Testimonials
"There are numerous attributes about Pablo that separate him from being an average language teacher to an exceptional one. Pablo's genuine compassion, interest and love for the Spanish language transcends well beyond his teachings. When he teaches you Spanish, whether it be in person, podcast or the written word, Pablo makes the novice learner feel motivated and confident to continue learning. Pablo's well-thought-out system not only improved my Spanish speaking and writing abilities, but it also made me interested in practicing Spanish well after high school. Not many teachers have the ability to impact their students in the way that Pablo does. Who needs Duolingo when you have Pablo!?"
-Ashtan Raniga, CBS Sales Coordinator
"Anyone that has attended Upland High School knows who Pablo is. This is because he is the absolute best! His love for Spanish and teaching is seen every day in his classroom and involvement in the school which is what makes him such an amazing teacher. He makes Spanish fun. Always bringing a smile to the classroom, greeting every single person, and creating new ways to teach the language. His Spanish Learning System is famous and the information it provides is extremely helpful. I now have a two-year old daughter that I speak Spanish to every day as I want her to grow up fluent in the language and I STILL reference the systems frequently. I also reach out to Pablo almost weekly about Spanish questions and he is always patient and helps answer my question. Having such a great relationship with a teacher I had 16 years ago that is still mentoring me is just another reason why he is so great and his knowledge for the Spanish language is unmatched. Thank you for all your continued help and support Pablo!"
-Kyle Lynch, Mortgage Broker
"Tuve suerte de ser estudiante de Pablo hace 25 años, y después de 20 años de enseñanza castellana yo misma, nunca me he olvidado de su estilo de presentarnos material nuevo ni de conectar con todos nosotros. Todavía uso mi paquete de PEPSI en mi propia clase que lo creó el profesor para la clase de AP. Aunque las cosas gramaticales a veces nos aburrían, sabíamos que fueron esenciales, y fue la personalidad de Pablo que había traído la vida a cualquier concepto. Lo que más le admiraba a él fue que siempre hacía la transición entre actividades que estaban enfocadas en una variedad de habilidades comunicativas diariamente. Terminamos los cuatro años con una sabiduría fuerte e útil del idioma y para la mayoría de nosotros, un amor también. Nunca sería yo la profesora que soy sin haber pasado por el camino de Pablo."
-Jami Higashi-Lee, High School Teacher
"Pablo was my teacher in 1983, 85 and 86. He gave me the skills to get a 5 on my AP Spanish which gave me 16 college credits. He is in one word my Hero. He sparked a fire in my heart which went above and beyond the world of Spanish. Yes, his techniques are easy and fun to learn and remember. Yes, he has an incessant drive to make sure we followed the lessons and rules that he’s perfected over the years.
Yet there is something intrinsically different about Pablo. Pablo didn’t just show me how to learn and love Spanish; he showed me how to love life. His larger than life personality, zest and passion, above all, gave me hope. Pablo is one of the greatest persons I’ve ever had the honor of meeting. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about him and honor the gift he gave me.
Several years after graduating from High School, I fulfilled my lifelong dream of living in Mexico and subsequently Brazil for a span of 13 years, traveling all over the world, learning a few other languages along the way, establishing a multinational Electronics company with its headquarters in Guadalajara Mexico, and forming a family. Spanish is part of my everyday life. The people and culture who speak it are my family, friends and colleagues. And Pablo is at the heart of everything that encompasses it. He planted the seed of Spanish in my soul and more. Vas con Pablo, Irás Lejos!"
- Kia "KiKi" Mostaghimi
“Professor Pablo’s learning system captured my attention from the start of each lesson and continuously involved me in the learning process. His fun and engaging lessons helped me acquire the Spanish language quickly. Professor Pablo's system was very practical and learner centered. It gave me confidence and taught me Spanish sayings that have been useful in real-life conversations.”
- Phil Cestone, Instructional Assistant
"Over the years I have been asked many times who my favorite teacher was in high school. Without hesitation I always say Mr Robertson (Pablo to his friends). It is thanks to his amazing 3 years of Spanish teaching that almost 40 years later I can still carry on a conversation with my patients. I have had no training since high school and no one can believe how much I have retained since then. I am forever thankful for Pablo’s teaching and friendship over the years! He is such a caring and special human being! Anyone who was taught by him would say the same thing!"
- Lori Doran-Garcia, Dentist
"As a native Spanish speaker, it was difficult to understand where accent marks were needed. Profesor Pablo’s accent mark system was easy to understand and taught me how to sound out the words to determine where the accent belongs. My parents tried to teach me, but I just never fully grasped the concept of accents until taking Pablo’s class."
- Diana Castillo, News Director
"Though it has been over a decade since I have formally studied the Spanish language, it constantly seeps into my everyday life. From my business engagements to the casual "chistes" I have with my friends, Spanish is ever present. I attribute this to my SoCal origins, but moreover the great times I had while learning the language from one of the most passionate instructors I have ever met, Pablo. Under his tutelage I never once felt learning a new language was impossible, but instead it felt as if I was joining my classmates on a journey of Pablo's passions, filled with an abundance of joy. People speak about how to make a language "sticky" but from firsthand experience, once you hear a story from Pablo you can bet that it will stick! Thanks to Pablo, no matter where I go I will never be without a cerveza, el bano, o pasion por la vida!"
- Hansen Hsing
"Being a native Spanish speaker and having a degree in Spanish I thought I was ready to teach Spanish. Then I met Pablo at UHS. By far he is the most knowledgeable, creative and motivational Spanish instructor. His methods just plain work. His pneumonic devices are witty yet functional. He makes learning Spanish fun through real situations. No boring "text book" methods. His accent mark system is ingenious and fault proof. I've been fortunate to teach along side him and learn his methods for over 2 decades but his passion and personality are unreachable. If you want to learn "Real Spanish", Profesor Pablo is your man. He will teach you through "imitation and creation" and soon you'll be on your way. He is a staple around Upland High and he is best know as "El Rey de Español".
- Mike Diaz, High School Teacher
"Pablo’s system not only helped me pass the AP test after only three years of high-school Spanish but also my PhD language exam. Fifteen years later, it was all still in there! I’ve often thought how lucky I was to find Pablo’s name on my schedule as a high school sophomore. What a fantastic opportunity now for others!"
- Ryan Murphy, Professor of English
"Pablo’s classroom—playful, fast-paced, full of mistakes, slang, and laughter—prepared me for much more than an AP exam. He prepared me for a lifetime of entering new relationships with my Salvadoran neighbors, then migrant farm worker communities, which led to travels through Latin America, and now nearly two decades as a jail chaplain, gang pastor, and community organizer. Moving beyond test anxiety and into a love for language and a dance of new relationships is what we need today."
- Chris Hoke, Author & Founder of Underground Ministries
"Learning Spanish has provided me so many experiences and opportunities beyond what I ever imagined. Professor Pablo’s Spanish Learning Systems are the very best educational experience I have received. His system of teaching Spanish is fast paced, fun, and extremely well structured. I went on to receive a degree in Spanish and he provided a base that put me far ahead of the other students in my program. My children have struggled to learn Spanish and its obvious not all Spanish programs are created equally. We have tried many of the online and app based Spanish programs and although fun and helpful they do not give the base needed to develop real fluency in the language. This Spanish program combines over 30 years of Pablo’s teaching and knowledge. It is his Magnum Opus and I am so excited that it is now available for everyone to use."
- Greg Guymon, Dentist
"Pablo's enthusiasm and energy for teaching Spanish is contagious, and makes learning fun! Twenty eight years after taking his introductory course, and I can still have a conversation in Spanish!"
- Paul Alcocer, Market Manager
"A big part of my Upland High School experience between the ages of 14 to 18 years old in the mid 1980s was attending and participating with my friends in Paul Robertson's Spanish classes. I attended his class in my freshman, junior, and senior years, and was disappointed due to high demand not to be able to get him in my sophomore year. His instruction provided me the baseline for living in my current culture in Costa Rica and I found mastery early and since my graduation from UHS in 1987 to speak and understand the Spanish language in verbal and written form in many states and countries.
Pablo's lessons were fun, detailed, extremely sound in vocabulary, comprehension, pronunciation, and viability for practical application in society. His Spanish classes influenced my social life and career immensely going forward."
- Kenneth Grantz, Leadership Coach, Educator, Marketing Rep
“I was fortunate enough to spend 2 years in Spanish class with Pablo at Upland High School. I can honestly say those were two of the most enjoyable and beneficial classes I completed. Pablo’s charismatic personality, genuine love for his students, and interactive approach to teaching engaged the entire class and made learning Spanish fun and easy! I left high school with a solid understanding of Spanish that I was able to use in my career for many years to follow.”
- Scott Jones, Vice President HOA Technology
"I was lucky enough to have Pablo for four years of Spanish classes in high school. Pablo was one of the best teachers I ever had, and definitely a huge influence as to why I became a teacher myself. His enthusiasm for the subject matter, and his interest in motivating his students, and supporting them all the way around as people was like no other teacher I experienced. The energy he put forth in his classroom-jumping up on tables, and engaging kids constantly- was such an inspiration for me, and made a huge difference in our wanting to do well. I remember the Frases Utiles! I still visualize his charts in my head when I’m trying to conjugate verbs… If anyone should write a modern Spanish teaching curriculum, it’s Pablo. Oh how I wish my kids could have had him for a teacher!"
- Trish Zachary, Educator
"Pablo’s approach, instruction, and technique for learning Spanish created a life-long aptitude for languages and writing. Not only did it provide me the the means to use Spanish throughout my life and career, but it helped me to understand spoken and written language broadly. On top of it all, it gave me the skill to travel the the world and trust that I could learn and grow from the experience."
- Travis Huxman, Professor, UCI
"Pablo is one of those elite educators that you only encounter once in your lifetime. The type of teacher that you wish could have taught all of your classes. Despite having countless professors over my 23 years of schooling, Pablo still stands out as a master teacher. He is passionate, brilliant, hilarious, inspiring, and simply amazing at what he does. Pablo spent decades creating invaluable Spanish learning content that I believed was ready to be sold way back when I was in high school. He has since spent another 15 years meticulously refining and distilling all of his wisdom and educational treasures into this masterpiece."
"I am one of the lucky ones to have studied high school spanish with Pablo for 4 years. This foundation was the reason I became bilingual! I am forever indebted to Professor Pablo as his system allowed me to enter a whole new language and culture! The system works! It’s been refined over more than 33 years. Simple and easy to follow and understand. No BS!"
- Terry Johnson, Business Owner
"Pablo will always one of the premier teachers because he is so inspirational. He has so much energy to engage his students, you can’t help but be as enthusiastic about learning as he is teaching. In addition, he created great mnemonic devices and innovative methods that help you remember. This is a great opportunity to learn from the best. Don’t miss out!"
-Chi Ni, Educational Consultant
"It's because of Pablo Robertson that this white, upper middle-class woman is near-fluent in Spanish, with an accent that makes native speakers think I come from Oaxaca. Imagine their surprise when I tell them I learned all of it in high school! Pablo's weekly "Platicas" assignments had us speaking Spanish from day one. I still use many of his colloquial "Useful Sayings" that are fun, engaging and break down barriers. Finally, there is absolutely no one more passionate about Spanish and the beautiful Hispanic culture than Pablo. He inspired me to not just learn Spanish, but be unafraid to speak it any time I had the chance. Being able to communicate in Spanish has changed and enriched my world view by offering connections I otherwise wouldn't have. And it all started with one dedicated, enthusiastic instructor."
-Shannon Bradley-Colleary, Screenwriter
"I was lucky to have Pablo for three years in high school. His teaching system made perfect sense and therefore Spanish was easy for me. I can still visualize the charts on the wall that concisely explained all major rules for grammar/verb tenses. It was because of his systems and amazing teaching that I passed the Spanish AP test and went on to receive a BA in Spanish bilingualism!"
-Ginny Chaney, Elementary Teacher
"Sr. Robertson is one of the best teachers I have ever encountered in my educational experience. The way in which he delivers instruction is second to none. His enthusiasm for teaching Spanish was evident as a student in his class from the moment I entered. His methodology and teaching are exceptional and effective. I have personally retained so much of the information he taught me in his Spanish class to this day. The variety of strategies Sr. Robertson uses to teach Spanish makes learning easy and his students successful. His impact on teaching is priceless and I was lucky to have him as my Spanish teacher!"
-Christy Vargo, High School Teacher
"Profesor Pablo’s system is undoubtedly one of the most complete academic recourses I have ever owned. Literally any question that you may have when learning to read, write, or speak Spanish can be answered in this resource. Not only did it help me in school, it’s helped me retain a lot of my Spanish skills since high school. I can’t recommended it highly enough."
-Alex Fauce, Elementary School Teacher
"One word to describe the way Profesor Pablo’s Spanish lessons have made me feel: confident! His systems and vocabulary give me the tools to say whatever I want and comprehend whatever is said to me; they make the entire language approachable and simple. With a rock solid grammar foundation as well as the phrases necessary for actual life, Pablo’s lessons have set me up for success across Latin America and Spain."
- Susan Boretz, USC Graphic Designer
"During my Junior and Senior year at Upland High School, I was fortunate enough to have Pablo as my Spanish 3 & Spanish 4 teacher. I also worked as his teacher's aide during my Senior year. To this day, I continue to build upon the foundation that was created in Pablo's classroom more than 20 years ago. His contagious teaching style aroused enthusiasm for learning the Spanish language to each and everyone of his students for so many decades. I am grateful to have been his student and still maintain the ability to speak, read, and write in Spanish so many years later. I can't wait for my four children to learn Spanish from Pablo's learning system!"
- Ryan Hampton, Educational Consultant
"Pablo is simply the most inspirational teacher I have ever known. His creative and innovative teaching methods helped me to be able to live and communicate with a family in Mexico for a week after only one year of instruction. Even though I took his class 40 years ago, I still remember what all the California place names mean and I can still carry on a simple conversation in Spanish, when I have the opportunity. Because I know how to pronounce all the towns and street names that are in Spanish here in California, it really bothers me when people Anglicize them.
Pablo has an enthusiasm that is contagious and he has a trick to remembering just about everything. Mostly what I remember is that he encouraged us to make mistakes and just try. Your Spanish doesn’t have to be perfect to be understood. But if you don’t take risks and try to speak, you will never have fluency.
I looked forward to Spanish class every day because it was just a conversation. Pablo was so involved in our activities, that he could ask us genuine questions about our lives and we could just talk about life. If we were learning about future tense, he would talk about our future and we would practice. If he wanted us to speak in subjunctive, he would ask us about our hopes and dreams. It never felt like drill and practice. It felt like I was learning a language like a child growing up with it.
Pablo is my role model as a teacher. Even though I teach biology, I strive to have the same connection with students that Pablo had. The best way to differentiate instruction is to know your students - to see them for who they are in the context of their lives. Then you can learn how they learn best and because they know you care, they will work hard for you. My students over the years remember me just as Pablo’s students remember him. It is because we lead with our heart. We teach our subject and teach it well, but first and foremost, we teach the students in front of us."
- Diane Leo, Educator
“Pablo Robertson’s teaching methods simply stick with you. After more than 30 years, I still recall the conversational basics he taught me in high school. I’m certain his courses will resonate with you.”
- Robert Reader
"Pablo’s methods of teaching Spanish are not only incredibly effective, but also simple and fun. I’ve been able to retain the knowledge and continue to use it to this day!"
-Mike Fauce, Chiropractor
"I studied Spanish for four years in high school and one year in college. Twenty years later, the only Spanish I remember is the Spanish I learned during my one year with Pablo. He doesn’t teach students to memorize; he teaches students to interact with the language through turns of phrase that bring out the joy of learning a new way of communicating. His lessons have stuck with me to the point that I now use his Spanish jokes with my own children (How much is an “Ald” worth? ¡Milliones de dolares!)"
- Scott Aldworth, Attorney
"My first two years of Spanish classes were unremarkable. It wasn’t until Spanish 3 and 4 with Profesor Pablo that I began to embrace Spanish as more than just a class. He provided not only the tools to learn the language but instilled and enhanced the desire to grow and get better every day. Twenty years after Pablo’s AP Spanish class, I now lead a team of Spanish-speaking farmhands on a Southern California avocado ranch. To them, I am also “Pablo,” and speaking their language is a beautiful thing."
- Paul Nurre, Ranch Foreman
"As a native Spanish speaker, I found Profesor Pablo's classes very helpful because I was able to easily learn the grammatical do's and don'ts of the language. I held onto his Spanish Learning Systems packet through college and actually used it to help tutor my friend through her college course. She found the packet to be practical and intuitive and was able to grasp concepts more easily. Profesor Pablo is also such a great and enthusiastic person and you always feel happy around him!"
- Nicole Sanabria
"I am a former student of Professor Pablo. I had the pleasure of being a student in Professor Pablo’s AP-Spanish class during my junior and senior years of high school. During my time as a student in his class, I experience and witnessed numerous teaching strategies that Professor Pablo used to keep his students engaged in learning the Spanish language. Professor Pablo’s class was one of my favorite because the beginning of every class began with Professor Pablo giving the latest local and world news in Spanish. This included sports, events, and weather. This gave students a new topic to talk about in Spanish during class and thus improved vocabulary and helped students enhance their skills in reading, writing, and speaking Spanish, while utilizing new unfamiliar Spanish verbs, nouns, and phrases.
Professor Pablo was focused on making the Spanish language easy to understand and
learn for students of all levels. First of all, Professor Pablo organized conjugations of verbs from present, one time in the past, always in the past, and in the future. Students would work in conjugating these verbs in various tenses and then say them so they could both communicate and write them. Professor Pablo motivated students to improve their Spanish by reading comics that were largely interesting to most students.
Professor Pablo created and organized his own “Pepsi Packet” which was essentially a Spanish manual of important verbs, conjugations, nouns, and phrases. Students could refer to this manual to answer questions about conjugations or how a particular word could be used. This manual helped students retain critical information needed to communicate about almost anything to anyone in Spanish.
Lastly, at the end of class, Professor Pablo had students write a mini composition essay about a particular topic such as what the student did over the weekend or what the student was planning to do. These mini compositions brought all learning aspects of Spanish together in one essay. Overall Professor Pablo’s teaching strategies helped students of all levels learn Spanish in an easy, effective, and efficient manner. Professor Pablo was dedicated to the success of all students in the classroom. Due to the teaching strategies Professor Pablo used, I have still retained the Spanish he has taught and I use Spanish on an almost everyday basis at work."
- Bryce Milakovich, Police Officer
"Pablo Robertson is a once in a lifetime mentor, teacher, and friend. His Profesor Pablo Spanish Learning Systems is the perfect representation of his careers worth of hard work and dedication to academia. The Profesor Pablo Spanish Learning Systems is not only an exemplar of breaking down an intimidating subject into decipherable parts, but also, and most importantly, a timeless methodology for learning the Spanish language. Pablo’s Spanish curriculum developed my Spanish speaking and writing by breaking down Spanish into its core parts, creating a repeatable process that increased my repetition volume, and demonstrating an enjoyable, new perspective of a foreign language. I highly recommend Pablo and his Spanish learning System to anyone who aspires to develop their knowledge, skills, and confidence of the Spanish language and learn from a one-of-a-kind instructor."
- Nate Romine, Air Force Acquisition Officer
"Profesor Pablo's Spanish Learning Systems make learning Spanish fun and easy! In his classroom, Pablo presented Spanish in a way that was highly motivating and engaging. His structures, strategies and pneumonic devices are clear, organized and far more effective than textbooks, which I find to be often confusing. The success of his learning systems is evident not only in my fluency of Spanish, but in my success as a high school Spanish teacher as well. I use Pablo's unique strategies and structures every day with my students, because frankly speaking, I have not found ANY resources that so clearly organize some of the more complicated structures of Spanish (past-subjunctive and conditional "if-clauses," for example) in a way that is as easy to recall and practice than Pablo's. This program is recommended for anyone who has the desire to learn Spanish quickly, easily and thoroughly."