Getting to know Señor Colón

Vincente Colón, known by most students as “Señor Colón,” is always on the move. He does not just teach Spanish I and II at the high school and middle school. He has to balance that with being an attorney, teaching law courses at Washington and Lee University during the summer, and finding time for his personal life.

He thoroughly enjoys teaching and meeting new students at the high school, middle school, and university. It is one of his favorite features of being a teacher.

“I can find familiar faces everywhere. At Tunstall, I meet an average of 140 new students every year. In addition, I meet 60 students during my summer classes for a total of 200 new faces annually. It is no surprise that I can find people I know all the time even at distant places,” said Colón.

However, Colón does not just teach Spanish. He also teaches many other subjects inside of his foreign language classes, so his students can better understand the new foreign language that they are trying to learn.

“I can incorporate any other subject into my classes as a tool. Depending on the lesson, I can use Math, Geography, English, Art, Music, and other disciplines as a way for my students to learn Spanish and at the same time, the other subjects are reinforced as well.”  

He is immensely passionate about teaching and helping his students better understand the Spanish culture, language, and traditions, and he offers helpful advice to anyone who is struggling with fully grasping the language.

“My advice is to try and incorporate some immersion as part of the learning experience. Full immersion is better, but partial is useful too. If you don’t have access to a fluent person to practice your skills, try to listen to a radio or watch TV in the target language.”

However, teaching Spanish wasn’t enough for Colón, so he decided to become an attorney as well during his undergraduate years in college. He had been enrolled in an elective class about labor laws, and while he was in that class, he started to develop an interest in law.

“For one of the assignments during the semester, I went to the law school library to do some research. I was inspired by the solemnity and formal atmosphere inside the library. Everybody was looking very serious and dedicated to their work. At that moment, I decided that I would like to become part of that group someday.”

Colón has not always been a teacher and attorney in America, however. He was born in Puerto Rico, and he spent a lot of his life growing up there.

“My favorite memories of my life in Puerto Rico always have to do with time spent with my family and friends. The memories always make me smile but brings also the nostalgia that becomes part of your life when you are part of the diaspora.”

Despite the fact that Colón teaches all year round and works as an attorney,  he still finds time to spend with his family and friends, including the parents of Luis Fonsi, the creator of the song Despacito.

“I have been friends with the parents of Luis Fonsi for a long time. I met them in Orlando, Florida because they used to live close to my sister’s house. They are very humble and nice people. They moved to Miami years ago and after that, I have barely seen them anymore. Five years ago, I was at Washington and Lee University and I noticed that one of the teachers of the Academy was using the lyrics of one of Luis Fonsi’s song to teach advanced grammar. I made the comment that I was a friend of the family and everybody was excited about it. Some of the students asked me if they can send a message to him with me. I took my phone out and recorded a short video with messages from the students to him with me. Fonsi was on a tour out of the United States, but I sent the video to him and the next day I received another video from Fonsi saying thank you to the students for their kind words and encouraging the students to keep practicing Spanish. It was very cool and the video is still on YouTube. After receiving that video, I reached celebrity status that year with the students of the Academy.”

Colón lives a very exciting and busy life. He is very passionate about helping his students learn Spanish, always standing outside his door on the A wing hallway or in his classroom, ready to meet to new students and offer his helpful advice on learning a foreign language.