Renata Barboza-Murray

I was born and raised in Pernambuco, Northeast of Brazil. I have been living is San Francisco-CA for almost 4 years.

I have a BA in Translation (English-Portuguese), a specialization course in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), and am working towards an AA in Child Development and Family Studies. I have been teaching for more than 8 years, both English and Portuguese as a second language. My students range from 3 to 68 years old.

I believe that learning happens when emotions (right side of your brain) and logic (left side of your brain) work together. Based on the theories of brain development, multiple intelligences, and second language acquisition, I design lessons in a way that will help my students develop and/or enhance their skills in the Portuguese language and Brazilian culture in a fun, kinesthetic, and meaningful way according to their learning styles. I also try to incorporate aspects of the Brazilian culture and as possible some music and dance that are part of the Brazilian folklore.

My greatest experience in teaching Portuguese happened while I worked as a Portuguese as a second language teacher for 3 years at the American School of Recife. My students were from many parts of the world including U.S., Argentina, Mexico, Bolivia, Japan, China and Finland. Everyday, my students would come to my class with such enthusiasm and motivation to learn Portuguese that they opened up my eyes to the beauty and richness of the Portuguese language and Brazilian culture. While teaching them, I (re)discovered my native language and started valuing much more the Brazilian culture.