For James McGuire, a Spanish55 student from the Garden State (and the second to star in our Student Stories series - a series in which we showcase the experiences from members of our community that inspire us), the former seems to be the case. The road to fluency in Spanish presents challenges to all students who wish to achieve certain goals with the language, but James' journey began with a problem with his short-term memory (due to an accident) that made his progress even more daunting. We had the opportunity to chat with James about his progress in learning Spanish and find out how, with the right help, he found a new pathway to improve his memory as well.

On what made him decide to learn Spanish

On his journey with Spanish55 and his working relationship with Coach Mónica started.

On that first meeting with Coach Mónica, I was really nervous because I didn’t know what to expect. One of the things I said to her was that I had a memory issue, so I was like: “You’re going to teach me something, but I’ll probably forget it. I won’t be doing it on purpose or anything like that. It’s going to take a while for me to learn, but I want to try.” I was very eager to start - and still eager to continue on this amazing experience!
Now, we’ve been doing this for a year and a half, so we’re practically best friends. Mónica is such a great motivator, and she truly inspires me. When I struggle, she pushes me forward and keeps me going. The two of us get along really well, and I’ve found that it’s really beneficial having that interaction - you’re having a conversation with a professional spanish-speaking person, which is fascinating to me.

On the ups and downs of his Spanish learning journey.

Of course, with my short-term memory being what it was, progress was slow. But Mónica always keeps telling me that learning Spanish is like losing weight: It’s not going to come off all at once; it takes time. So, for me, repetition and trying to immerse myself in the language - coincidentally, it’s one of the best things about being a Spanish55 student. Because it’s a live interaction, you’re fully engaged with it.

And, of course, her [Coach Mónica] full commitment with her work and with me it’s been one of the reasons I think my Spanish-speaking skills have improved the way they have. She’s a disciplinarian, but always with the right words of encouragement. One of the moments I truly believed I was making progress was probably, six months ago when we had a full conversation in Spanish. Back and forth, non-stop. I couldn’t believe it.

And the improvements in my memory? Exponential. A couple of months ago, I was telling Monica that I can remember things better now. That my memory was improving since we started this journey together. It’s been a lifechanging transformation and now I’m leading a happier, more fulfilling and confident life.

Language-learning and use is so complex - arguably the most complex behavior we human beings engage in - it involves many levels. You have speech sounds, syllables, words, grammar, sentences, syntax. There’s so much going on; it really is a workout for a wide brain network. James’ journey with us has been filled with great challenges that would discourage most people. But it’s also his willingness to improve, the resilience with which he faces each new challenge is what makes us proud that James McGuire is part of the Spanish55 community of students.