived in Europe and have had the opportunity to travel to many countries.

What initially motivated you to start learning Spanish with Speak! a few years ago? Did you have any reservations?

When I was much younger, I tried to learn German and French, but now know neither of those languages. During my travels, I always wished I could speak to people in their own language. I thought that if I learned Spanish, I might be more likely to use it in other countries and in our own, and therefore to remember it. This gave me more incentive to take on Spanish. My primary reservation was that I realize it takes a lot of time, effort, and focus to learn a language, but I am committed!

How did you find the challenge initially?

Frankly, I find the challenge more difficult as I go. Initially, I didn’t really know anything so my expectations of myself were low. As I have been working on it, my expectations have gone up and learning a new language is a serious challenge. I wish I had started this many, many years ago!

Alejandra is very patient, friendly, and helpful. She is a good person and a good teacher. She is extremely devoted to helping me learn Spanish. She creates useful, interesting, and fun exercises for class and always offers to help outside of class. I particularly enjoy the games that we play in Spanish.

You've taken individual in person lessons at Speak! as well as semi-private online lessons with a colleague (both with Alejandra as your teacher). How do these experiences differ - in person vs. online; individual vs. semi-private? Teaching vs. learning online?

Just like everything else we do in life, being in person is far better than being online. I really enjoyed the opportunity to work with Alejandra and then to meet with Alejandra and the other student in person. I think it was easier to focus and be more productive. There were times when we had to schedule a Zoom call and we did not look forward to this. Now, it is necessary and we don’t think much about it. We have become accustomed to it. It is fine, but I would still rather be in person and hope we can do that again soon.

I enjoyed being an individual student. Like being in person, it causes extreme focus and we got a lot done. For me, the semi-private seems better and a bit more relaxed. I find it very useful to listen to the other student’s successes and errors, and for her to hear mine. Sometimes, I can help her and I think this helps me learn. Of course, it makes the money last longer, too, so I am a fan of the semi-private version.

Once it's safe to travel again, which Spanish-speaking country do you hope to visit first and why? Which country would come next?

I would like to visit a central American country or perhaps Chile, because that is where Alejandra is from. She makes it sound very interesting and beautiful! Since I have been learning Spanish, I have had the opportunity to visit Mexico and Cuba.

What do you enjoy most about Alejandra's teaching methods and style? Are there certain activities you find most effective and/or engaging?

Alejandra is very patient, friendly, and helpful. She is a good person and a good teacher. She is extremely devoted to helping me learn Spanish. She creates useful, interesting, and fun exercises for class and always offers to help outside of class. I particularly enjoy the games that we play in Spanish.

How would you describe your lessons to a friend or colleague? Which 3 adjectives would you use?

Challenging, fun, fulfilling.