As children, three siblings participated in Capital Region Language Center’s first Spanish class. Today, the youngest is working for CRLC. Susan Miller shares her family’s story.
How did you first connect with CRLC? Was it Las Mariposas Spanish School then?
I began homeschooling my kids in the early 2000’s and while I easily found curricula and community resources to educate them about most subjects, foreign language instruction was proving to be difficult.
A mutual friend told me Kim (Andersen, CRLC founder) was starting a small Spanish school. So, that’s where it all started. That brought us to Las Mariposas, which eventually evolved into Capital Region Language Center. My children were in the first Spanish class.
Ivy and Susan at CRLC’s 20th anniversary celebration in 2023.
Why did you want your children to learn Spanish?
I studied French in school and always appreciated the exposure to another culture, increased ability to decipher English vocabulary from identifying French root words, and the overall cognitive challenge of trying to learn another language. I wanted that for my kids, but thought Spanish might be more useful, given the demographic trends in the U.S.
Ivy (pink skirt), Julia (navy blue skirt) , and Andrew (yellow skirt) performing to a Shakira song at the 2011 CRLC Extravaganza.
Did all of your children participate in Capital Region Language Center?
Yes, the oldest two (then six and eight) were in the very first class in 2003. I believe their younger sibling started in 2005, at age four.
As many homeschooled students do, the older two eventually transitioned to Hudson Valley Community College in their mid teens. The youngest continued at CRLC until she started at a traditional school in 6th grade.
Any special memories?
Our favorites were the annual sugar skull decorating for Día de Los Muertos and the 2011 recital where they all danced onstage to a Shakira song that Kim allowed Ivy (my older daughter and a dance student) to choreograph!
Kim’s focus on weaving culture into language instruction enhanced retention and really enriched the whole experience.
Years later, as an adult, Ivy still clearly remembers her first Spanish class: how cozy and visually stimulating the classroom was, how comfortable Kim made the kids feel, and that she taught them the song, “Bate Bate Chocolate (ba-te ba-te cho-co-la-te).”
Spanish class was one weekly commitment that my kids always looked forward to!
Andrew, far left, age 18, on his last day at the Los Angeles school where he used his Spanish language skills to connect with students.
How did learning a language at a young age shape your children as adults?
Andrew, the oldest, joined AmeriCorps at age 18, and one of his assignments was at a predominantly Spanish-speaking public school in Los Angeles as an ESL teaching assistant. Ivy, 28 now, just went to Barcelona and was happy to find that her Spanish language skills re-emerged and helped her engage more with the local residents.
Julia Poitras, (right) with Kim Andersen, her former Spanish teacher and CRLC founder. Julia recently joined the CRLC team as Student Engagement Coordinator. She still finds herself singing, “Bate Bate Chocolate” from time to time.
My youngest daughter, Julia, continued Spanish in high school then switched to Italian in college. She has come full circle, now working for CRLC doing marketing and social media, her passions. The investment with CRLC all those years ago has clearly resulted in a love for languages and other cultures. The strong foundation that Kim provided is something my children continue to build on.
Learn more about youth classes, or contact us at: info@crlcalbany.org or 518-729-5407.
