Shmuel

As anyone reading this review probably knows, learning a language has its emotional ups and downs, and today had been a somewhat discouraging language-learning day until this lesson with Shmuel. A gifted and positive teacher who helps you find your strengths and who genuinely celebrates your successes. Thanks for turning it around today, Shmuel.

Shmuel brings a wonderful touch to his Hebrew lessons. One hallmark of being Shmuel's student is experiencing his contagious and unbridled passion for Hebrew music showcasing important slices of Israeli society and culture. He brings the poetic lyrics and their meanings to life and shines a light on the beauty of the Hebrew language. His approach is effective for me because the context of a catchy tune with rhythmic and/or rhyming lyrics makes for an especially memorable experience because each new word or expression sticks better than were it encountered within ordinary text or conversation. Speaking of conversation, Shmuel begins each lesson with a conversation at my level. He does a nice job at keeping the dialogue moving forward. He strikes an effective balance, patiently correcting my errors without breaking my stride unnecessarily. He always brings a super cheerful vibe and offers plenty of encouragement and knowledgeable feedback. Thanks, Shmuel, for the awesome lessons!

I studied Hebrew in Ulpan for six months, but it was still impossible for me to speak in my daily life. I was insecure and started to feel that I did not enjoy the language. Shmuel transformed the Hebrew learning experience for me. He was fully supportive of my attempts to speak in Hebrew. Each time I couldn't form the entire sentence, he asked me to tell what I could tell in Hebrew and replaced unknown words with English. After that, he would write me down the whole sentence in Hebrew, and we were reaping it again. Shmuel asked me many real conversational questions. He was challenging me and supporting my every step toward meaningful dialogue. It appeared a lot easier to learn the words this way because they linked with the particular conversation in my head, and it was me who used them in the first place. Everything became even more engaging when we started to go through Israeli songs. It's so much fun! It's so much fun and emotional to learn a language by sing! Thank you!

תודה שמואל, זה היה שיעור טוב מאוד להתאמן בדיבור איתך :) Shmuel is very positive and encouraging and I enjoyed talking to him in Hebrew :)

As we continue to talk about interesting things, my confidence grows.

Great first lesson!