Over the years I've attempted to learn Spanish several times without much success. I've enrolled in…read morecollege and community education classes and tried Rosetta Stone and other apps. Spanish just never made sense to me and being forced to memorize words, conjunctions, and tenses was downright boring. Earlier this year I planned to visit Colombia and hoped to learn more Spanish in preparation for my trip. I wanted to be more conversational during our travels and to be able to get around easier. I knew I wouldn't be able to master Spanish in a few weeks, but I wanted to learn as much as possible to make my trip more enjoyable and fun. I discovered EL KING Language Institute was near my home and called them to learn more about their Spanish classes. They invited me to attend a sample class and I showed up that next week for an evening class with Dr. Thomas Quiroz. He introduced us to the concept of the "one page book", his patented method for learning Spanish and other languages. Honestly, this concept seemed kind of simplistic and gimmicky when I first saw it. But when Dr. Thomas Quiroz started asking us questions in Spanish and we started using the "one page book" to communicate with him, in Spanish, it immediately clicked and made sense. This learning method is honestly a revolutionary approach to learning and it eliminates the drudgery of memorization typically associated with language classes. That evening I enrolled in the EL KING Language Institute Spanish class and began my new journey to learn Spanish! Our Spanish class met twice a week, every Tuesday and Thursday for three hours, for 10 weeks. There were five students in the class, including myself, and the classes were fun and engaging. I was honestly surprised by how quickly the three hour classes went by. Dr. Thomas Quiroz is a terrific instructor and his stories and teaching style kept me interested and made the classes fun. Classes focused on the use of the "one page book" and learning the structure of the Spanish language. By understanding how to form sentences in Spanish and by engaging in conversations with each other, we quickly learned how to say many things and that learning came about very naturally. During our Spanish classes, Dr. Thomas Quiroz brought in native Spanish speakers (from their English classes) for us to talk with. We helped them with their English and they helped us with our Spanish! This cross training was very helpful and beneficial to both English and Spanish students. I traveled to Colombia in May, after a few weeks of Spanish classes. I was surprised by how much Spanish I understood and how much I was able to communicate with other people. Had a mastered Spanish in a few short weeks? Certainly not. But in only a few weeks at the EL KING Language Institute, I'd learned more Spanish than in any previous class I'd taken. By understanding the structure of the language with the assistance of the "one page book," I was able to ask and respond to questions, order from a menu, ask for help and directions, and carry on a basic conversation. This very much enriched my travels in Colombia and made by time there much more enjoyable. If you're considering learning Spanish I would absolutely recommended checking out the EL KING Language Institute. Sign-up for a sample class and try out their unique and patented learning methods. You'll have a great time at EL KING and you'll learn a language in the process too.

For anyone who is interested in learning Spanish and unsure of where to go or start, I highly…read morerecommend El King. Their teaching methods WORK with the use of Dr. Quiroz's "One Page Book". The OPB helps to immediately acclimate you to building sentences in Spanish, both in speaking and in writing. The concept of the OPB was easy to understand and apply in the classroom, as well as at home when practicing. If you are lacking in confidence of whether or not learning Spanish is within your capabilities, schedule your first introductory lesson with El King and you'll see that its not at all impossible. Dr. Thomas Quiroz is the head of El King and instructed me personally through private lessons. He will provide a good balance of encouragement with your progress while simultaneously reminding you the importance of practice and immersion. It truly is SO important to practice. You don't need to be "Smart" or have some "Gifted" ability to learn. All you have to do is apply yourself and PRACTICE! Dr. Quiroz is easy to converse with and will help build your confidence in speaking Spanish. Another separate thing I really enjoyed about El King is the opportunity you get to speak with the English students that are there. The idea is that you ask questions in Spanish and they answer in English, then vise versa. If Dr. Quiroz asks you if you'd be interested in practicing your Spanish with the English students, say yes. I was a bit nervous to do so, but it ended up being so much fun. You don't have to worry about saying the wrong words or mispronouncing them, because we are all learning and mistakes are expected. I learned so much in the near 2 weeks that I was there. I would have continued further, but demands at my work made it difficult to go on. I recommend staying with El King for as long as your work and personal life permits. Although my stay was short, El King has given me the confidence to continue practicing on my own through family, friends, and self-study.