Native language and cultural perspective
I bring native Spanish, lived knowledge of Mexican and U.S. contexts, and sensitivity to multilingual and multicultural classrooms.
Upper School Spanish · Grades 6–12
Language learning with purpose, inquiry, and perspective.
I help students use Spanish to understand people, examine real questions, and communicate with increasing confidence and precision. My practice combines native-language expertise, curriculum design, interdisciplinary teaching, and individualized feedback.
- Native SpanishProfessional English
- Curriculum leadershipSince 2021
- U.S. work authorizedBay Area, California
01
Native Spanish speaker with experience teaching language, financial literacy, law-related concepts, chess, and problem solving.
02
Curriculum designer who has developed modules, learning guides, assessments, instructional platforms, and progress systems.
03
Educator accustomed to adapting explanations, pacing, practice, and feedback for learners with different ages and starting points.
Teaching profile
Rigorous learning made human and accessible.
My strongest teaching work begins with a meaningful question. Students first encounter a real situation, text, image, problem, or cultural perspective. From there, I provide the language and structure they need to interpret, discuss, create, and reflect.
My background in law, finance, entrepreneurship, and youth enrichment allows me to connect Spanish to authentic issues: identity, citizenship, media, technology, economic choices, ethics, migration, inequality, and sustainability.
Students should leave class with more than correct sentences. They should leave with a stronger voice, a wider perspective, and evidence that they can do something meaningful in Spanish.
Why I am a strong Upper School candidate
A language educator with interdisciplinary depth.
Curriculum and program leadership
As founder and academic director, I have organized content into sequences, modules, learning resources, assessments, and digital learning systems.
Inquiry and critical thinking
My teaching uses questions, evidence, comparison, reasoning, and reflection—not grammar in isolation—as the path to deeper language use.
Clear explanation of complex ideas
Teaching finance, markets, law-related concepts, and chess has strengthened my ability to scaffold difficult ideas into understandable, purposeful steps.
Differentiation and family communication
I adapt pace, examples, challenge, practice, and feedback while communicating progress and next steps with families.
Academic language and authentic application
My legal and graduate-level study supports instruction in analysis, argumentation, formal register, source use, and precise academic communication.
Relevant experience
Teaching, curriculum, and leadership.
The experiences below are presented according to their actual scope. They demonstrate transferable teaching practice without claiming prior IB employment or a California teaching credential.
Founder & Academic Director
C INV School / Capital Investor School
Founded and developed a Spanish-language financial education initiative, combining academic content, instructional design, digital delivery, assessment, and learner support.
- Designed course sequences, modules, learning guides, assignments, assessments, and instructional resources.
- Taught financial, legal, and market concepts in Spanish using examples, guided practice, discussion, and application.
- Developed digital learning workflows for progress tracking, grading, certificates, discussion, and video-based learning.
Independent Spanish Instruction
Language development adapted to the learner
Provided private Spanish instruction and language support shaped by the learner’s age, proficiency, interests, and goals.
- Integrated speaking, listening, reading, writing, vocabulary, grammar, and cultural understanding.
- Used diagnostic conversation and performance evidence to plan next steps.
- Adjusted pace, structure, support, and feedback according to learner response.
Chess & Problem-Solving Educator
Structured learning for varied ages and ability levels
Teach in school, after-school, private, and community settings where engagement, routines, questioning, differentiation, and family communication are central.
- Plan sequenced lessons with demonstrations, guided practice, independent application, and reflection.
- Support focus, confidence, resilience, and responsible decision-making.
- Provide specific feedback on strengths, errors, and next learning goals.
Teaching philosophy
From curiosity to independent communication.
A typical lesson moves through five connected moments. The sequence remains flexible because student evidence—not a rigid script—determines the next instructional move.
- 01
Engage
Begin with a compelling question, image, dilemma, short text, or cultural artifact.
- 02
Interpret
Build meaning from comprehensible spoken, written, and visual language.
- 03
Practice
Develop vocabulary, structures, and strategies through guided rehearsal.
- 04
Communicate
Use Spanish to explain, interview, debate, solve, create, and collaborate.
- 05
Reflect
Use evidence, feedback, revision, and self-assessment to define the next goal.
Grades 6–12 curriculum
A proficiency-based pathway in six levels.
Placement depends on demonstrated proficiency, prior learning, and individual needs—not grade alone. This framework is aligned with inquiry-based learning, MYP/DP language-acquisition principles, and California World Languages Standards; it is not represented as officially IB-certified.
A1
Foundations
Suggested grades 6–7 · MYP emerging phases
Communication goals
Exchange basic personal information, ask and answer familiar questions, describe everyday life, and create short connected messages.
Essential questions
How do we introduce ourselves? How do language and culture shape daily routines and relationships?
Unit themes
Identity, school life, family and friends, routines, food and culture, community.
Grammar in context
ser, estar, tener, llamarse, gustar, present tense, adjective agreement, possessives, hay, basic questions.
Authentic performance task
Create and present “My World,” integrating identity, family or community, routine, preferences, and one cultural comparison.
Assessment evidence
Short conversations, listening checks, labeled visuals, paragraph writing, pronunciation growth, and presentation rubric.
A2
Developing
Suggested grades 7–8 · MYP emerging/capable transition
Communication goals
Handle familiar transactions, describe needs and plans, narrate simple past events, and connect sentences in speech and writing.
Essential questions
How do people make healthy, responsible, and culturally informed choices?
Unit themes
Home and responsibility, health, travel, memorable experiences, celebrations, environment.
Grammar in context
Reflexive verbs, obligation, ir a + infinitive, introductory preterite, comparisons, direct objects, commands.
Authentic performance task
Plan a culturally responsible trip and explain the itinerary, interactions, budget, and environmental choices.
Assessment evidence
Role-play, travel plan, listening comprehension, connected paragraph, vocabulary application, and self-reflection.
B1
Intermediate
Suggested grades 8–9 · MYP capable phases
Communication goals
Narrate and describe in connected discourse, explain choices, compare perspectives, and support opinions with relevant details.
Essential questions
How do stories, technology, language, and community influence the future we imagine?
Unit themes
Personal narratives, technology and media, bilingual identity, future pathways, service, short literature.
Grammar in context
Preterite/imperfect, future, conditional, pronouns, commands, impersonal se, introductory subjunctive.
Authentic performance task
Produce a podcast combining a personal narrative, community interview, cultural analysis, and proposed action.
Assessment evidence
Interview notes, narrative draft, source interpretation, oral fluency evidence, peer feedback, and final podcast.
B1–B2
Upper Intermediate
Suggested grades 9–10 · MYP capable/proficient transition
Communication goals
Interpret authentic texts, sustain discussion, investigate complex questions, and defend organized positions with evidence.
Essential questions
How do identity, media, institutions, and representation influence whose voices are heard?
Unit themes
Identity and belonging, social media, justice, sustainability, film and representation, literature and voice.
Grammar in context
Indicative/subjunctive, past narration, conditional solutions, relative clauses, passive and impersonal structures, argument connectors.
Authentic performance task
Research a community issue, evaluate multiple perspectives, and present a reasoned solution in Spanish.
Assessment evidence
Source annotations, seminar discussion, argument outline, language conference, revised essay, and oral defense.
B2–C1
Advanced
Suggested grades 10–11 · MYP proficient / pre-DP
Communication goals
Analyze, synthesize, debate, and adapt precise language for academic, civic, and public audiences.
Essential questions
How do language, power, innovation, memory, and economics shape societies?
Unit themes
Language and power, ethics and innovation, migration, art and memory, economics and society, independent inquiry.
Grammar in context
Advanced subjunctive, complex conditionals, discourse cohesion, formal register, reported speech, rhetorical structures.
Authentic performance task
Write and defend a research-based position paper integrating cultural, ethical, legal, and economic perspectives.
Assessment evidence
Research question, source evaluation, synthesis notes, formal writing, oral defense, feedback response, and reflection.
DP
DP Readiness
Suggested grades 11–12 · Spanish B preparation
Communication goals
Sustain interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational communication while analyzing global and cultural questions.
Essential questions
How do identities, experiences, human ingenuity, social organization, and shared global challenges shape our choices?
Unit themes
Identities, experiences, human ingenuity, social organization, sharing the planet.
Grammar in context
Precision across time frames and moods, text-type conventions, idiomatic language, register, cohesion, rhetorical control.
Authentic performance task
Complete a portfolio of authentic text types, source-based writing, listening and reading interpretation, individual oral practice, and inquiry presentation.
Assessment evidence
Timed and revised writing, text interpretation, listening evidence, oral responses, text-type control, conference notes, and portfolio reflection.
Sample units
Three units from foundational to advanced.
Each sample combines inquiry, communication, language in context, authentic resources, evidence of learning, differentiation, and reflection.
Inquiry question
How do language, family, school, and place help us express who we are?
Learning objectives
- Introduce self and ask basic personal questions.
- Describe people, routines, preferences, and familiar places.
- Identify one similarity and one difference across communities.
Vocabulary
Personal information, family, personality, school, daily activities, places, belonging.
Grammar in context
ser, tener, llamarse, gustar, adjective agreement, possessives, hay, basic present tense.
Authentic resources
Youth profiles, school schedules, family photographs or illustrations, neighborhood maps, short age-appropriate videos from Spanish-speaking communities.
Five-day sequence
- Day 1 — Notice and ask: Analyze youth profiles; identify information and create questions.
- Day 2 — Describe: Use adjectives and visuals to describe people and places.
- Day 3 — Compare: Interpret a school or community example and compare it with students’ experiences.
- Day 4 — Create: Draft “My World” visual and rehearse a partner interview.
- Day 5 — Present and reflect: Present, answer peer questions, and identify one next language goal.
Inquiry question
To what extent does our online identity represent who we really are?
Learning objectives
- Interpret claims, evidence, tone, and perspective in authentic media.
- Express certainty, doubt, emotion, and recommendation.
- Develop and defend an evidence-based position.
Vocabulary
Digital identity, privacy, algorithm, influence, authenticity, misinformation, audience, evidence, responsibility.
Grammar in context
Indicative vs. subjunctive, opinion and doubt expressions, formal connectors, concessions, recommendations.
Authentic resources
Spanish-language youth media, public digital-safety campaigns, opinion articles, short interviews, and anonymized fictional social profiles.
Five-day sequence
- Day 1 — Explore: Analyze fictional profiles and form hypotheses about audience and identity.
- Day 2 — Interpret: Read and annotate an article; distinguish claim, evidence, and perspective.
- Day 3 — Language workshop: Use indicative and subjunctive in reactions, doubts, and recommendations.
- Day 4 — Seminar: Conduct a structured discussion with evidence, follow-up questions, and respectful rebuttal.
- Day 5 — Publish: Draft, peer-review, revise, and present an opinion article or digital-citizenship statement.
Inquiry question
What responsibilities do individuals, businesses, and governments have when economic opportunity is unequal?
Learning objectives
- Interpret data, testimony, and argument across multiple sources.
- Analyze ethical, legal, cultural, and economic perspectives.
- Synthesize evidence into a formal recommendation.
Vocabulary
Income, wealth, opportunity, mobility, wages, access, taxation, public policy, enterprise, responsibility, equity.
Grammar in context
Complex conditionals, past and present subjunctive, impersonal and passive structures, reported speech, formal recommendations, hedging.
Authentic resources
Spanish-language data visualizations, public policy summaries, business case studies, interviews, editorial writing, and community perspectives.
Five-day sequence
- Day 1 — Frame the problem: Interpret a data set and distinguish observation, inference, and question.
- Day 2 — Human perspective: Analyze testimony and identify how experience shapes claims and priorities.
- Day 3 — Policy and language: Compare proposed responses and practice conditional and formal recommendation structures.
- Day 4 — Stakeholder hearing: Represent different perspectives, question evidence, and negotiate priorities.
- Day 5 — Recommendation: Present a policy or organizational recommendation with evidence, limitations, and reflection.
Assessment & differentiation
Evidence that informs the next move.
Diagnostic
Conversation, writing sample, interpretive checks, learner goals, and prior-learning review establish an appropriate starting point.
Formative
Observation, questioning, exit responses, drafts, conferences, rehearsal, and low-stakes checks reveal misconceptions before they become final products.
Performance-based
Students demonstrate what they can do through interviews, presentations, debates, authentic text types, research, projects, and portfolios.
Differentiated
Models, visuals, sentence supports, flexible grouping, choice, pacing, conferencing, enrichment, and targeted feedback provide access without removing intellectual challenge.
Student ownership
Clear criteria, exemplars, self-assessment, goal setting, revision, and reflection help students understand both current performance and the next attainable step.
Interdisciplinary Spanish Learning
Spanish as a language for thinking about the world.
My interdisciplinary background provides authentic contexts for academic language, cultural comparison, source analysis, ethical reasoning, and student inquiry.
Financial literacy
Entrepreneurship
Ethics
Law & citizenship
Media literacy
Technology & AI
Migration & identity
Economics & inequality
Sustainability
Analysis & argumentation
How do financial decisions reflect values and opportunity?
Students interpret budgets, advertising, personal narratives, and economic data while practicing comparison, recommendation, and evidence-based argument.
Who is responsible when technology causes harm?
Students examine media, policy, and ethical perspectives while using formal register, conditional reasoning, and structured discussion.
Professional Development Plan
Prepared to learn the school’s systems and grow within IB practice.
I do not present myself as already IB-certified. I would approach an IB appointment with humility, disciplined preparation, and active collaboration.
- 01
Complete formal IB MYP and DP professional development appropriate to the assigned courses.
- 02
Study the school’s scope and sequence, unit-planning expectations, assessment practices, reporting systems, and academic policies.
- 03
Collaborate closely with experienced IB language teachers, learning-support professionals, and interdisciplinary colleagues.
- 04
Continue developing inquiry-based units, authentic assessments, text-type instruction, and routines for reflection and revision.
- 05
Strengthen familiarity with accommodations, inclusive classroom practices, multilingual learner support, and differentiated assessment.
Framework references
Alignment informed by official guidance.
Contact
Let’s build rigorous, engaging Spanish learning.
Available for Upper School Spanish teaching, curriculum development, private instruction, and bilingual educational programs.
Email
hector@hmena.com
- Location
- Bay Area, California
- Languages
- Spanish (native), English (professional)
- Work status
- Authorized to work in the United States
References, lesson materials, and application documents are available upon request.