Meet Our Teachers: Today from Guanajuato, we present Aracely

In this week's interview with a don Quijote teacher, we stop by the don Quijote school in Guanajuato, México, to talk a while with Aracely Judith Hernández Delgado:

How long have you been teaching Spanish, Aracely?
Approximately 7 years, without interruption.

What do like most about your profession?
What I like most about my own profession is that I learn more about own language. That's how I face the challenges that present themselves in the management of the classroom. However, on a personal level I am very attracted to the idea of seeing my students as my teachers. I am the one who receives more information- from them.

What do you do when you are not working?
I study other languages, I participate in diverse acting workshops, and I love to exercise.

Have you studied in a foreign country? Did you find it difficult?
No, I learned my languages in México. They don't seem difficult to me because I have a strong personal motive for learning them: I love to read other languages. In my personal opinion, teachers of any language should have the experience of having spent time learning another language. This experience is a great help, since the teacher can then put himself in his students' shoes, and understand different types of behaviour or factors that could affect the student's learning.

Why do you believe that your city is the ideal place in which to do a Spanish course?
The environment that surrounds the student is very important. Most of the time, students are very interested in culture as well as language. Guanajuato meets that requirement perfectly. Guanajuato is a safe city, young and welcoming " All of that allows the student to "take a stroll round our house", through our language.

Do you have a key piece of advice for people who want to learn Spanish?
Personally I think that learning a language can be a justification for getting out of your own daily life. So I'd recommend learning Spanish be promoted not only as a necessity these days, or as a credit earned with a certain grade, but also as a step toward improving the quality of life of people from other countries who come to Mexico looking for "something ", since the people of Guanajuato invite visitors to get to know them and work hard to make visitors comfortable. So my only advice would be that they approach the locals and take the risk.