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Welcome to Speak Shop Talk!
Please be sure to scroll down for
important articles, including one on new
time differences with
Guatemala.
After our first year in business, we're excited to
launch a newsletter.
Cindy (my wife) and I took a big chance a year ago
when we quit our jobs to start Speak Shop. Online
tutoring by videoconference was still science
fiction.
We went to Guatemala with one laptop and one
suitcase and no idea if we could get tutors, let alone
students. Fast-forward a year later, and Speak Shop
is buzzing with students and tutors.
We want to THANK YOU for joining and
supporting Speak
Shop in its
infancy. We hope you will continue to enjoy the
service and welcome your suggestions and
comments.
A final note of MUCHAS GRACIAS to the
tutors. They are the stars. At Speak Shop, they
operate their own micro-businesses. It’s important to
provide feedback about your lessons and tell other
people about your favorite tutor because the
tutors don’t work for us – they work for you.
Saludos,
Clay
Co-Founder and CEO
Speak Shop
Learn Spanish for Good
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U.S. Fall Hours = Different Time Differences
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Just when you've gotten used to calculating your
time difference with Guatemala, it changes! U.S. time
zones will "fall back" an hour this Sunday.
Guatemala's time does not. There will be
an additional one hour difference between
U.S. and Guatemala. So, beginning Sunday:
- U.S. Pacific is 2 hours earlier (10 am PST = 12 noon Guatemala)
- U.S. Mountain is 1 hour earlier (11 am MST = 12 noon Guatemala)
- U.S. Central is Guatemalan time (12 noon CST = 12 noon Guatemala)
- U.S. Eastern is 1 hour later (1 pm EST = 12 noon Guatemala)
Not in the U.S.? Click on the link to compare
world time zones.
SILVER LINING: In early 2006, your lessons
times will automatically adjust. We're installing new
systems to make your life a little easier.
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Forging an Industry One Tutor at a Time |
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The seasonality of tourism in Guat
emala can put
tutors below the poverty line. Being able to teach
online and set their own rates truly improves their
lives.
Each time you take a lesson, you
make it easier
for a tutor to send her kids to school or pay for
healthcare.
Online tutoring is just starting to catch on
in the U.S., but we believe it will transform how the
world views foreign language learning. As Guatemala
heads into the slow tourist season, more tutors are
being trained to become tutors at Speak Shop.
While these women are new to Speak Shop, they are
not new to Spanish immersion instruction. They have
taught at PROBIGUA for many years. Look for
Rebeca, Mayra, Karla, Claudia and others, soon.
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Tell a Friend - Win a Free Month
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Use our online form to tell 1 or 10 friends about Speak Shop. If they sign up, we'll give you a month free!
Be sure they tell us they heard about it from you.
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What’s New with You?
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Have you been using your Spanish knowledge? Are
you going to meet or have you met your tutor in
person? Have you taken a trip to Latin America? Let
us know. We'd like to highlight your stories in future
newsletters. Please contact
cindy@speakshop.com with your news by
November 15th.
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Did You Know? |
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PROBIGUA, where Speak Shop tutors work, stands for
Proyecto Bibliotecas Guatemala (Guatemalan Library
Project). PROBIGUA is partner of Child Aid, a U.S.
nonprofit organization that helps children in Latin
America.
Pictured is PROBIGUA's school bus
making a book delivery. Through its network of 28
libraries and 14 Internet centers (and counting),
PROBIGUA
brings education to rural and indigenous children in
some of the poorest areas of the country.
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Tutor Spotlight: Aracely |
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Aracely Rogel is the tutor with the ready smile and
fun disposition.
Not only is she a great
tutor, she’s phenomenal at quickly making her
students feel comfortable. You can tell she loves
teaching.
- Years teaching Spanish: 10
- Educational level: University
- Special skills: Social worker
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