This quotation from Charlemagne is timeless. We have always heard that it is beneficial to learn another language, but do we really believe it? Well, I do.
“To have another language is to possess a second soul.” – Charlemagne
My Visit to Spain
As a cautious high school student, I boarded my first plane flight to Spain with a group of strangers. Armed only with three years of poorly learned high school Spanish I ventured headlong into a homestay with a wonderfully patient family. Later in my junior year of college, I lived in Córdoba, Spain for an academic year taking classes in Spanish and living life in a Spanish dorm. I quickly had to learn to navigate in my new world.
My Second Soul
So this brings me to my second soul. That summer after my junior year in Spain I was invited by my brother to be a translator on a mission trip to Mexico. I however was not a believer. I was very far from God. A dear friend suddenly died while I was in Spain and the heartbreak of losing him so young shocked me to my core. “What could I say of myself if I passed suddenly as he did?” The big questions of eternity loomed in my heart and my head.
While in Mexico I was paired up with a pastor’s wife and we did door-to-door evangelism together. She used her parallel Bible and I would read and explain concepts in Spanish. It was during that trip after many late-night talks that I surrendered myself to Jesus. I gained my second soul through Spanish.
Why Choose Spanish?
Aside from the beauty of the language and the connections you will make as you study it, Spanish is the language of over 450 million people in the world! By learning Spanish you will be able to understand your native English more. And you will be humbled by how much you do not know about your own language!
I hope you will be able to join me (Emily Harkey) and my students this year in our journey into Spanish with True North Homeschool Academy, or with another curriculum or class – it is truly through the struggles and joys of learning another language that you are able to “possess a second soul”.
More About Emily & Her Spanish Classes
Currently, Emily Harkey teaches Spanish A, Spanish B and section two of our Spanish Level One classes. We are thankful for her expertise. She really immerses the students in the language and culture and she loves the benefits of the interaction students get in her online classes. Hear more from her about her philosophy and teaching styles in the video below:
Thank you, Emily, for sharing from your heart! If you want to learn more about why your child might want to learn Spanish, check out our blog post 5 Reasons to Study Spanish!
Spanish Curriculum Giveaway!
Enter from May 21 – June 4, 2021: True North Homeschool Academy is giving away Spanish curriculum. Enter for a chance to win our self-paced elementary level Spanish curricula from Risas y SonRisas or Level One (used for Spanish 1) or Level Two (used for Spanish II) of the Spanish curriculum, Breaking the Spanish Barrier. It's an exciting opportunity and one we hope you will ENTER TO WIN! True North offers Spanish classes for your elementary students as well as Spanish for middle school (junior high) and high school Spanish levels 1-3.
Simply follow the instructions in the widget and you will automatically be entered for a chance to win one of these 4 prizes.
Pin This to Enter Giveaway
See the Rafflecopter Widget above for other entry opportunities – you can do them all and get multiple entries. Check carefully some of them can be done once per day for even more chances to win.
Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for sharing your students!
Learning a foreign language would open up a whole new world to my family. We haven’t been able to travel, but would love to learn the Spanish language and explore the Spanish culture. I hope in the future we would even be able to visit the country to learn and explore more. It looks beautiful!
Thanks Amie! Yes the world would open up to you and your family! I hope you will be able to join us this fall in one of our Spanish classes!
My kids are very curious about learning to speak another language! Thank you for this opportunity.
Thanks Steph! I hope you will win! Both programs, Risas y Sonrisas and Breaking the Spanish Barrier are great!
I have NEVER been good at translating languages in my head. I can understand words, but I can’t automatically reply in the foreign language. I’m hoping my kids are better at this than I am. Languages open up the world!
Learning a foreign language helps you learn so much about the culture that utilizes that language. Plus, you solidly your grammatical knowledge of English by studying grammar in another language!
Thank you for this opportunity.
So excited for the opportunity! Its hard to find good curriculum for our needs.
We would love to move to Costa Rica so of course we need to learn Spanish. 🙂
Thank you for sharing a bit about yourself and your passion for Spanish!
After 5 years of Spanish, my kiddo wants to learn a language he can use to converse with others and share the gospel! This would be a fabulous start for him!