Who’s Behind Big Time Spanish?

Hola. My name is Brian Yates and I am the creator of Big Time Spanish. I live in Boulder, Colorado and I teach Spanish at Red Rocks Community College in Lakewood, Colorado. I have a wife and three children and when I am not working, I love to spend time with my family, ride bikes and play guitar.

I didn’t speak a lick on Spanish until I was 22. I graduated from Yale University with a BA in history and took a job teaching English in Loja, Ecuador. I spent several years in Ecuador working in several different educational institutions and living with a wonderful Ecuadorian family. During this time, I learned Spanish and developed a profound appreciation for Ecuadorian culture. When I came back to the United States, I started teaching Spanish at a high school in Philadelphia. After a few years, I moved to Villanova University where I earned an MA in Hispanic literature and began teaching Spanish at the college level. When I graduated from Villanova, we moved to Colorado and I began teaching at Red Rocks Community College. All in all, I have been teaching language for over 20 years and Spanish for over 17 years, and I have had the fortune of spending time in Mexico, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Puerto Rico and Spain.

I created Big Time Spanish to help my students learn and practice Spanish, and to serve as a resource to other teachers. I hope you find it helpful.

Enjoy,

Brian