By Marie Gilmore
Carla Mount knows first-hand what it is like to be in a foreign country where language is a barrier. She understands being new to an area and having the fear of getting lost and not knowing how to communicate or how to follow directions. In fact, both of these things happened to Carla herself when she first came to the United States from her native Venezuela and at that time, it was English that was the foreign language.
Getting lost gave Mount the motivation to not only learn to master the English language but with her business degree, she also was able to create a curriculum for teaching children, adults and business owners the Spanish language and how to use it with ease.
“When I started having children, I knew it was important to me that they speak a second language,” described Mount, who settled in FishHawk after husband David retired from the military. “And, to me, it is so good for them for their future, for careers, for travel opportunities to have a second language.”
Mount teaches classes from her home in FishHawk or will travel to a client. She hosts weekly classes for elementary aged children and works one-on-one with students to master the skills to pass middle and high school Spanish. In addition, she has worked with business professionals directly to get them fully comfortable speaking and communicating in Spanish in a business setting.
For children, weekly class runs one hour per week and includes personalized instruction, educational material and a portfolio for each student. Mount also customizes conversational classes for business or travel.
Spanish is the third most commonly spoken language in the world, according to Mount. “My students will develop the tools needed to get their point across with Spanish words and phrases.” In addition, Mount mixes in fun, vocabulary, movies and activities that increase the students’ comfort level with the language.
Mount will also offer a two-week summer camp with more activities for elementary-aged children. She limits class sizes for both weekly and summer camps to 8 children. For more information or to reserve, contact Mount at 569-9790.
