Homeschool Spanish Academy Review

Hola Amigas!

Spanish is a subject we have dabbled in since Ben was in preschool. My husband is fairly fluent and after working with a primarily Spanish-speaking patient population for a few years, I picked up a bit myself. It was natural for Ben to want to learn and for me to want to teach him. We’ve just not been very successful with the textbooks and DVD curricula we’ve tried.

 

A couple of months ago, we were afforded the opportunity to try learning Spanish with Homeschool Spanish Academy. Homeschool Spanish Academy offers one-on-one Spanish tutoring with a native speaker in Guatemala, via Skype video chat (the free version). They offer classes for ages 5-adult in four program choices —

Our maestra (teacher) for the bulk of Ben’s lessons was Señora Luisa Ortiz. At Ben’s first lesson, his knowledge of Spanish was assessed so that each week’s lesson could be tailored to his needs and abilities. Each week, prior to his lesson, we received, in email, a PDF document with his homework and class instruction, and a Word document on which to complete the homework and email back to the teacher. I printed all of the PDFs to create a notebook for Ben. He has used it to study during the week, and for reference during his class time. In the beginning, his teacher was placing the documents on the computer for him to see, but Ben preferred referring to his own documents, so he could always see her during class. 

 

Señora Luisa was available all week for any questions that might come up. On our last day, we had some connection issues (problems with our own ISP). When we were not able to get back online quickly, Señora  Luisa called us to see what was wrong. When we went on vacation, it was no problem to either double up on our lessons one week or skip a week. The customer service with this company is top notch! 

Ben’s lovely teacher was patient, encouraging, gave much positive feedback, and laughed a lot at Ben’s funny stories. She engaged him in pleasant coversation and shared herself with us as well. Her English was very good and she often taught Ben using both English and Spanish, usually when he didn’t understand something she spoke in Spanish. She also used type chat for additional instruction, whenever she spoke phrases that were not in Ben’s lesson for the week.

Señora Luisa was a pleasure to learn from and Ben enjoyed his Spanish classes very much. He is learning a lot and his accent is improving quickly after hearing her native accent. There’s just something about hearing someone speak Spanish as their first language that you don’t get with teachers whose first language is English.
 
I suppose the best testimony to how much Ben enjoyed his time with HSA came today, after his last class was over. “Mom, you’re going to sign me up for more classes, right?” Due to our busy summer schedule, we are taking a break for the next couple of months, but as soon as we get back full-swing into our school year, we will be signing up for more lessons with Señora Luisa! The cost is more than $100 cheaper than a local co-op charges for a mom-led Spanish class. And that class would not provide one-on-one instruction with a native speaker!

Sign up for a FREE Lesson! 

If you are using Homeschool Spanish Academy for High School credit, they will keep your student’s transcript for 10 years. If you have 2 students at the same level, they can take classes together at a reduced rate. The teachers are selected based on teaching experience, ability to speak English, and the passing of rigorous, simulation-based interviews. They are required to study a certain number of hours each month in English, Biblical studies, and teaching methodologies. I think you’ll find the quality of Homeschool Spanish Academy to be excellent and the cost reasonable.