Daily Inspiration: Meet Jennifer Vallejo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Vallejo.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
One of my first memories of being fascinated by languages was in my childhood at the street market in La Paz, Bolivia. I remembered vividly how Aymara, Quechua and Spanish were blended together by sellers and buyers as each one looked for the best deal. I wished that I understood at least one of the native languages, but the different sounds were like music to my ears, nevertheless. I longed to learn another language besides Spanish, my mother tongue. It was not until my mid-teens that I started seriously studying Portuguese, which I was able to speak fluently after a couple of years. The real challenge of learning languages came after I graduated from college.

In February 2000, I moved to Miami, Florida, with my dad. He came to the United States when I was a child to pursue his American dream. My knowledge of English was basic, so it took a lot of determination and many hours of study to learn it. One day when I was riding on a public bus someone told me, “It takes 20% knowledge and 80% courage to speak another language”. Although I don’t quite agree with the percentages, I know it takes courage to speak another language, especially when you are an adult.

The day finally came when I started dreaming in English. I remembered it clearly. It was like someone had turned on the lights and suddenly, I could understand and communicate in English. Of course, that “suddenly” took almost three years. But being able to communicate in English opened a lot of doors for me. I graduated with a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Barry University and I got a job as a teacher at a dual language school in Miami. I have been teaching either English or Spanish as a second language for the last 16 years. Teaching has become a passion for me and learning is a habit that I will never stop.

After almost six years living in Miami, I moved to the mid-west, to Missouri, got married to my amazing husband and became a mom of two beautiful kids, a son and a daughter. We have been living in Kansas City for over a decade. Before I became a mom, I was working at a public school as an English as a second language teacher. My students, most of them Hispanic immigrants or children from immigrant parents, never stopped amazing me with how fast they would learn English with a perfect accent. To this day, I marvel at the process of learning; how children, without knowing much grammar or semantic rules, are able to learn a second language in a natural and effortless way. I believe children are language learning machines!

After having my first child, my husband and I decided that I would stay home and take care of our son. We also decided we would raise him bilingual. My husband, being a native of Spain, like myself a native of Bolivia, knew how hard it was to learn a second language as an adult. It took twice the effort and time.

While I utterly enjoyed being a mom, part of me also missed the classroom and teaching. An opportunity arose to teach Spanish at a daycare. It was only one hour a week, but the interaction with the children and the creativity that each class required was very fulfilling. This was the beginning of what would later be “Spanish for Little Learners.”

As our son grew up and started talking, I wondered about his bilingual language acquisition. He began choosing words and mixing Spanish and English. For example, he would say “Alza” for “pick me up” or “ball” instead of “pelota.” I began researching about early childhood second language acquisition. My findings were very encouraging. Most of the myths about children getting confused with two languages and language acquisition being delayed were being denied by science. Also, research showed how it was much better to introduce a second language at an early age rather than later. The proficiency and fluency of a language depend on how much and how early a child is exposed to it.

From the experience of raising my first child and the teaching at the daycare, “Spanish for Little Learners” was born. I was so inspired by what I was seeing in my son and at the children at the daycare that I wanted to offer an opportunity to parents who were interested in their children learning Spanish as a second language at an early age. How wonderful it would be to offer children the opportunity to be exposed to a second language when learning is natural and fun.

My mission now is to provide high-quality and fun Spanish immersion programs for children through music, play, movement and interactive learning experiences. Also, I want to equip and inspire parents, both native and non-native Spanish speakers, to expose their young children to a second language.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road, but I am thankful for that. The difficulties and challenges are part of my story and they have helped me to be a better person. There were times I had to walk by faith and not by sight, and that takes courage. As a first-generation immigrant, it was challenging to learn English and adjust to a new culture. My dad was there to support me, but he was still learning English himself and trying to figure out how things worked in the United States.

Until I was able to communicate in English, I had a lot of lonely moments where I truly doubted I would stay in the United States and questioned why I agreed to come in the first place since I had all I needed in Bolivia. These moments helped me to reflect on my mindset, actions and my faith. They made me more resilient and compassionate towards other immigrants who go through this process and towards people in general. I see now that these challenges brought me to where I am today.

It took time and effort to build my clientele. At the beginning, I offered free demo classes at the public libraries and at businesses related to children in different parts of the city. I am very thankful for the small beginnings. At one of the free demo classes, two moms approached me and asked me if I could teach their children Spanish. I was thrilled to do it, and two weeks later we started my first parent-child class for children 0 to 5 years old, held in a living room with two moms and three children.

Along the road, I met many families and people who inspired this project. I am so thankful for each person and for the parents who supported me consistently. But I am most thankful to Christ who carried me through many moments in which I had to walk by faith. Life is like a marathon, and it is important to finish the race. However, it is more important to focus on each step, day-by-day, and know that you are moving forward. It is crucial to know where your strength comes from. Sometimes in life, all you have is the next step. You run not just to win but to keep moving and finish the race called life with honor, love and dignity.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a homeschool mom, a teacher, and a language lover. One of the aspects that I enjoy most from my work is creating the curriculum and content for the Spanish classes. I write my classes in units, so children learn Spanish through exploring the ocean, different animals and other fun themes. I am also fascinated by the process of learning that takes place in each child. Children are very curious and creative. They don’t need to know all the rules to sing a song in Spanish and they learn through play, music and exploration. I love teaching young children and helping them to discover, like how to give colors another name (in Spanish) and how to make sentences in a second language.

I specialized in teaching young children. It is incredible how they learn languages without me having to explain every aspect. Their amazing little brains start making sense through play, songs, dance and crafts.

I am in the process of writing a Spanish early childhood curriculum that could be taught in preschools, daycares and homes. My dream is to offer a curriculum to preschools and parents to expose as many children as possible to Spanish at a young age. Learning a language takes time and effort like any skill, but the huge difference is that when you do it at two years old rather than twenty years old. It is easier and more enjoyable.

There are lots of benefits in being bilingual. I think my favorite is that bilingual people are usually more tolerant with other cultures and more open to thinking in different ways.

I am proud of not quitting, of being able to overcome a lot of fears along the road. Through the learning of a new language and building a small business, God has taught me to be confident and take risks where others would walk away. Fear is a voice I learned to silence by watching my thoughts and emotions, but most of all, by praying. What sets me apart is my perseverance, I am one of those people that when everything seems to be lost, I am determined to find a way.

What matters most to you?
Truth and faith are very important to me, being truthful to yourself, to God, to your family and to the ones around you. I need to have my heart in what I do and that is one of the things that inspires me to be a teacher and an entrepreneur.

Also, being persistent in what you would like to accomplish, one step at a time is vital to accomplishing your dreams. As Eduardo Galeano (author of “Open Veins of Latin America”) says “Many people in little places, doing small things can change the world”. Small acts of kindness, teaching a child to tie his shoes, bringing hope to an elderly person’s heart, teaching something good to someone will bring changes and make a better world.

As human beings, we like control and having things done according to our needs, but many times in life things don’t go the way we would like. Sometimes, it is faith that will carry us and the confidence of knowing that something better is on the other side.

As a teacher, I believe it is very important to leave a legacy. It is like the story of a little girl and her grandpa, who took her to plant a walnut tree. After planting the tree, the little girl asked her grandpa, “When can I eat the nuts?” to which the grandpa replied, “I won’t be eating the nuts of this tree. You will not be eating them either. But if we take care of this tree, your children and your grandchildren will enjoy the nuts.” (This story belongs to Mar Romera, educator). It takes faith to plant a walnut tree and believe that your great grandchildren will get to eat the nuts. Without faith, it is hard to leave a heritage for our children and future generations. We are living unprecedent times, our acts, thoughts and faith matter to bring hope and inspire other people. Thank you for reading my story!

Pricing:

• Private tuition $25.00 per class
• Online group tuition $185.00 (eight sessions for a group of four students).
• Summer camp $185.00 for one student. There are discounts for siblings.
• Parent-child class $188.00 (eight sessions in-person)

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.spanishforlittlelearners.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Spanish-for-Little-Learners/100054646260455/

Image Credits
For the pictures of the classroom with the puppet and small children (The ones that I am wearing a purple shirt). Sarah Lepage Photography For my personal picture Savvy Photography The other pictures have been taking by myself, my husband or someone in the classroom.