Ryan
Visited 2 days ago
Ryan
Professional Teacher
Teaches
English
Native
Speaks
French
Russian
Spanish
Icelandic
German
Serbian
English in a friendly, meaningful and global context - with a focus on culture and literature!
Teaches
English
Native
Speaks
French
Russian
Spanish
Icelandic
German
Serbian
English in a friendly, meaningful and global context - with a focus on culture and literature!
From United StatesLiving in San Francisco, United States (02:36 UTC-07:00)
About Me
italki teacher since Sep 19, 2019Interest topicMusicReadingArt
I’m a professional teacher with a deep love for languages, literature, music and nature. I was born and raised in the snowy mountains of California. I'm married and have a daughter who is being raised bilingually.
I’ve dedicated myself to maintaining a high level of competency in several languages. I love to play the piano, read, write, and explore the outdoors.
Teaching gives me the opportunity to help others while making connections with interesting people around the world. I have 15+ years of teaching experience, an MA in comparative literature, and a BA in Spanish — all of these have equipped me well for the job.Me as a Teacher
I’ve taught English, literature and writing in 3 US universities and colleges, a language school in Moscow, and online.
I’m patient, understanding, organized, and progress-oriented. I strive to create a relaxed learning environment which at the same time forces students to express themselves in new, varied, precise and sophisticated ways.
My teaching philosophy reflects what I myself seek as a language student, namely:
1. a caring and cheerful teacher who sincerely wants to help their students grow;
2. intellectually stimulating topics that generate meaningful discussion;
3. ample speaking practice with a focus on language development, vocabulary enrichment, and grammatical accuracy.My lessons & teaching style
My lessons are based on interesting, current, and high-quality materials. I like using articles, literary essays, short stories and podcasts. My favorite sources are National Geographic, The New Yorker, NPR and more.
I teach using an interactive and communicative approach. We discuss meaningful topics of current interest, and during our conversation I identify any areas that need improvement. The grammatical focus flows naturally from the discussion topic. I strongly believe that reading and writing are crucial skills for improving language abilities. If you are interested in this, I may ask you to read or write something before the lesson. However, what we do is up to you!My teaching material
- PDF file
- Text Documents
- Audio files
- Image files
- Video files
- Articles and news
- Test templates and examples
- Graphs and charts
- Homework Assignments
Certificates
French Placement Test - CIREFE, Rennes, France - 2020Certification of C1 / C2 Level in French
Certificate uploaded
Education
2010 - 2012
Master's - Comparative LiteratureMA in Comparative Literature
2003 - 2009
Bachelor’s - SpanishBA in Spanish, with a focus on Latin American literature
Work Experience
2018 - 2022
Online English Teacher• Teach online individual lessons incorporating a wide range of skill-building activities for speaking, writing, reading, and listening.
• Develop meaningful and stimulating materials for students of all ages and ability levels.
• Successfully prepare students for Cambridge exams (KET, PET, FCE, CAE) and administer mock exams.
2015 - 2018
English Teacher• Conduct group and individual lessons incorporating a wide range of skill-building activities for speaking, writing, reading, and listening.
• Develop meaningful and stimulating classroom materials for students of all ages and ability levels.
• Successfully prepare students for Cambridge exams (KET, PET, FCE, CAE) and administer mock exams.
• Welcome new students, evaluate their skill levels and place them into a program that meets their needs.
• Attend professional development workshops.
2012 - 2015
English Professor•Taught a range of English reading and writing courses for a diverse student body, designing all curricular materials and working closely with students to encourage application and foster success.
• Evaluated all student work, providing individual feedback and support to improve reading and writing skills.
• Collaborated with Dean, academic coordinators and colleagues to ensure excellence for students.
2010 - 2012
English and Writing Professor* Designed and taught university English writing courses and held regular office hours for additional support.
* Taught online writing course, utilizing interactive software and innovative discussion work spaces.
2010 - 2022
Freelance Translator / Editor / ProofreaderTranslate documents, web pages and applications from Russian, French and Spanish into English.
Edit and proofread texts for context suitability, professionalism and correctness.
5.0
Rating
204
Students
3,320
Lessons
100%
Attendance
100%
Response
English Lessons
Trial Lesson
114 lessons completed
USD 15.00+
Speaking Lesson with Vocabulary and Grammar Corrections
B1 - C2Conversation Practice915 lessons completed
USD 26.35+
Package with 5% off
Complete English Course: Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing
A1 - C1General1,935 lessons completed
USD 26.35+
Package with 5% off
Let's talk about literature
B1 - C2Conversation Practice196 lessons completed
USD 26.35+
Package with 5% off
Writing workshop (offline)
B1 - C2General97 lessons completed
USD 25.00
Availability
Based on your timezone (UTC+00:00)
189 Reviews
Alessandra
18 English lessons
Teacher’s pick
Ryan's lessons are "food for thought", always inspiring; he is extremely kind and patient, and his deep questions are like exercises for the brain :) Most importantly, he always makes you feel comfortable, which is very important when speaking a foreign language; in short, time flies during his lessons! Thank you Ryan :)
Sep 7, 2021
Konstantin
40 English lessons
Teacher’s pick
It was my first lesson with Ryan and I am so glad that I've decided to study with Ryan. He is friendly and patient.
You are always inspired after a good lesson and I can feel it right now :)
Thank you!
Sep 6, 2021
Mia
136 English lessons
Teacher’s pick
Ryan is an excellent teacher. First, His lessons are very organized, I can always learn a lot in every lesson. Second, he is very nice and patient, so I'm not so afraid of making mistakes in his class (I'm always afraid of making mistakes, which is bad, I know). Third, as a linguist, I think he knows what should be focused on in your current English level. In a word, I'm sure I'll continue to learn English from him, and recommend him to people who want to improve their English level.)
Nov 25, 2020
Rachel
19 English lessons
Ryan is a very professional and inspiring teacher!
Mar 28, 2024
Vera Zhao
1 English lesson
Ryan was very professional about giving me writing advice. I look forward to taking his class again.
Oct 28, 2023
Amy
26 English lessons
great class！ very professional and interesting.
Aug 29, 2023
Trial Lesson
USD 15.00
Your final payment will be made in USD