I speak:
Catalan, English, Spanish
I teach:
Catalan, English, Spanish
Trial class: Free trial lesson!
Laura is a new teacher and motivated to teach you!
Skype ID:
Country:
Netherlands
Native speaker from:
Netherlands
Lessons in: Online
Availability
Timezone: Europe/Rome (GMT+1)
Prices
Creative Language Teacher and Counsellor
Hello everyone. How are you doing today? I feel like we are going to meet very soon and we will learn from each other amazing life lessons. My name is Laura and I am a life-long learner. Curiosity and vulnerability are proved to be rich soil for any learning process, in my own teaching experience for about 15 years now. I have always loved languages, from an early age. I am amazed by the sounds of it and the pattern behind the code system. More than that, I love teaching how a language works, giving you the tools, while practising, so you gain autonomy and soon you won't need me anymore. That is the whole point! I focus on shedding light on your limiting beliefs and self-talk by inviting you to look at them with acceptance from a safe space I create for you. We magic happen by working together. There is no teaching without someone willing to learn, so I can only shine as a teacher thank to my awesome students like you. Mistakes are only little bastards that want to make us feel ashamed. Let me show you how to turn it around and laugh at them; then they'll lose all the power over us and we'll actually use them to boost our learning process.
I will be here. Stay well and learn something new before going to bed :)
Teacher statistics
| Contacted by: | 1 student | |
| Active students: | 0 | |
| Lessons: | 0 | |
| Last access: | 1 year ago | |
| Registered: | 3 years ago |
Language proficiency test preparation:
English - IELTS - International English Language Testing System
English - PET - Preliminary English test
English - TOEFL - Test of English as a Foreign Language
Spanish - TELC - The European Language Certificate
Education:
Universidad de Barcelona
Barcelona, Spain
Foreign Languages Teacher
I am certified by the University of Barcelona in Teaching English, Spanish and Catalan as a Second Language. The 3 years course was mostly in English and a bit in Spanish and Catalan. I can work with kids and adults.
Elisava
Barcelona, Spain
Graphic Design
I studied to become a Graphic Designer for 4 years. My thesis was on focusing on the frugal changes / states we find ourselves in as a part of our learning processes. Therefore, any kind of evolution requires and creates changes we need to learn from. Personally, I found this constant changing and observing of our internal world and processes so fascinating that I did my final thesis on that. I have always look at the outer world as a reflection of our inner world.
Universidad de Barcelona
Barcelona, Spain
English Linguistics
From a linguistics perspective, those studies were enriching. Although, I did not resonate with the methodology of studies. I think balance is so important in everything in life, so I decided to quit my studies because I did not want to commit to so much of my energy into reading books. I strongly believe that learning must take place through experience, mainly.
Work experience:
ESL Teacher for children
Lolly Pop, Language Academy
1998-1999
Barcelona, Spain
This was not my first experience teaching kids, although it was my first time teaching at schools. It was interesting to see how the platform or the system around teaching actually changes the essence of teaching and learning. Kids behave in a different way and so the learning experience is totally different than working with them one to one and or out of the school scenario, where they usually spend so many hours a day.
Also, it was the first time for me dealing with "showing a session to the parents". I do not support that and I am happy to share and explain my view about that anytime.
ESL Teacher (out of school) and also Summer Camp Instructor
Joan Maragall, School
2007-2008
Villassar de Mar, España
Being part of the English Teacher Team was great, specially for my boss. Amy is an amazing woman from Scotland. We got along pretty well since the beginning, when I attended an interview I though was for a different position. It was really funny to realise I was the perfect candidate for a job I did not applied for :) That lady helped a lot, by giving my freedom, by trusting me and encouraging me. I helped with everything I could. I gained experience in teaching, before even getting my diploma. Also, I got involved in the school as a tutor, taking care of the students during their lunch break. As an ESL teacher I could work with all range of ages, since kindergarten until last grade of Primary School.
ESL Teacher for kids
Diver's Associació Esplai
2007-2012
Barcelona, Spain
Taking responsibility gives you freedom. That is exactly what I did those years. I took initiative and taught the kids (from 3 to 12 yrs old) in a way I consider is more meaningful: With consciousness and creativity. I loved them and cared about them. I listened and encourage them to be themselves, accepting all sides of it. Yes, it definitely led to a chaos sometimes, but I'd say it was necessary and transformative. I would create all activities, using natural materials from trees, all kind of colours and textures. I also played my guitar and sang with them. Every session was an adventure and explosion of creativity and imagination. I also focused on their emotions and we took the time to handle conflicts and addressed them in a constructive way.
In Summer we would do Creative English Summer Camps.
ESL Private Teacher for kids
Freelance
2006-2013
Barcelona, Spain
Teaching on one to one basis is a completely different story. And I started to explore that while I was a teenager and I was helping kids after school with subjects they struggled with: English, Catalan, Spanish and Music, mainly. During these years, I would go to the schools around my house and scatter flyers I had designed myself. Becoming a freelance it is a long way! But it is totally worthy, for me, and not because of the tons of money you make ;) But because the tons of stories, experiences and learnings you gain throughout the journey. It is hard, really hard, but also, for me, a blessing. From my years as a private teacher for kids, I learnt that more often than not parents require more attention and energy than the kids. I became friends with some mums I met and now I can say that, year after year, maybe without even noticing, I had decided that adults needed probably more counselling and mentoring than kids to.
Private Language Teacher and Counsellor
Freelance
2007-Present
Online and in person (so, everywhere)
I have been coaching or counselling (as you like) adults in their learning blockages for quiet a long time now. I am always learning new depths of how our beliefs and emotional traumas shape our learning possibilities and process. Grammar rules are quite finite, that is why I specialised into the psychological sphere. In the end, what we are able to achieve as learners, depend very much on our disposition and brain / emotional settings, so it is worth to invest in it. I engaged into my personal and spiritual journey since I was a kid and that is also a magnificent input I bring into my sessions. I feel blessed for hundreds of students from more than 25 different countries that they committed and trusted me these years. Learning and teaching go together, always. There is no teacher without someone willing to learn and both roles are interchangeable all the time!
Graphic Designer
Pukkas Web's Design
2004-2006
Barcelona, Spain
It was my first professional job as a designer after finishing my studies. It was really enriching in both personal and professional ways. Besides, not only I gained experience handling my own clients and multiple projects simultaneously, but I also held communication with my clients in English on the phone and by emails daily. Therefore, my English skills improved considerably and gave me enough confidence to continue my journey as a freelance after a while with the same company and getting my own projects after that. I was working with a team of experts in programming; it was a web's design studio, so I got familiar with the reality behind websites and more importantly for me, I was trained in Responsive Design and UX Design even before it became popular. Another key benefit that I got from this experience was being involved in a wide variety of design projects: web, branding, magazine or paddle rackets for big companies like Head, HP, Cola-cao, etc.
Graphic Designer
Trobam, Magazine
2006-2007
Villassar de Mar, Spain
It was my first time taking care of the Design and Layout of a magazine. "Trobam" was a cultural and local magazine. I designed the guidelines for the whole magazine at first, as a freelance. Once they got the guidelines, I became the Head of Graphic Design Department. I was responsible for dealing with the printer and for the result. It was more responsibility this time and I grew professionally and personally through it. I also learnt a lot about the printing process which built into a more whole understanding of my own work.