Pasitos Academy was founded by Mrs. Marta Goodson, Ed.S. in 2007. Mrs. Goodson is a national Milken Educator recognized in 2003 for the state of Georgia. She has been an educator for more than 20 years in the public and private sector. In addition, she was an adjunct instructor at a local college. Pasitos Academy is an original and basic program for modern languages designed for all ages. The services offered range from summer camps for children ages 4-11, to private tutoring services for children and adults alike.
Studies have shown that students that are exposed to other languages score higher on standardized test such as the SAT and the ACT. Therefore, now is the right time for your child to learn a second language such as Spanish.
As Mrs. Goodson thought deeply about an appropriate name for her organization, she remembered the well-known textbook by Mcgraw-Hill entitled Paso a Paso. Paso means ‘step’ in Spanish. Mrs. Goodson was attracted to that title, and after discussing with a friend, she settled on Pasitos, which means “little steps.” Language is learned by taking small steps. Pasitos Academy wishes to provide a meaningful communicative approach by which these steps can be taken progressively towards higher levels of proficiency. In addition, little steps speak of a childlike form of learning language which is more natural. Hence, the Academy’s motto: “leading a child’s steps to success.”
Gilbert Lewis is a chief consultant for Pasitos Academy. Born in Augusta, Georgia and raised in a nearby rural town, Mr. Lewis began to learn Spanish from a neighboring Mexican family at the age of 13. Mr. Lewis’ intrinsic motivation to learn Spanish as a second language created many opportunities for him to practice and employ the language in school and in the community. Mr. Lewis met Mrs. Goodson in 2001, and from there he pursued his academic studies in Spanish in a more structured way. In 2004, Mr. Lewis was awarded a Governor’s Honors Award for Spanish, and in 2008, a local bilingual newspaper Hola Augusta awarded him the 2008 HOLA Youth Leader Award.
Mr. Lewis graduated from Augusta State University with a B.A. in Spanish education upon completion of his teacher apprenticeship program. While at Augusta State, Mr. Lewis interned with Hola Augusta newspaper and tutored as a lab assistant. Mr. Lewis was inducted into the Alpha Mu Gamma National Honor Society of Foreign Language, and in 2009 he was awarded AATSP-GA University Student of the Year. After attending Augusta State University, Mr. Lewis completed a Master of Arts in Spanish at Georgia Southern University. Presently, Mr. Lewis teaches 2nd and 3rd grade Spanish in an elementary school in Augusta, Georgia.