MY APPROACH TO TEACHING
I consider teaching my vocation and since I come from a Mexican family of teachers with over 150 years of experience, teaching is in my genes. When I was 10 years old, I read a quote attributed to Goethe who said, “Excuse me for writing you a long letter but I don’t have time for a short one.” I immediately thought to myself, this can only be the quintessence of the German language!
It seemed true to my nature to consider myself a Germanophile. That was the beginning of my long-lasting friendship with the German language and culture.
MY METHODOLOGY IN TEACHING
I apply new pedagogical and didactic approaches in my work, such as autobiography, ‘self-recognition’ work for immigrants, or the immersive approach. In these, I try to offer the participants an open and free space to discover and enjoy local culture.
I am often dealing with highly demanding students at a higher level. One of my particular skills is to target participants from different cultural backgrounds and different educational backgrounds, and to supervise and accompany them in learning.
Through supervising and assessing Bachelor theses, I gain insight into students’ academic interests and perspectives. In this way I learn a lot about their professional goals and motivations, which gives me the opportunity to gain their trust and help shape their academic career. I have always found this a very valuable experience!