Here are some facts about HSA:
• Homeschool Spanish Academy is an accredited Spanish academy that offers online Spanish lessons to kids, teens, and adults.
• Due to its accreditation, HSA gives students the possibility to transfer their credit to public high schools or institutions of higher learning.
• Homeschool Spanish Academy has been granted accreditation by the Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACS WASC). ACS WASC evaluates schools and educational programs in the United States to ensure that they meet high levels of quality and effectiveness.
In my opinion, the materials used by the teachers aren’t as attractive as Difusion’s flashy textbooks.
Also, I believe that the web-conferencing software they use isn’t as insightful as LearnCube (a virtual classroom and essential work tool for me).
However, I am convinced that Homeschool Spanish Academy does stack up to its competitors.
How? Here’s what we will discuss today…
Let’s dive right in!
The Lessons
What can you expect from your first lesson?
The teacher you choose or the one that you are assigned will ask you a few questions to find out why you want to learn Spanish and tailor the Spanish lessons to your needs.
My first Spanish teacher at HSA was Monica Fuentes. She didn’t know I was taking Spanish lessons for review purposes, and she kindly asked me why I wanted to learn Spanish. I told her I liked the language and wanted to be able to communicate with friends. She asked me if I was interested in earning credits, and since I said no, she moved on to assessing my Spanish.
You will go through a placement test in your first lesson.
The teacher will assess your Spanish skills and suggest where to start.
If you are a homeschooler, don’t be surprised if you are placed at a level that’s lower than you think you are.
HSA’s high school program is more rigorous than most American public schools’ curricula as it needs to satisfy the high school foreign language requirement for college admissions.
If I had to describe my first lesson with HSA, I would say it was efficient, effective, and personable for at least four reasons…
The Teachers
You can trust the teachers at HSA. Why?
• They are all certified Spanish teachers.
• They are all native Spanish speakers based in Antigua, Guatemala.
• They all receive constant, extra training in-house.
• I could tell they care.
HSA offers their teachers something that most private schools and academies in Latin America don’t give their workers, and that’s full employee benefits.
I am convinced that HSA is setting an example of how private schools and academies should treat their teachers. The result? They have been able to attract the best teachers in the region.
The tutors at HSA teach their lessons from the HSA’s facility. Would you like to take a look at it and get to know some of the teachers? Play the video below.
If you decide to learn Spanish with HSA, you can be sure that you will be part of a community that’s impacting lives in different, positive ways.
The Content and Methodology
HSA has designed a curriculum, materials, lessons, quizzes, and exams for each of the programs they offer, and you will get access to the full curriculum and materials after you enroll in a program.
The materials they use have a vocabulary, grammar, and communicative focus. What does this mean? Let me explain with an example. At a lesson, you may be taught to use the verb “estar” (grammar), words related to the weather (vocabulary) so that you are able to talk about the weather (communication) through fixed phrases and real conversations.
The teachers at HSA will not only focus on helping you improve your reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills, but they will also teach you cultural insights. Learning about the culture of the people who speak the language you are learning will boost your confidence and will most likely make you feel comfortable and safe when it is time to put into practice what you learned in the classroom.
Each lesson will start with a review of the previous lesson. The benefits? Going through previous concepts will increase your learning, for you’ll be able to remember things easily. Your teacher will be able to assess your learning and help you where you need reinforcement. If the teacher assigned homework, he will also make sure to check the homework before introducing new concepts.
Once the teacher introduces the new concepts, he will take time to explain the lesson and engage you in activities where you are given the opportunity to put into practice what you have learned. If you decide to take quizzes and exams, you will get a quiz every two lessons and an exam every 4 lessons.
What happens if you fail an exam? The teacher will review with you the concepts you failed to use or understand and will share with you reinforcement tools. What are they? Let’s see!
The Reinforcement Tools
Once you enroll at HSA, you will get credentials to access the HSA platform, and you will be able to…
• book your lessons at a time and day convenient for you
• cancel a lesson
• choose your Spanish teacher
• submit homework
• access report cards
• but most importantly, access reinforcement materials
To download all the materials used by the teachers from the HSA platform simply log in to your account and click on Syllabus in the left menu.
You will be able to access all the materials and lessons you will go through during the course you choose.
All the materials include activities that will help you put into practice what you have learned in class.
What I Like About HSA
You Get a Lot for Your Money
HSA offers 50-minute and 25-minute classes. If you buy the 60 lessons package (50-minute lessons), each class will cost you less than 10$. If you buy 60 25-minute lessons, each lesson will cost you 6.65$.
You Receive Live Lessons
Most language courses cost around $300-$500, but they don’t offer live lessons. You get recorded videos and audio lessons, but learning through a video will never compare to having a human explaining and clarifying concepts in real-time.
You Choose Your Own Schedule
HSA offers lessons from Monday to Saturday. The lessons can start as early as 7:00 a.m (CST) and finish as late as 9:00 p.m. To book a lesson, you simply need to log in to your account and click on Book Class.
You Earn High School Credit
Due to its accreditation, Homeschool Spanish Academy gives its students the possibility to transfer their credit to public high schools or institutions of higher learning.
It Offers a Holistic Learning Style
The teachers will help you improve your Spanish speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. Moreover, they will expose you to the culture of the language so as to boost your confidence when using what you learned in class in real situations.
There’s a 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
HSA is risk-free. You are given 30 days or 4 lessons to test the HSA lessons and see if it is the right fit for you.
You Have 1 Year to Book Your Lessons
Most Spanish academies give you 6 months to schedule your lessons. HSA gives you 1 year to book your lessons. Time starts counting after you book your first lesson.
Final Word?
Though the look of the materials used by HSA isn’t flashy, and Google Hangouts isn’t my favorite tool to impart lessons, I can confidently say that you can trust your Spanish learning to Homeschool Spanish Academy. It is an accredited institution that offers effective Spanish lessons; is run by people who care about the students and teachers; and is impacting many lives in a positive way.
Visit Homeschool Spanish Academy.
Note: Links on this page are affiliate links, so I’ll make some pocket money if you buy. (You get everything at the normal price though.)
