Cecilia Moraga, A Voice in English from Salta...

“All letters, methinks, should be as free and easy as one’s discourse, not studied as an oration, nor made up of hard words like a charm.”

                                            (Letter to Sir William Temple, Oct. 1653) 

            There is silent strength in her eyes and her English flows naturally but in soft guarded tones. We are in Salta, Argentina, talking to Cecilia Moraga, directress of an active, creative and future minded institute dedicated not only to language instruction but to providing that special touch that separates simple education from a first class ticket leading to the threshold of knowledge.

 

            “So how did you get into English? I mean English sounds a bit out of place in this enticingly colonial city filled with vestiges of the past, stretching to the Spanish conquest.

 

            “I don’t know but perhaps it was just that teaching English chose me! You see it has always been with me. In fact, I grew up surrounded by it: my mother had an English institute.”

 

            “Like mother, like daughter!”

 

            “You might say that. You see, I spent a lot of time in her institute and when I finished High School…”

 

            “In Salta?”

 

            “Yes, right here, I was born here. Despite the fact that I tried other things, despite my studies in other areas or, for example, getting involved in activities such as architecture, I finally ended up saying to myself: ‘what I really want to do is to teach English."

            “That sounds like a challenge in a place like this!”

 

            “Well, not as much as you might think. It isn’t much different from what you might find anywhere in the country. More and more people are training to be teachers because of increased interest in the language. And we have excellent teachers with a clear desire to improve and advance their knowledge of the language. They are continuously seeking new teaching skills.”

 

            “Do you maintain fluent contacts with foreign language institutes abroad?”

 

            “Well, that didn’t used to be the case but over the past decade there have been growing numbers of contacts. I suppose that is tied up somehow with the very significant growth of tourism in this region.”

 

            “What is special about your institute?”

 

            “It was founded by my mother around many years ago when there were only three institutes in Salta, la Cultural Inglesa, Icana and our institute, I.E.I., which was founded by persons trained at recognized language training centres in different parts of the country. Since then we have been growing very rapidly. You ask what most distinguishes our institute. What sets us apart is our strong promotion of creativity and flexibility, rather than attempting to follow fixed programs. We are open to change and do as much as we can to avoid falling into an academic rut.

 

            One example: in May the institute sponsored a training event for teachers in which drama and storytelling were introduced as efficient and entertaining training tools.

 

            “Are the difficulties faced by English learners the same here as in the rest of the country?”

 

            “I don’t suppose there are that many differences, although the need is more apparent in Buenos Aires due to the more immediate contact with English speaking persons, tourists or also in business activities.”

             If you would like to contact Cecilia Moraga, you may do so at the following address: e-mail: [e-mail]