About Us
Hola Amigos,
My name is Mark “Marko” Sanden. Sign Up Now!
I have 25 years of experience of language teaching in both English and Spanish in various arenas including one to one tutoring, and in public and private schools…
I have helped students from elementary school age through adults to successfully acquire second language learning skills. Being Bilingual English/Spanish continues to be an integral part of my life allowing me to travel, work and play.
I have learned that grammar based teaching does not translate to oral proficiency which is what most students want but did not receive in traditional school instruction.
Through my own research on second language acquisition (SLA) including educational training, seminars, books, and on-line forums I believe that the format presented through Fluency Fox is the most effective method of second language acquisition specifically for upper beginner (A2) through the Threshold intermediate (B1) levels.
The Threshold (B1) really is the doorway to joining the conversation with native speakers. There is always more to learn in every language but learning enough to be solidly in the intermediate level will bring you a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction in understanding and speaking Spanish with a new level of confidence that you can build on for a lifetime.
I have experienced first-hand language learning in my ability to learn Spanish as a second language to a native-like proficiency level. I have progressed from knowing no Spanish as a child to a level of Spanish language competency that allowed me to gain my B.A. in Spanish Language. I then, continued on to complete a certified court interpreting program and pass the California State Certification for Court Interpreters written exam. Additionally, I have passed the California Subject Examinations for Teachers (CSET) levels I,II, and III in Spanish competency.
Iʼve heard the statement/complaint, “Iʼve taken Spanish (or English) for a few years but I canʼt really speak it at all.” As a language teacher this has always created a conflict for me, both because of the truth of the statement and because I believe this can be overcome.
Thatʼs why Iʼve created spanish.fluencyfox.com
Take the Spanish you’ve learned and make it the Spanish you’ve always wanted! Join the Conversation!
-Marko
Contributors and Collaborators ( I could not have done this project without you. Muchísimas Gracias!
Cathryn and Amaris thanks for your patience, support and assistance in more ways than I can list. Les Amo!
La familia Marin, Lorenzo, Estela, Mathew y Noel From Photography and script advice to locations, recruiting and as actors…Son Buenos Amigos y les aprecio mucho!
Voiceover Talent: Ana Ramos, Federico Melara, and Douglas Fernandez Thank you for your help refining/editing the script and for your wonderful voices. Un abrazo fuerte!
Actors: Tara Baca (as Ana), Alan Garcia (as Carlos) Los Marin, Ignacio Cuevas, Jose Garcia, Mario Luis Cisnero, Cathryn Starr, Amaris Sanden, Pedro Diaz, Maria Cristina Guerrero, Tom Bailey, Alex Guerrero, Ximena Morán Delgado, Stacy Viramontes, Luis Olmedo, and Sophia Bozulich Thank you all for talent and giving the story a face!
Audio: Gary Bogdanoff, Tom Bailey, Amaris Sanden and Michael Rogers You made the voices come alive. Many Thanks!
Photoshop: Anh Cao, and Yuzi Thank you for taking the images and making them tell a story!
La familia Casteñeda Bustamante Uds. me abrieron el mundo al español. Les quiero un montón, Tururú!
The kind support and advice of the great group at Holy Trinity
And of course, behind the scenes: Brian Whitney, Carlo Parlanti and his brother “Micha”, Varr and Jaime. Thanks for all the coding and giving Fluency Fox a platform that was needed to get it out to the world.
And special thanks to all my Spanish teachers and students for making being bilingual so incredibly worthwhile and rewarding.
To my parents who supported my studies abroad and all my family, friends and those that I’ve met along the way that give me good reason to keep communicating. –Muchísimas Gracias!!!