Slovene-American teacher who grew up bilingual and has extensive teaching experience
Teaches
Slovenian
Native
Speaks
English
Native
German
Russian
Other
Slovene-American teacher who grew up bilingual and has extensive teaching experience
About Me
Me as a Teacher
My lessons & teaching style
From United StatesLiving in Other, United States (23:13 UTC+01:00)
About Me
italki teacher since Jun 20, 2022
Interest topicFoodReadingTravel
Hi! My name is Teja. I grew up in a bilingual household, speaking both English and Slovene fluently. I've always had a passion for languages and have studied Spanish, German, Russian, and Arabic, to varying degrees. Alongside being an experienced learner of languages, I have also worked as a teaching assistant as well as private tutor - in addition, of course, to helping various members of my family better understand each other.
Me as a Teacher
I believe in a flexible approach to language learning - each learner has a different history and different priorities for the future. A one-size-fits-all approach doesn't make sense. That being said, I believe in focusing on the basics, especially early on; for example, by working on pronunciation early on before bad habits fossilize. People tend not to learn effectively when they're stressed, so being very comfortable with the basics makes it easier to move confidently towards more complex material.
My lessons & teaching style
Ultimately, I find it important for the learner to have the primary voice in the structure and style of lessons. I am flexible and can easily adapt to each person's particular needs and priorities. Effective lessons can look very different from person to person. For example, one of my past students only wanted conversational practice, and neither of us ever wrote or read a word. Another of my students worked intensively independently, assigning herself homework and assessments, and then in our lessons we would talk through difficult areas. On the whole, conversational practice is one of my own priorities for my students - that's the only thing a student can't do independently.