Una Vida de Apprentissage (A Life of Learning)

story: Mady Neal

photography: Jugal Jain

Dr. Shelly Bromberg knew from birth that she wanted to be a teacher. Seventeen years after moving to Cincinnati and making her debut teaching at Miami, that passion for students and for her career still holds true. But it wasn’t always an easy road.

“[When something bad happens] you never understand why it’s happening, and it’s devastating,” Bromberg says, alluding to some of her own past experiences. But never have the dark moments stopped her; in fact, she emphasizes over and over again that it’s important to use those bad times to elevate yourself.

“I do think she’s caring toward her students. Many students were very nervous about speaking [in class], but she made it very clear that this [class] was nonjudgemental, and she encouraged everybody to relax beforehand,” Nikki Prokos, sophomore, says.

Though she never had children of her own, Dr. Bromberg has been devoted to teaching Spanish to generations of students.

“[The students] are my future. I love you guys. I didn’t have kids, so you are it. And you’re great. It’s so exciting to be around you, and I can’t say enough good about what a privilege it is [to teach],” Bromberg says.

She never had any doubts that she would teach, though she didn’t necessarily know what.

“My mother was a first-grade teacher,” Bromberg says. “Even as a kid I had the smartest stuffed animals on the block because I taught them everything because I had taught them all in class -- some of them weren’t the best spellers, though... I just love teaching.”

And that didn’t change as she followed her mother’s example and went to college, paying her way by bartending at night.

It wasn’t until she met Dr. Edith Rogers, a small Liechtensteinian woman, that she realized that it wasn’t too late to learn Spanish and make a career with a language that she loved. Bromberg really wanted to sign up her Don Quixote class but didn’t believe she had a high enough ability to succeed.

“And so it was really hard, but I took it, and she was so good, she was one of the people who helped me get into [graduate school].”

However, despite her devotion to what she considers one of the most beautiful languages, she has experienced bias because she is a non-native teacher.

“I have experienced some judgement, of course, always,” Bromberg says. “I know that I have an accent, and I know that sometimes I make mistakes when I speak Spanish. I’m not perfect; I learned it as an adult, so I know it’s not going to be perfect.”

“I certainly don’t make those judgements on people whose second language is English, so hopefully the people that count don’t make that judgement against me,” Bromberg says.

She says this doesn’t bother her, though. In fact it helps her to better identify with her students, whom she finds it very easy to connect with. Because of her own life-long learning of Spanish, she knows what students go through. Students also respond to this easy friendship.

“She genuinely cares about each of us. [She’s] the only professor that knows everyone’s name. It’s important to her that we take something away from each discussion or activity we do,” Anna Kruszenski, a sophomore in Bromberg’s SPN 315 class, says.

Kruszenski and other students agree that Dr. Bromberg truly takes the time to get to know each of them and help them in their pursuit of learning a new language.

“Any foreign language is hard. I think the thing that’s hardest for students to understand is that it takes a long time. Talking is always the last part — production as we call it. That’s why I try to focus a lot on production in [300-level classes,] and I don’t care if they make mistakes. I just want them to get talking because a lot of times that’s the most difficult,” Bromberg says.

Many of her students agree with her, saying that the relaxed atmosphere of her classes make them feel more comfortable.

“Her positive attitude in the classroom and her charisma toward the language make [a great environment,” Megan Roques, sophomore, says.

Dr. Bromberg couldn’t talk enough about how important students have been to her life.

“To think that as a teacher that’s the power we have,” Bromberg says. “We have the ability to empower and support and inspire you and hopefully, help you start on a wonderful life journey. What more can you ask for from a job?”