I am looking for any information on Spanish schools in and around the Cooper Canyon, Mexico. We will cross the border early 2018 and would like to attend classes before heading further south.

In 2011 I studied with the Fenix Language Institute in Zacatecas. A family that studies how to best teach Spanish by immersion. My opinion of how they teach has only risen the more I experience other programs for learning languages.

Spanish Language Schools in Mexico, Learn Spanish Online, Mexican Culture and Live a total Immersion

Current status of the program in Zacatecas seems to be "temporarily closed", but I think that was also the case when I was there in 2011 so contact them regardless. I effectively did private lessons, though it was with another traveler on a motorcycle who by chance started at the same time. Even so, I still feel the cost was well worth the value I received!

From the web site:

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Traveling The World Since: 2011
Blog: The Seductive Life (General Travel)

The Fenix school program sounds good ... if it's still in business.

Immersion is helpful for sure but you also need, IMO, someone to sit you down and teach all the basics ... correctly!. Verb forms, vocabulary, accent.
To really learn something requires pretty hard work on students part.

Some people are natural linguists, pick up accents and such quickly, others struggle. I got the accent part but getting into Pluperfect subjunctive verb forms were a bit of a challenge ... but most forms are fairly simple. Getting taught ... then USING what you've just learned is GOOD.

But once you get past basics ... then immersion teaching will really help ... as you will learn common phrases in use ... and learn lots about the two forms of the verbs TO BE ... Ser and Estar. Those are key to learning.

I would continue to look around and research. I've heard of schools in Mexico City and also in San Cristobal de las Casas. (nice town)

Here on HUBB, most travelers end up doing Spanish class in Guatemala, specifically Antigua. Many many schools with many featuring semi unqualified teachers.

A "real" Spanish teacher should have university level training, IMO, but plenty
claim expertise and just wing it. Also Spanish schools all around Lake Atitlan (where I lived for 2 years).

I would ask and look carefully before committing and handing over money.

!que le via muy bien!

Mollydog, the family that runs the Fenix institute program have studied linguistics at the university level in the USA and taken their program beyond those ideas with their own development. It is immersion with very detailed instruction in the precise details of grammar, conjugation, precise pronunciation, vocabulary, and even cultural perspectives to understand the subtleties. This is not just a "good luck" immersion program for natural linguists and they do not hope you pick up anything by osmosis. Great even for a total beginner who is bad at languages .... which was me when I started the course!

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Traveling The World Since: 2011
Blog: The Seductive Life (General Travel)