I had a wonderful first Italian lesson with Miriam today. After exchanging introductions, we moved naturally into free conversation and then focused on verb conjugations, which created a well-balanced mix of speaking practice and grammar. I felt very comfortable speaking with Miriam—she has a calm, encouraging manner that puts you at ease and takes away your fear of making mistakes (obviously an essential, if not always pleasant, part of the language learning process.) Our lesson was well structured yet flexible, and by the end I felt inspired to take my Italian to the next level. In short, I highly recommend Miriam to anyone looking for a thoughtful, supportive, and effective teacher to help them learn this rich and beautiful language.