Knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and encouraging—these all describe Clayton. In class, he gave ample opportunity to speak Spanish, and his seemingly endless patience with my fledging Spanish has definitely helped me gain confidence in speaking the language. Clayton always responded to homework with personalized, helpful feedback. Class exercises were fun and directly applicable to real-life situations. Thanks in no small part to Clayton's teaching and encouragement, I am now speaking Spanish with a friend's mother, whom I see every week.
Clayton has the heart of a true teacher—he is committed to the student’s success and passionate about his subject. He listens to what students need, keys in on their strengths and learning styles, and teaches from those starting points. I’ve used three different continuing-ed organizations for learning Spanish—Castalia Language Center is at the top of my list.
-Judy B.
I came to Castalia Language Center after thinking about how I would go about re-learning Spanish. I had been somewhat fluent about ten years ago, but through career changes and geographical relocations, I lost my ability to speak Spanish well and with any confidence. I am a graduate student at Portland State University and I am also employed full-time, so time is often a luxury for me. However, I have wanted to re-learn Spanish for the last few years, but could not locate a feasible option that could fit into my current schedule.
Enter my discovery of Castalia Language Center. I enrolled for the Beginners I class and met my teacher, Clara Grebel. Clara immediately put my class at ease with her discussion about the learning approach to Spanish at Castalia. Not having to memorize vocabulary lists on top of everything else I do was a big relief for me and to other students in my group! Clara makes everything seem real with what is learned and she instills the belief that learning Spanish is an achievable goal for anyone.
I am currently in the Beginners Spanish II class and have gained much confidence and proficiency in both reading and writing Spanish with much comprehension. It is my intention to progress through the course offerings so that I eventually get to the Advanced II course and demonstrate fluency in Spanish. With Clara’s regular encouragement, I have every faith that I will achieve this goal in the future.
-Jeff M.
I was part of a Spanish speaking community for 5 years, but was too afraid to commit to learning and speaking the language. I had bought some tapes and tried to listen to them in my car. I also took a fairly casual course from a brilliant linguist major and Spanish language professor. I, however, could not stop from being frustrated. My fear of not understanding something and having the class move on without me was overwhelming.
I discovered the Castalia Language Center and decided to commit myself to a course. Castalia's classes speak to all aspects of learning. There are visual lessons, auditory lessons, oral lessons, opportunities outside of classes, and interesting, non-threatening homework. These classes are not taught in a linear fashion that makes you feel like you are at the bottom of an endless pit and that it will take you years to get past tourist phrases such as "Hi! How are you? Where is a cheap hotel?" They are taught by what is relevant, usable and digestible with the possibility of a functional end in sight. Every week, I leave class excited that I had a new, valuable understanding of the language and a growing confidence to speak Spanish.
My instructor Clayton, is extremely versed in the many cultures that share this language and the sometimes subtle nuances that make them different. Clayton is confident and in control of what he teaches so I never feel left behind. I feel confident that as I continue with his courses, my Spanish will have a sophistication to it that I would not have gotten anywhere else. It is clear to me that because Clayton's knowledge is thoughtful and profound, this is what is brought to his classes and passed on to his students. Clearly, the institution values this level of instruction. I have never regretted making this commitment time-wise or financially.
-Diana B.
About On-site Occupational Courses
We hired Clara Grebel in June 2005 to teach a group of our insurance agents an occupational beginning course in Spanish.
Farmers Insurance Group has a growing amount of Spanish-speaking clients, many of them with limited English proficiency. She designed our class around the insurance industry, using vocabulary that we would use on a daily basis. After Clara's course we were able to translate our quote sheets into Spanish as well as have limited conversations with our Spanish-speaking clients in their native language. We found it extremely useful to know some communication skills.
Due to her professionalism and ability to design a course around the individual needs of her clients, I would highly recommend Clara to teach any Spanish course desired.
-M.R.B., Farmers Insurance Group
I really enjoyed the 10-week class. Clayton does a great job of teaching language. He made me feel like with a little hard work and time I could actually learn to speak Spanish. Loved the teaching style. I feel like I have learned a ton in a very short amount of time. I will be passing your card off to others in different schools. I look forward to learning more from you in the future.
-Todd K., Reynolds High School counselor
We chose Clara for her professionalism and for her willingness to tailor the course to include words and phrases that were specific to the lumber industry and to the retail/contractor market.
After completing the course, many of Clara's students felt more confident conversing with their Spanish-speaking customers and felt that their customers appreciated the effort made to bridge the communication gap.
I would highly recommend Clara Grebel as instructor. She is professional, a native speaker, and spends time preparing materials specific to your business needs. I know our employees benefited from Clara's instruction.
-M.A.C., Parr Lumber Co.
I had the privilege of taking group and private lessons from Clara in 2004.
We are in the construction industry and our roofing crews consist of mainly Hispanic workers. Our mission was to learn basic greetings, how to give directions and instructions, and how to ask questions. Clara had the entire group participate in class session. We all got chances to show off our "Spanglish." This class served to be very beneficial to our management staff.
I would highly recommend Clara for all types of Spanish training, group or private. She is extremely professional and very kind.
-S.B., Bliss Roofing, Inc.
About Private Lessons
I started working with Clara over a year-and-a-half ago, taking private Spanish lessons once a week. At the time, I was just about to enter my senior year at Portland State University and I needed to learn a language. I had already completed first year Spanish and had been unhappy with the course format. I decided to try to learn Spanish with private, one-on-one lessons. I was fortunate to find Clara. She is very professional in her teaching and in her expectations for her students. At the same time, Clara made me feel that she shared my challenge and was personally invested in my success. Her lessons were varied and interesting. I learned so much more by taking private lessons, rather than being just one in a classroom full of students.
I took Spanish 203 in my last quarter at PSU. At that time I asked to increase my tutoring to twice a week. Clara suggested that I take my additional sessions with Clayton. What a brilliant suggestion that turned out to be! Clayton and I hit it off right away and by studying with both Clara and Clayton my learning really began to accelerate. Because Clara is a native Spanish speaker and Clayton’s first language is English, I had the advantage of two different perspectives. Clayton, as a native English speaker, was able to teach me some “tricks” for remembering what I learned.
I am happy to say that I passed my final Spanish class with flying colors. I know I could not have done it without the capable and dedicated tutelage I received from Clara and Clayton. They are truly a “dynamic duo.”
-Mike W.
Clara provides professional, structured lessons tailored to the needs of the student. She utilizes a wide variety of exercises to offer practice and learning opportunities. I greatly enjoyed my sessions with Clara, as she is always encouraging and keeps things interesting by working with my particular areas of strength and weaknesses.
My work with Clara has significantly increased my confidence in my Spanish-speaking abilities. As a result of our lessons, I have been able to communicate more effectively with my Spanish-speaking patients, and have also been able to speak more easily with locals during my travels to Costa Rica and Mexico.
I enthusiastically recommend Clara Grebel to anyone seeking to further their Spanish language skills.
-Rebecca Nelson, M.D.
Clara has an excellent command of the Spanish language. I particularly enjoy learning from a native Spanish speaker who also has a very strong knowledge of English. Clara is very organized and punctual, and uses a variety of teaching methods. She is open-minded and flexible, and is always looking for feedback. I am also very impressed with her patience. Clara has a unique style and is always keeping you challenged. She is a nice person who enjoys teaching others. You always feel like Clara wants you to be successful.
-Jeff Elbel
Clara Grebel has asked me to comment on her teaching, so that prospective students or organizations planning on-site courses might better evaluate her suitability to meet their Spanish needs. Clara and I worked together on my Spanish for nearly eighteen months, and I have had many opportunities since to reflect upon what makes her teaching both successful and unique. (As a point of comparison, in recent years I have had half a dozen other Spanish teachers—both stateside and in Mexico.)
Three qualities distinguish the teaching of Clara Grebel: creativity, dedication and professionalism. Clara believes that students progress most rapidly and comfortably when lesson content is drawn from a student's everyday life, and her classes reflect this belief. For students accustomed to textbook-based learning, Clara's alternative is both refreshing and practical; interest naturally remains high when you know that what you are learning is useful outside the classroom. She understands the importance of integrating new material with the familiar, and if a particular topic is eluding you, she does not hesitate to try a different method or a new angle. Most importantly, she works hard to keep your lessons focused on your particular goals (in my case, conversational Spanish fluency).
-Mark Alexander
