Columbus Spanish Place

Luisa Varanese

Great place and dedicated teachers (shoutout to Jim- he rocks) I love the immersion environment because it feels like the best way to really learn. Only a few students per class so you really get to practice and ask questions. I’m on my second session at Columbus Spanish Place currently and feel like my skills have improved greatly even just from the first session! I plan to continue learning Spanish here until I run out of classes to progress to. Thank you!

Chris Cooper

My teacher at Columbus Spanish Place for the first two levels was Augustine Nieves. Augustine is an excellent educator. The level of vitality he brings to teaching is exceptional. It is clear Augustine engages both discriminating and constructive intelligence in his considerations about teaching and learning. An example of this was his decision to include information in class that had been omitted from the present edition of our text book. His instruction exceeded my expectations by including information and reflections about Spanish and Latin American cultures, histories, idioms, and variations of language across the Spanish speaking world. Augustine is kind and generous with his students. The classroom environment his style of interaction creates is conducive to the development of learning community. As a result of my experience with Augustine, I would definitely recommend Columbus Spanish Place to aspiring Spanish language learners.

CJ J.

I've been enjoying learning Spanish here. I give 4 stars instead of 5 for the following reasons: 1) The website doesn't explain the levels very well, and I never got the results of my placement test so I just chose the level I thought would be best. The website also doesn't explain which textbook(s) are needed very clearly. 2) They say the classes are 100% Spanish, but it's more like 85-90%. Both teachers I've had revert to English when explaining things, which isn't necessary in a true immersion environment. I've done true 100% immersions classes before, so I know how it should be. 3) There's no opportunity to provide teacher feedback at the end of the session. Other language schools usually offer this. 4) The pace is a little slow and there is a bit of overlap between classes. For example, finishing A1 takes about 10 months (three session and then the "plus" class) and then completing A2 is another 10 months. So after 20 months you've completed basic Spanish and are ready for intermediate. Despite these things, I think the classes are fairly well structured. There is a good variety of reading exercises, homework, and speaking. To get the most of of the classes, you should study on your own for a few hours a week and listen to videos/podcasts in Spanish to supplement what you've learned in class. I will likely continue to take classes here for at least a few more levels because I enjoy the structured learning environment.

Stephanie R

All employees were friendly and most I encountered were capable. My issues lie in the placement exam and the teacher I ended up with. The exam placed me in a low intermediate level but when I looked at the book I already knew everything in it. I was allowed to move up one level which was a better fit. The biggest issue I had though was with my teacher who never shut up for a single minute throughout each class. How are students supposed to learn if we are only allowed to practice 2-3 sentences per class while often being interrupted and not allowed any quiet time to process new information? This behavior continued even after I spoke with the teacher. I stopped attending midway through the term out of frustration.