let's meet...i'm bridgette!

Hello! Hola! Bonjour! 你好！

I’m so excited that you’re here! This is my first blog post but definitely not my first experience teaching others about language acquisition. (Did you notice that I didn't say 'language learning'? More on that another day!) I'm passionate about helping you teach and acquire languages better. 

...before we get to that, let me tell you a little bit about me :)
​

I’m Bridgette! Wife, homeschooling mama of 3 beautiful multilingual kiddos, entrepreneur, Michigan native and coffee addict extraordinaire. I love languages, teaching, photography, travel, crafting and Saturday afternoon movies with the family. I may also be addicted to podcasts. Is that even a thing? Podcast addiction? Regardless, I love 'em!

I grew up in a small mid-Michigan town that you’ve probably never heard of with my parents and brother. It was a quiet, safe town with a great community. I spent my childhood playing outside, hiding in the trees so I could read just one more book before dinner and listening to way too much boy band music.
​

I remember being so fascinated with languages. I would try to learn German from an outrageously outdated textbook that I had found at the public library and watched in awe the few times that I witnessed others speaking languages other than English in public (it wasn’t a very diverse town).

When I was in high school, I took 3 or 4 years of French (I don’t remember exactly) and I still struggled. I tried taking a French class in college but quit after day 1 because I was so lost. They placed me in that class based on my high school experience, but I didn't understand a word the professor said. There had to be an easier way.
​

During my second year of college, our teacher education program visited a Spanish/English bilingual elementary school and I absolutely fell in love. How had I never heard of this concept before?! When we got home that night, I signed up for Spanish 101 and set my sights on working at a school just like that one we had visited. In early 2007, I finished the university Spanish program and spent that summer living with a great family in Santa Ana, Costa Rica. The experience was life changing!
​

When I graduated with my bachelor's degree in 2009, I was licensed to teach elementary school grades k-5, special education for kids ages 5-26, English as a Second Language and Spanish as a Foreign Language. The teacher training and special education training gave me a solid foundation in child development while the language teacher training gave me a solid foundation in childhood language development. 

After I got my first job as a bilingual special education teacher, which happened to be at that same school I had toured a few years earlier, I did post graduate work in bilingualism and applied linguistics to acquire my teaching license in bilingual education.

I’ve been a professional in the fields of education and languages/linguistics ever since. Child development and language acquisition are my jam! I’ve combined the 2 areas of expertise to raise my own kids with 5 languages (3 of which I don’t even speak myself!) and to also create a really fun and successful local language program for young kids.
​

Throughout my journey, I’ve helped hundreds of families to improve their childrens’ language skills and many of the parents have learned a lot too ;) I love answering questions and helping parents and teachers navigate their way through their own journey in our Facebook group (if you’re not a member, hop on over and check it out!). Blogging about these very questions is the next logical step in reaching more teachers and parents just like you!!!
​

​While you’re here, you’ll find answers to all of your questions about acquiring languages including what to expect, how to succeed, how to handle those times when things don’t go as planned and you’ll probably find a few answers to questions you didn’t even know you had. I absolutely love researching so you know you'll find reliable, up-to-date information.

Let’s connect! I want to know what's working for you and what's not. What questions do you have? Comment on posts, join me for a conversation in our Facebook group or email me directly here. I can’t wait to hear from you!