My teaching philosophy focuses on encouraging creative and critical thinking and helping students "learn how to learn," which is basic for their personal and intellectual independence. As a teacher, I see myself sharing with my students not only my academic formation in Spanish and Latin American literature and culture but also my personal experience of living and studying in different Latin American countries.

I think that my pedagogical role not only facilitates a meaningful learning process, but also creates adequate learning conditions in the classroom for my students.

I am committed to helping students acquire a new spoken and written language and at the same time obtain a solid understanding of Latin American literatures and cultures. I consider teaching as an important source of future research, and research as a means of producing new knowledge to be discussed in the classroom; teaching and research are always two very inter-related academic activities.

I believe that learning languages, literatures and cultures encourages critical thinking and contributes to the development of sensitivity about cultural differences and similarities. Knowing a second language provide students with a significant advantage in their communicative and intellectual skills, which will increase their opportunities in a job market in an era of greater interconnection between the Americas, and of increased presence of a speaking minority in the U.S.