Ira Riklis

Children have a natural ability to learn a language. They are capable of mastering sounds and structures in a way that is unique to the young. Children tend to learn Spanish when they encounter words in context.

As Ira Riklis knows, teachers at the lowest elementary levels in school programs focus on the physical world using sight and hearing to cue the students understanding of the language. Time spent in studying the language can reinforce concepts in the entire school curriculum thereby not taking away time from studying the basics that need to be mastered. Social skills of greeting each other, shaking hands, saying please and thank you, etc. can compare and contrast these skills using both English and Spanish.

Ira Riklis wishes he had had this type of experience early in his education because of the ease in which children learn to count, recognize calendar elements (days of the week, months of the year, important dates to remember). Information about cultures of countries that are Spanish-speaking is learned very naturally in the native language and besides is more fun for the students. Games, music, food-tasting, sports talk, as well as calculations in mathematics and science experiments also enhance the learning experience.

Children have an opportunity in the above ways to build a foundation for further study and use of Spanish.

When fate lands one in a country where Spanish is the official language and one has little or no knowledge of the Spanish language, problems instantly become apparent. If this situation occurs because of an employment assignment and one must live in this new environment, one must devise a way to learn the language in order to thrive if not survive. Ira Riklis was informed of this by good friends who found themselves in such a state. Some had been sent to South America and Central America and another to Spain.

Instead of availing themselves of traditional Spanish language study based in a classroom or even by self study coursework from an organized program in print or on the computer, they all learned Spanish by watching television as much as possible, going to the movies which were without subtitles, and attempting to read the newspapers and magazines of the country even though initially only a few words were understood.

Ira Riklis was surprised by his friends’ fluency in the Spanish language when he visited them in the countries where they were working and living. Immersion in the language can be the best way to learn and retain language skills and generally the natives of the country can be very helpful in this pursuit as well as happy to know that foreigners have made a real effort to speak and read the Spanish language instead of always looking for an interpretor.