I grew up in a bilingual and bicultural household in Chicago. In high school, I took French but I cannot now hold a conversation. After my first Spanish class, a Composition course, I felt a bit defeated. I was conversational but not confident, and I definitely did not know all of the grammar rules. Determined to grow, I spent a year studying at the Universidad de Yucatan, Mexico. Years later, as a Spanish professor, I knew how my students might feel: afraid of making mistakes and questioning their own abilities. I knew that they would not learn Spanish if I taught it they way I learned French in high school. I had to immerse them in Spanish. That's when I made a conscious decision to teach with care, honoring the Spanish my students brought with them, whether from home, the classroom or life experience. Inspired by my daughter, I founded Amada Language School to bring Spanish language learning to the Greater Lafayette area in Indiana.