Prior to starting my lessons with Norie, I had 7 years of Japanese under my belt from middle school, high school, and college. Despite taking Japanese for so long, I could not hold a conversation at all! In my trial lesson with Norie, I was super nervous and was embarrassed to speak. Despite it being a trial lesson, she already started teaching me after assessing me shortly and getting to know me. Norie was super kind and patient and I felt comfortable and a little less embarrassed. By my second lesson I was already comfortable enough to try and speak even if I messed up. Norie never rushes me even if I take super long, and always comes to class prepared with lessons, materials, and homework. I have only had 12, 30 minute lessons so far and I can already see myself improving and being able to hold longer conversations. I cannot wait to see how far I will come in the near future with Norie’s help. ありがとうございます😊

I have literally been speaking with Norie for over a year, almost every week. I jumped in for conversation at first to get over my hesitation with speaking. The first lesson felt like eternity because I was so nervous. But now, these lessons go by in a flash, I look forward to speaking every week. I chose Norie because in her profile it said she had kids and since I too have young kids I knew they'd be a focus of my conversations. At this point I speak to her more than I speak to a large chunk of my own family! I don't know what other conversation partners on here do, but I do know Norie comes to each and every lesson with a gentle patience, a warm demeanor, and a willingness to help me grow and explain when I stumble. I would not be where I am today had I not done this and I recommend her highly.

Norie-sensei is wonderful to work with! I've only done an initial trial lesson with her, but we already covered so much. She was very encouraging and supportive while also challenging me to step outside my comfort zone. She immediately focused on the areas I need more practice in, and her visual teaching tools helped me to make sense of the lesson.

This teacher is very pleasant, patient and encouraging! My son looks forward to lessons each week and is making noticeable progress in learning Japanese. You will find lessons with Norie to be a great addition to your studies, and she is phenomenal with kids. A+++

Encouraging teacher with positive reinforcement!

Norie sensei is great! I would recommend her without a doubt. I came to Norie sensei knowing already some Japanese. And she was great at figuring out what level I was at and recommending an awesome book to learn more practical Japanese. I think if you are a beginner you will be happy to have her as your teacher because her English is great. And more importantly, because she will make you feel comfortable speaking in Japanese and set you on the right learning path.