Maria Makarchenko

I am a new student to Ukrainian and to italki. From the very first «Привіт!», with her beaming smile, Maria had me hooked! Марія teaches and listens with enthusiasm, patience, and a lot of understanding. Her lessons and conversations are diverse, interesting, engaging, and we always smile and laugh along the way! 😄 With my extremely demanding schedule, our learning sessions have become a veritable oasis! We just completed another session and I already can’t wait for our next lesson (I feel that way after each lesson)! Щиро дякую, Маріє! Я так багато вивчаю кожен урок! Ти чудова вчителька! Дуже дуже дякую! 🙏

I have had Maria as a teacher for at least six lessons and she is excellent. She quickly assessed my level of skill in Russian, where I was strongest and what needed work on. Then she set up me up with the opportunity to do assignments (if I wished). Maria is also a great conversationalist and to my surprise had an incredibly detailed knowledge of my humble little state of South Dakota. The hour I spend with her each week just flies by. She motivates me to be better and I feel myself improving as a student -- at least my confidence is! : ) I was not a great language student back in school, but this is fun. It doesn’t feel like work at all. Notice how busy her schedule is. There is a reason: she’s good.

More and more words continue to stack up in my vocabulary, momentum is building in my understanding of key grammatical principles, and most importantly, my regular lessons with Maria continue to be proof positive that вивчення нових мов це ДУЖЕ круто 😎 , цікаво 🤓 , та весело! ✨🥳 📚✨

One of the best decisions I made this year was taking Ukrainian lessons with Maria. While I have little talent for learning languages, she has tons and gladly passes her experience and enthusiasm on to her students. In a relaxed and friendly environment, you will learn and practice your language skills, learn about Ukrainian culture, and be inspired to keep going. The hour will go by far too quickly, and you will be noticeably better by its end.

Amazing teacher! Helped me finally start speaking 😊 I really love my teacher's style and how she adapts lessons to exactly what I need. She creates such a comfortable atmosphere that makes learning enjoyable. Even after just a few lessons, I can already feel the progress! The most important thing - she helped me break through my speaking barrier! I was always too shy to speak English, but now I'm actually talking 🎉 Learning has become so much easier and more productive since I started with her. Highly recommend if you want to improve your English, especially speaking skills! She's patient, encouraging, and really knows how to help students feel confident 👍

Maria is not just a fabulous teacher, she’s also a fabulous student and person! Maria is so natural in her abilities to connect with her students! I have had quite a few lessons with her now, and I am continually amazed at how quickly she adapts to whatever is needed in each lesson and situation. She provides such a comfortable learning environment and will immediately put you at ease. While she always maintains professionalism, and clearly possesses and demonstrates the knowledge to be a highly effective teacher, she is also always willing to ask questions and is herself open to learning something new—You know you have found a gem when a teacher has and embraces these crucial facets of learning. Maria truly is THEE gem! ✨ 💎✨