A veces es mejor callar

Great Week at Taronja Both my children have been to Taronja to work on their their Spanish (my daughter four times so far) and have both made excellent progress. Then, at long last, Dad made it too! I was looking for an advanced course, which can be difficult to find in smaller schools so it was great to find somewhere that can offer courses at a more demanding level, and even better, that are well taught. All this was backed up with daily printouts of the topics and new vocabulary that arose as we went along. Plenty of great extracurricular laid on outside the formal teaching. Inevitably this was better suited for those a wee bit younger than myself but my two (18 and 21) had an absolute ball! I opted to stay with a Spanish family and was very lucky to be assigned someone who was not only great company but who upon discovering it was my birthday, even laid on a birthday party for me!

I have been to Taronja School for four weeks during June/July and I really enjoyed it. The professors are all young and well prepared. The teaching methodology is very good. The proposed activities were good and permits you to meet people from foreign countries and improve your language skills. I recommend it 🙂

La miglior scuola di Valencia Sono stata in questa scuola ad agosto 2014 per due settimane.
Alloggiavo negli appartamenti con altri studenti convenzionati con la scuola.
Posso considerare questa esperienza, la più bella mia vita, grazie anche a questa fantastica scuola.
Le lezioni si svolgevano 4 ore al mattino o al pomeriggio, a giorni alterni.
Ogni due ore si cambiava professore e le lezioni non erano noiose e teoriche, ma interattive con giochi, in modo da parlare il più possibile imparando la lingua.
Ogni sera c'era un'attività organizzata.
Il lunedì c'era il tapas tour, il martedì il paella party il giovedì il beach volley e durante il weekend organizzavano o qualche escursione o serate in discoteca.
E' una grande famiglia, che ti permette di conoscere gente da tutto il mondo, praticare la lingua 24 ore al giorno e divertirti.
I professori erano tutti simpaticissimi e preparati.

I enjoyed my week very much but should have joined in more of the social activities! Also I think a week is too short as most other students were there for much longer but that was not possible for me Since returning back to my weekly class on Zoom, I am speaking much better so thank you ! Staff were lovely ....

OVERALL As a school teacher (of Maths and some other things), I had supported the Spanish trip here with my pupils in April 2023. I could see what a transformative experience it was for them so much so that I wanted it for myself. My time at Taronja can only be described as excellent. Everyone at the school tries to ensure you have the best time possible which is impressive based on the carousel of students who come-and-go each week. All the staff treated me with kindness and respect. Thank you to Maxi and Fernando for running such a unique place. The last 4 weeks at Taronja have been exciting, interesting, eventful, busy, enjoyable and compact with information. The last time I studied a language was 14 years ago. I was not very keen on languages in school but my time spent at Taronja has made me believe that I can learn a language to a much higher level than I ever thought possible. That alone has been worth it. LEARNING EXPERIENCE The teachers were fun and engaging. As an absolute beginner, I did the Intensive course + conversation class + private lessons. That helped with my exposure to the language and the private classes were helpful in ironing out some issues. I did this for the first three weeks, then extended by a week and "dropped down" to "only" the intensive course, which is plenty. If I were building up for an exam I would definitely pick up the private classes again. And the conversation classes were energetically delivered to give you important insights of Spanish conversational etiquette. Overall, I was able to enjoy lessons taught by patient, *knowledgeable* and kind teachers, who have reminded me about the importance of these characteristics in my own teaching practice. Teaching beginners must be tough and it was done with grace, style, poise and importantly, a smile. Thank you Laura, Carmen, Antonio, Miguel Angel, Nestor, Carol, Jenny, Nerea, and especially Mica and Paula for your infectious energy and humour. ACADEMIC ADMIN The organisation of the timetable and classes was clearly communicated in advance via WhatsApp. I know some people didn't feel as though they were in the right class for their level and changes were made almost instantly to help. This was managed by the academic team. SUPPORT Organising, arriving, and extending my stay was made very easy by the ladies at the front desk, in particular Elena and Roza! Emails were responded to promptly and they were always so helpful. Waving to them in the morning and getting a wave back made things feel a bit more like home! SOCIAL Plenty of opportunities to socialise with others at the school. Most people I attended school with were between 19-25. But there was also a considerable contingent of older pupils too (e.g. 31, 40 and 70!). This is all taken into consideration when forming classes and social activities. There are activities organised by the school for every day of the week. I went during high season (i.e. the summer) so there were a lot of people. Some activities are linked to other language schools which broadens your pool of potential connections. A lot are free. Many are heavily subsidised. Because there is a fluid change of people from week to week the extent to which you find things socialable will depend on who you share your time at the school with. But similarly minded people would pay money to attend a summer school, so it's likely to be fine for you, as it was for me! As an over-27, I was added to a WhatsApp group for additionally organised activities. BOCARIOS (Interns) An excellently led intern team support the activities and were a good group to talk to in general. Very helpful! GENERAL THOUGHTS When in Spain and doing things, there is a naturally occurring opportunity to practice the language. Whether you decide to is your own choice! And indeed your experience in general heavily depends on you 😇 . Approach it with an open heart and fresh eyes.

Everything was perfect since the first day.. from the first to the last day I had a wonderful time with open and nice people around. The school was well organized, the teachers friendly and competent, and especially the interns did a really good job with the organization of activities which made it easy to connect with other students. I really can recommend the school.. thank you for 8 amazing weeks! ☺️😊

Learning Spanish, Culture, and so much more I spent one week at Taronja School, studying A1 Spanish and would go back in a heartbeat💕. The small classes were very engaging, and teachers were enthusiastic and caring. Taronja is much more than classes though, every night they had engaging activities where you could practice Spanish with fellow classmates and explore new places all over Valencia, and beyond with the teachers and ambassadors of the school. I had so much fun and met the most wonderful people from all over the world. I am in my 50s which I think is significant because they truly treated every person like family and had a group Buena Vida for people over 27 😂 to connect and be able to do things together. I'm really looking forward to going back In the future. They also have housing at a reasonable rate if you're staying for a longer period of time . Thank you Taronja☀️💐🎉

Excellent school that really focuses on the community element for the students. Teachers get involved in the activities, which is a cool sight to see, as you can get to know them outside the classroom. The lessons are well done also, as each teacher brings a different style. I also love the format of the schedule, in that, the time of classes swaps daily, and so does your teacher. Keeps things fresh. Lastly, Stefano is an EXCELLENT activity coordinator! He really enjoys being around the students and is professional.