Category: Thoughts & Ideas

Second language instruction should not be a privilege but a right. We live in a global world, and we deserve the opportunity to learn another language. Spanish is widely spoken in Southern California and it’s the 2nd most spoken language in the world.

For the past few years, since we opened Mama Maestra, it has been clear that we want to share our passion for the Spanish language and the Spanish culture. Our mission is to teach the Spanish language embedded in a culture where children learn the traditions of every Spanish-speaking country. Without barriers, we come together as one community to share our love for culture, customs, and language. We are mindful of the Spanish language because many words mean different things in different Spanish-speaking countries. We bring awareness to the differences so we can bring communities to understand and respect each other, valuing everyone’s upbringings and traditions.

Mama Maestra wants to enrich, advocate, and improve students’ educational outcomes. Our goal is to support Spanish language instruction. Whether it is learning Spanish as an enrichment program or as a building block to help students acquire English. Literacy in the native language is a building block to acquiring a second language. Research has shown that a child who brings native language literacy skills to the classroom has a significant advantage over kids who do not have literacy in their native language.

Why us?

We are knowledgeable, credentialed, experienced, and one-of-a-kind. We teach Spanish organically and we look at language as a puzzle piece to understand the cultural values of a society. Are you ready to make a difference in the lives of the children in your community? Contact us today!

As bilingual moms we have a big challenge right? On top of trying to raise good and smart kids, we need to raise our children bilingual. It is easier to say than done. It is super easy and no challenge if in your household both parents are monolingual. It becomes a challenge if one parent speaks one language and the other parent speaks another language. People always say to me: “You should speak to your boys in Spanish and your husband should speak to them in English.” I feel that it so hard because at the end of the day, the child from a very young age knows which language is the dominant one and will pick the one he/she thinks is mostly used. I am the kind of mom that doesn’t want to force their kids to learn. I rather want them to feel curious and learn because they like it. At the same time, I like to expose my children with many life experiences and to show them and read them lots of books. I read to my boys in English and Spanish. You see, when I learned English, no one forced me to learn it. I wanted to learn it and I felt the need to learn it. I had intrinsic motivation and that is what I want my boys to eventually have. I want them to have the same intrinsic motivation I had to learn a second or third language. With children, I feel that the more you push, the more they push back.  As of now, I will continue to expose my boys to both languages through reading, travel and Mamá Maestra classes. The more they see mommy being proud using Spanish to teach and to communicate with others, their love for the language will grow and the intrinsic motivation will come. If there is a need, there is a want. If there is a want, there is a do.