Miriam Paavola

The best Finnish teacher on italki, regardless of the level you're at right now, I would only pick Miriam

Miriam has been always so patient and detail-oriented in her classes 😊. I have had many lessons with her, and I must say I really enjoy them. I would highly recommend her to others, especially those who are afraid to practice speaking.

Miriam is a very nice teacher, kind and friendly person. Our conversation classes help me speak Finnish more confidently. Definitely recommend!

What really held me back in Finnish was avoiding mistakes by expressing advanced ideas in roundabout ways. But Miriam makes me so comfortable with mistakes that I can speak naturally and even guess new Finnish words without that subconscious fear of being wrong. This shift is the difference between always being a guest in someone else's language and feeling like Finnish is truly my own. I have never felt so certain that I was on the correct life path.

Miriam is quite possibly the best language teacher on all of Italki. It's a great joy to have a teacher who trusts natural methods and is not a prescriptivist. The only double-edged sword (Finnish: kaksiteräinen miekka) of having a teacher like Miriam is finding new teachers for my other languages that exhibit such a high standard of excellence.

One of the most underrated aspects of language learning is finding a teacher who you genuinely enjoy speaking with. Miriam is that "once in a year" Finnish teacher, and the lesson time flies by so quickly. If you've come across Miriam's profile and are debating whether or not to start speaking Finnish, you're in the right place.