Hola! My name is Valentina. I live in Chicago, Illinois, and I am originally from Colombia. I never imagined that I would become a Spanish teacher. My background is in theater, and after earning a degree in Performing Arts in my hometown of Manizales, Colombia, I moved to the United States in 2006 through a cultural exchange program. That is when I discovered something I loved, teaching Spanish to children.
After teaching in different schools in Chicago, I noticed something important: my students could repeat Spanish words, but they weren’t truly acquiring the language. I wanted them to understand, enjoy, and use Spanish in a natural way. That’s when I learned about Comprehensible Input, a research-based approach that helps students learn language the same way they learned their first language, through listening, understanding, and meaningful interaction.
I began teaching through stories, movement, visuals, and lots of interaction. My students felt more confident, joyful, and successful. Spanish became fun and meaningful, not stressful. Teaching felt better too.
To support my students, I started writing my own Spanish stories and sharing them on Teachers Pay Teachers. But I soon realized I wanted more than individual stories. I wanted continuity, the same characters, the same look, and stories that connected from one to the next, so students could feel safe, excited, and familiar with what they were learning.
That dream became Aventuras in Learning, a story-based Spanish curriculum created especially for elementary learners, where language is acquired naturally through joyful, meaningful adventures.
Today, I am still a full-time teacher, and I continue creating resources that honor language, culture, and connection, helping teachers save time, feel confident and successful, and helping students fall in love with the Spanish language.