I would like to welcome you and introduce myself. I am a transplant to Moberly. I was born in Canada. And spent most of my life in Utah. I graduated from Provo High School. After high school I went to Chile for two years. I was in the northern four regions of the nation. This is where I learned to speak Spanish and where I fell in love with the hispanic culture. After returning home I met the young woman that would later become my wife. I also began to study at Utah Valley University (UVU) in Orem, Utah. During my studies I also attended BYU for two semsters. In the spring of 2009 I graduated from UVU with a Bachelors degree in Spanish and a minor in History. I moved to Joplin, Missouri the following week to begin my graduate studies at Missouri State University. I have recently graduated from Missouri State with a Masters in Teaching. This is my second year teaching at Moberly High School. I am looking forward to a fun and exciting school year. My family (my wife, children and I) also look forward to seeing you around the community and at Moberly Spartan events.

Welcome to Spanish I, we will spend this year establishing your foundational knowledge of the Spanish language and cultures. This is a very exciting class and it will be a lot of fun but we will have to work hard and learn too. Please remember that we will learn new things that are completely different from the English langugae. The most importnat thing about learning Spanish, Spanish is not English.

First of all welcome to Spanish II. This year we will review your knowledge of Spanish I (your foundation), and once we have strengthen that foundational knowledge we will build upon it and expand your Spanish language capabilities. It is important to always remember that Spanish is not English. I look forward to a great year in Spanish II.

Moberly High School
James Barker