Today we’d like to introduce you to Catherine Wallace and Luis Martinez.
Catherine and Luis, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Luis and I met in Oaxaca, Mexico, in the summer of 2006. I was a teacher in the Dallas ISD at the time, teaching mostly Latino students whose first language was Spanish. I loved teaching them English, but really struggled communicating with their parents. I had taken plenty of Spanish classes, but my speaking skills were dreadful. I traveled to Oaxaca that summer with the intention of improving my Spanish so that I could be a more effective educator here in Dallas. I planned to spend 3 weeks in an immersion environment. I lived with a host family, took daily Spanish classes and really soaked up the Mexican culture. I first fell in love with the beautiful city of Oaxaca. It’s in southern Mexico, surrounded by mountains, full of art, unique architecture and gracious, kind people. I also fell in love with my Spanish teacher, Luis. I ended up staying in Oaxaca for the entire year rather than just 3 weeks. Luis and I were married in June of 2007 and moved to Dallas soon after.
From the beginning, we dreamed about a language school in Dallas — one that would model the immersion method that Luis knew so well from teaching in Oaxaca for 10 years. We envisioned a program that would teach proper Spanish with an emphasis on culture and history — 100% in Spanish. Initially, we started with an adult school in our East Dallas home on Richard Avenue. Luis taught Spanish classes and I taught English classes in the back two bedrooms. Word spread quickly, and we had around 40 students within a few months who came to our house throughout the day and evenings for classes. In 2009, we were expecting our first child, so we moved into our first commercial space at 5740 Prospect, where we had 2 classrooms for adult students and 1 for children. We started the Spanish immersion preschool program in January of 2010. We had two teachers that first semester with around 20 students, ages 2 – 5. Our numbers increased drastically over the next couple of years. In 2013, we moved the preschool to our building at 4411 Skillman Street. We started with 11 preschool classes and 1 kindergarten class. That same year, we started a nursery school program at the Prospect location for the youngest students (3 months – 2 years.)
The elementary program continued to grow at the Skillman campus, and it was clear that we couldn’t operate two schools in the same building. We were fortunate to find available land at 7159 E. Grand, where we built a brand-new elementary school. We opened the school in August in 2016 with students in grades K – 3. Soon we will go through the 5th grade. Earlier in 2016, we bought and renovated a building at 801 N. Peak Street, where we house our adult school and administrative offices.
Spanish House now employs 110 people and serves a community of around 600 students. We continue to stay true to our initial vision of an all-Spanish learning environment. We believe firmly in what we do and feel honored to devote our lives to this project.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We’ve been incredibly fortunate during this journey, but “smooth” probably isn’t the word we’d choose to describe it. The school grew rapidly, and there were a lot of pivotal moments in which we had to make quick decisions about the direction we wanted to go. With every new classroom that we opened, it seemed we had more people knocking on the door. Balancing our priorities was of utmost importance — making sure we hired the right people, learning about real estate transactions, creating a strong academic program, all the while ensuring that we stayed true to our mission and vision. We’ve leaned heavily on our staff, as well as students and family members in the school community, for support. A lot of people made a commitment to the school early on, and they’ve been essential in ensuring that we manage our growth in the best way possible.
We’re not done growing just yet, and we will continue to depend on those around us who love the school as much as we do.
Most of our attention now is spent on ensuring that the buildings are running safely and efficiently, that the staff is equipped with what they need and that students are learning in a challenging, authentic and loving environment. We also spend quite a bit of time ensuring that procedures and systems are in place on the administrative side. Again, it’s only because of our very capable and knowledgeable team that we’re able to do this the right way.
We wear a lot of different hats, including our parent hats. Our son is now 8 years old, and our daughter is 5. They’ve literally grown up at Spanish House and are better people because of all the positive interactions they’ve had with their classmates and teachers. They watch us go through our crazy moments of stress, too, and luckily have a lot of patience. We do our best to keep things positive and calm at home and at school. It helps us to remember our roots — all of this was started with so much love and passion. We always go back to that on the tough days.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Spanish House – what should we know?
Many people come through our school doors and say they feel like they’ve entered a home in Latin America. We take great pride in bringing the colorful and diverse cultures from Spanish-speaking countries to our classrooms, where the focus is always on Spanish language acquisition. Our teachers are energetic and expressive, and our students benefit so much from them.
We offer an academically-rigorous curriculum for all of our students. In particular, the preschool and elementary programs are rooted in Project-Based Learning, which invites students to explore and investigate real-world topics, all leading to a presentation of a final product to their communities. The level of curiosity and excitement during these projects is palatable. Pairing PBL and second-language learning has allowed students to develop their Spanish skills while becoming critical thinkers.
Our adult students continue to benefit from small class sizes and knowledgeable, capable instructors who adhere to the immersion model. Students know that when they come to Spanish House, it’s 100% Spanish. It’s especially challenging for adults, but if the students are really motivated, they do learn the language and can use it in their daily lives.
We also offer immersion trips in Oaxaca for our adult students and their families. We work with a wonderful school down there that offers daily classes, homestays, tour and cultural workshops. We consider this a special part of our program, as it’s essentially how Spanish House was born.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
We stick to what we know best, and we do it with an immense amount of love and respect. We treat each other as family. This includes our staff, families and students. We teach more than just a language — we share and celebrate different cultures. Exposing our students — both kids and adults — to new traditions, foods, music, expressions and perspectives brings all of us an immense amount of satisfaction.
It’s also a priority at Spanish House to continually give back to the community and to those in need. This year was particularly difficult for a lot of people at Spanish House who have family affected by the slew of natural disasters in Texas, Puerto Rico and Mexico. We organized several fundraisers to help these communities. We are proud that our young students are growing up in an environment where they are not only loved and supported but also continually pushed to share their time and talents with others.
Contact Info:
- Address: SH Nursery: 5740 Prospect Ave. Dallas 75206
SH Preschool: 4411 Skillman St. Dallas 75206
SH Elementary: 7159 E. Grand Ave. Dallas 75223
SH Adult School: 801 N. Peak St. Dallas 75246 - Website: www.DallasSpanishHouse.com
- Phone: 214-826-4410
- Email: info@dallasspanishhouse.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Spanish-House-345343402273264/
Image Credits:
Kiss Me For Eternity Photography
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