Instructors
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Ana
Greek
Serbian
Ana was born and grew up in Belgrade, Serbia. She graduated with a B.A. in Modern Greek Language and Literature, and an M.A. in Linguistics, both from the University of Belgrade.
Before moving to Seattle, Ana has taught, translated and interpreted Greek in Serbia for six years. Ana has experience in teaching both adults and children. She assisted in teaching Greek at the University of Belgrade, taught at elementary school level and gave individual and small-group private lessons. Ana has also tutored Serbian to speakers of other languages.
While living in Greece, Ana immersed herself into the Greek culture and customs, which became an integral part of her classes. Likewise, learning Serbian from Ana also means learning about the people and the folklore of Serbia.
As a speaker and a learner of several other languages such as English and Italian, Ana intimately understands what it takes to excel in a foreign language, and is passionate about transferring that knowledge to her students.
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Andrea
French
German
Italian
Andrea has taught Italian and German at Bellevue Community College. At South Seattle Community College he helped to initiate the Italian program and, for some time, Andrea taught for the Berlitz School in Bellevue. For some time Andrea also taught French classes to elementary students in Seattle.
Andrea grew up in Switzerland and was raised bilingually: German and Italian are his mothertongues, though he learned French at a young age, studied it for many years and also attended the University of Lausanne in the French speaking part of Switzerland.
Andrea is a Swiss certified teacher with over 15 years teaching experience and has worked for more than seven years in junior high, and high schools teaching French, German, German as a foreign language and Italian classes. As a trained teacher in language acquisition and more importantly, as a learner of different languages, Andrea has a personal understanding of the difficulty of learning a foreign language at an advanced age.
With plenty of experience, extensive training in different teaching methodologies and most importantly with a lot of humor and in a personable, stress free atmosphere, Andrea will teach you not only your language of choice, but will also prove to you how fun learning can be.
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Antonella
Italian
Antonella Prati graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Modern Languages and Literatures from Milan State University and with a Master in Teaching and Promoting Italian Language and Culture from Venice Ca’ Foscari University. Born in Piacenza, a major crossroads between north-west and north-east Italy at the confluence of the river Trebbia and the Po, she has lived in Palermo, Viterbo, Naples, Milan, London, Moscow, Palo Alto, Sydney, Munich, Dubai, Singapore, and finally in September 2008 landed in Seattle. Her passion for languages and literatures has led her to work as translator and interpreter and as teacher of Italian and world literature. Wherever possible she has collaborated with Italian State and Cultural Institutions by organizing Italian language courses, cultural, and trade events. She loves her family and enjoys spending time with them in a various array of activities: cinema, reading, water and mountain sport, tennis and cooking.
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Arianna
Italian
Arianna was born on the beautiful island of Sicily in Italy. She moved to Perugia where she received a Master’s degree in Communication Science in 2007. After graduating, she worked as a web TV journalist while at the same time teaching Italian to foreigners. She has always been passionate about her language, culture and the processes of communication. After college, the desire to understanding people brought Arianna to attend a course in Psychological Counseling and Counseling Techniques. This course helped her to better understand her students and made teaching especially attractive to her after she moved to the U.S. She is lucky because through teaching, she gets to pass on her passion for her language and culture to others. Arianna loves working with other people, she loves inspiring them to learn and seeing the results. There’s no better feeling than seeing one of your students finally “get it”. Arianna uses an integrative approach to language learning. All skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) are taught holistically and in an interactive manner. Her hobbies are traveling and cooking fantastic Italian recipes. |
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Barbara
German
Barbara is a native German speaker born in Würzburg, Germany. In 2001 she married her US husband, a native English speaker who enabled her to improve the English skills she had acquired in 9 years of school to a near-native level.
She received her MA from the University of Göttingen in 2010. Her first major was English philology with a focus on linguistics complemented by North American literature and culture studies as second subfield. Anthropology was her second major. During her time as a student in Göttingen she worked as a teaching and research assistant for the English Department as well as the Department of General Linguistics, providing tutorials for various linguistics classes in both German and English. Thanks to her dedication and enthusiasm in making learning fun and entertaining she has been a very popular with her students.
Barbara is fascinated with many aspects of human language such as language acquisition, multilingualism, the evolution of language, as well as its indispensable role as medium of culture and artistic expression. In her free time she writes poetry and prose in both German and English. |
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Bill
Arabic
Bill was born in Kafarshima, Lebanon, South East of Beirut. In the early 1970's Bill came to the USA and graduated from the University of Washington in 1975 with a degree in Near Eastern Languages and Literatures. Furthermore, Bill pursued additional studies and successfully graduated with a Business degree.
Besides teaching Arabic at Seattle Languages and in various local High Schools, Bill writes his own poetry and works as an interpreter and translator.
Bill is active in the community as founder and former President of the American Lebanese Club of Seattle, a leader among the Arab American Coalition of Washington. He has been invited to several High Schools and Colleges, including the University of Washington, for cultural presentations and has spoken on various panels about the Middle Eastern conflict. As a native speaker and experienced teacher, Bill understands how to incorporate the ethnic nuances of the Middle Eastern civilization in his Arabic language classes. |
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Celia
Spanish
Celia was born and raised in Washington state. She holds a Master's in Spanish and English and studied at la Universidad de Puerto Rico in San Juan. She is also an active member of ACTFL (the American Council of the Teaching of Foreign Languages) and WAESOL (the Washington Association for the Education of Speakers of Other Languages). She has been teaching since 1991 at the college and university levels. |
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Christine
German
Christine was born and raised in the Northwest of Germany. She studied German and Religion at the University of Bonn to become a professional teacher and passed the first state examination with distinction. Christine completed the traineeship for teachers at a private High School, where she mainly taught classes for students between the ages of 10 and 19. Overall, she stayed two years at this school and passed the second state examination, also with distinction. After Christine moved to Seattle, she started teaching at Seattle Languages International, where she is mainly teaching adults. She also works with young children at a local private school. The ability to present the German culture and German language to children and adults makes the job as a language teacher very rewarding for her.
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Christopher
Ancient Greek
Latin
Christopher has nearly 20 years of experience teaching Latin, ancient Greek, and ancient literature to high school students, college students, and adult learners. He has taught at schools throughout the Puget Sound area: University of Washington, University of Puget Sound, Garfield High School, and Seattle Language Academy. His interest in Greco-Roman antiquity began when, on a whim, he enrolled in a Latin class during his first semester at college. He promptly abandoned his plans to study mathematics, and went on to earn undergraduate and graduate degrees in Classics from Hamilton College and UW, with a focus on Latin literature of the late Republic and early Empire. While at UW, he spent a quarter at the university’s Rome Center, studying the topography and monuments of the ancient city. Other areas of research included Caesar’s war commentaries, the Homeric epics, Roman domestic architecture, and ancient theories of mnemonics. Christopher’s passion for teaching Latin and Greek is driven by a deep love of the languages and the literature written in them, and by the joy that comes from sharing favorite authors and works with others. In addition, a side interest in typography and the history of the printed word often works its way into his teaching, as do a general fascination with language, including etymology, and a love of Monty Python.
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Cristina
Italian
Cristina, a native Italian, born in Milan, received a B.A. Degree in Fine Arts from the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan. She has been working as a Illustrator since 1995.
As a part of her creative background, Cristina enjoys traveling. Her deep interest in art, culture, and languages have given her the opportunity to work for the Italian Culture Institute in Europe, Africa and Mexico.
Cristina has been teaching Italian language and culture since 2001 when she moved to Japan for more then one year. In addition to her native language, she speaks fluently Japanese and English. Cristina moved to Seattle in December 2006 and has been teaching Italian for Seattle Languages International ever since.
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Dave
English
Dave has been teaching English for 8 years in different environments all over the western United States. He started out teaching high school world history in California, his native state. English instruction then became his career in Nevada where he was awarded an Outstanding Teacher award from the state department of education for his work with computer assisted literacy in local libraries. He went on to successful teaching positions in Oregon, helping develop a literacy program for a non-profit organization and excelling in the community college classroom. And now Washington has broadened his experience to include business English through language companies Berlitz, Cartus, Inc., and Seattle Languages.
He is also a life-long learner of the Spanish language and works as a medical interpreter. Dave understands the acquisition of a second language from the both a student's and instructor's perspective. This empathy creates a patient and friendly classroom where participation and enthusiasm thrive.
Dave enjoys the Seattle area and its cosmopolitan population. The northwest's many cultural and recreational activities allow for a unique balance between work and play. He encourages exploration of the area and is a valuable resource for enjoying our beautiful Puget Sound region. |
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Ernesto
English
Spanish
Ernesto has been teaching Spanish and English since 1998 to children and adults.
From Colombia he moved to Florida, and later to Albuquerque where he graduated
from the University of New Mexico in Fine Arts and Communications. Next
he moved back to Florida and began working in the communications industry. One of Ernesto’s passions is to travel and that is how he started his career in
television production. He was part of the crew that traveled around the Americas
documenting fascinating places and events for the GEOVISION travel show. This
program aired in the Travel Channel and in the Telemundo Networks. Later he
worked as a freelance writer and editor for public television stations in Florida. In 2002 Ernesto moved to Spain to teach English and study art history. Six years
later he returned to the United States and moved to Bellevue to work in the Bellevue
School District. He likes to emphasize the structure of the language but he knows well
that practice is the best way to master any new skill. His communicative approach
reflects global influences and a rich vocabulary. |
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Estrella
English
For over 20 years, Estrella has been teaching English as a foreign language to students from almost every continent. Her students range from elementary school students to executives of bio-tech companies. She develops her curriculum after listening to their needs. Her clients' requests include increasing English fluency, preparing formal speeches for American audiences, and communicating more effectively with Americans. She also helps American employers improve working relationships with international employees through the understanding of cultural values. Estrella received her Masters of Education from the University of Washington and her Bachelors of Arts from Seattle University. In addition to English, Estrella speaks Cantonese fluently and can converse in Spanish. She has lived in three countries with cultures very diverse from each other and involves herself with projects that bring people together.
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Ferdi
French
Turkish
Ferdi was born in Mersin, Turkey. Speaking only French at home and attending all schools in French, he became fully bilingual. Today he speaks and teaches French and Turkish.
Ferdi holds also a translator certificate for the French language obtained from the Marygrove College of Detroit. Besides being a very experienced language instructor, Ferdi has considerable knowledge of Turkish and French Literature and History.
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Fumiko
Japanese
Fumiko was born in Japan and grew up in New York. She has extensive experience teaching in Japan and in the United States. While living in Tokyo, Fumiko worked in different marketing communications companies. Since moving to Redmond 10 years ago, she has completed a Japanese Language Instructor Program and has been teaching private and group lessons. Fumiko really enjoys working with students of all ages, regardless of their skill level. She believes that everyone should learn at their own pace and is very willing to customize her teaching to each student’s individual needs. |
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Hong
Chinese
Hong “Anna” was born and raised in Beijing, China where she worked as a reporter and editor for Xinhua news agency. Anna holds a B.A. in Chinese Language and has taught in several language schools in Washington D.C. After coming to Seattle she continued to teach Mandarin. Today, with over 7 years of experience teaching Chinese, she is regarded by her students to be a truly gifted teacher. |
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Jun
Chinese
Originally from mainland China, Jun holds degrees in Chinese Language and Literature from Fuyang Normal College and a M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language from Seattle University. Jun has eight years experience teaching Mandarin at a variety of educational institutions in both China and the United States.
While teaching in China, Jun passed the National Standard Spoken Mandarin test and earned a National Teaching Mandarin certificate. Jun loves teaching Chinese Mandarin to students of all ages, both native and non-native speakers. |
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Katalin
German
Hungarian
Spanish
Katalin is a native Hungarian, near native in German and Spanish. She holds an M.A. from the University of Washington and another M.A. from ELTE in Budapest. Katalin began to learn German and Spanish at a very young age. After marrying her Argentine husband, Spanish became her family's home language. Katalin is a research scientist and holds a PhD in Geography. Apart from science, she is an experienced language teacher, has taught both, adults and children and works also as a translator. Katalin's language skills have widened her horizons during her travels to over 60 countries. Here in WA State, she has taught German and Spanish at the University of Washington and at Olympic College. |
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Kate
French
Kate Cavalerie is French and American and has lived predominantly in French speaking regions of the world; Africa, and France. She studied translation at university in southern France and Germany. From there she moved to China to teach English for three years in public and private schools to students of all ages and classes from one to 90 students. Kate taught French classes as well, to small groups of college students. Afterwards she taught English in a private school in Mexico for 6 months to a wide age range. She has been with Seattle Languages International since fall of 2008. |
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Khalid
Arabic
Khalid Ahmed, a Yemeni native, graduated from Sana'a University in 1994 with a BA in Education. In Yemen he taught Arabic to foreign students at the Yemen Language Center (YLC), currently Yemen College of Middle Eastern Studies, in Sana'a. This is where he began gaining his years of experience in teaching Arabic as a second language. In the fall of 2000 he immigrated to America, and started teaching Arabic to elementary students at the Islamic School of Seattle (ISS) that winter. Then during the summer of 2004, he began teaching Arabic to adults at the Seattle Language Academy (SLA), which he taught at until it closed in 2010. Khalid has been teaching Arabic as a second language for over 15 years now, and has worked with people from many different cultures, backgrounds, and with differing language abilities. He loves the Arabic language and is adept at focusing on what each student as an individual needs to help them learn best. |
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Leif
Italian
Leif has lived all over the world, including significant time in Italy. He holds a B.A. from the University of Oregon and is finishing coursework in cinema and Italian for his M.A. at UW-Madison. Leif lived and studied in both Florence and Perugia at the Universita’ per Stranieri and was the assistant on UW-Madison’s summer program to Perugia. For 3 years he taught Italian to college students and has been working for Seattle Languages since 2007. The entire Italian culture such as food, wine, art, cinema, history, politics and calcio is important to him and is incorporated in his teaching, making studying the Italian language a multi-faceted and exciting experience.
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Melanie
French
Melanie was born in Paris. At a very young age she developed a passion for languages and started studying German, Spanish and English in Middle School. Later she graduated from La Sorbonne with a B.A. in English Literature and Translation. After moving to Chamonix in the French Alps, where she had ample occasions to perfect her tutoring skills in English and French, she traveled to Chile and Argentina to further her Spanish language skills. Before moving to Seattle, Melanie earned an additional degree in teaching French as a foreign language.
Melanie is currently teaching group classes and is tutoring a variety of private students of all ages.
Additionally, she is a substitute teacher for various high schools in Seattle and is in the process of earning an M.A. in Teaching from the University of Washington.
As a Chinese language learner, Melanie understands the challenges of students when learning a new language.
Melanie is known to teach French in a relaxed way, engaging French learners to speak without pressuring them and accommodating their language needs the best she can.
In her classes Melanie also enjoys introducing her students to French culture and customs. |
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Michela
Italian
Michela was born in Torino, the first capital of Italy, where she studied Latin and Old Greek at the renowned high school, Liceo Ginnasio Vittorio Alfieri. After graduation she received her masters degree in Philosophy at Alma Mater Studiorum University in Bologna with a thesis on theological history in 2004. Within the past five years, Michela has taught Italian at elementary, intermediate, and advanced levels to groups and individuals. Her approach combines practical conversational skills with fundamental grammar studies. She strongly believes that learning a language should be fun and challenging. Outside of teaching, Michela enjoys cooking, painting, and traveling. |
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Nataliya
Russian
Nataliya has 10 years of experience teaching Russian and English in Ukraine. She was selected as a teacher in the Soros foundation program and instructed students in both Russian and English. Since then Nataliya has been involved in different projects as an interpreter and language teacher with groups from many countries such as Japan, Ukraine, Russia, Belorussia and Armenia. In additon to these many past assignments, she taught Russian language and literature in a Russian School on Mercer Island. Nataliya feels comfortable teaching both adults and children. |
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Noemie
French
Noémie has been teaching at Seattle Languages International since January 2010. She was born in Bretagne, France, where she went to college. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in both French and English and then graduated with a Masters in teaching French as a foreign language. She did her student teaching in Chile and then moved to Houston, where she was a French assistant at Rice University. Noémie then moved to Seattle, where she was a long-term substitute for Roosevelt High School. She has been teaching children to adults levels ever since. A Spanish language learner, she enjoys languages and traveling.
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Ping
Chinese
Ping is a native Mandarin speaker born and raised in Henan China. As a holder of China National Certification for Teacher, Ping has been teaching Chinese since 2004. Her students have included both children and adults. She is experienced in both, group classes and 1-on-1 tutoring. Before moving to Seattle, Ping has taught Chinese in various private language schools. She has also worked as a professional interpreter for the Henan Provincial Women’s Basketball team and hosted programs at the Zhengzhou People’s Radio Station. Ping believes that feelings of achievement bring self-motivation in learning, and thus always strives to improve her teaching methodology to make her classes a more efficient and satisfying learning experience. |
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Selma
Turkish
Selma has taught Turkish and worked as a Turkish interpreter for several years. In the last years she also started to teach Turkish for the Turkish American Cultural Association of Washington and has been nominated teacher of the month by Berlitz school of languages.
Selma was born and raised in Turkey, understands and has taught the Turkish Culture in multiple Seminars.
Selma enjoys teaching adults and children and is thrilled to see them learn Turkish and grow in their language endeavor. |
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Skye
English
Spanish
Skye holds an MA in Anthropology from La Universidad de Los Andes (Bogota, Colombia) and a BA in English & Theatre Arts from Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, VA). His three passions are: languages, cultural anthropology, and intercultural environmental education. His teaching experience includes working with University, Elementary, and High School students in both the US and Colombia since 1997.
In the classroom, he urges his students to approach Spanish as a ‘key’ that will allow him/her to access other knowledge systems and structures, distinct from their own here in the US. His primary objective is to offer his students the opportunity to acquire communication skills, while developing a more complete awareness and appreciation of Hispanic/Latin American cultures. To accomplish this, Skye highlights the following: student-centered and experiential learning through socio-cultural understanding and guided practice (both oral and written), while promoting contextualized lessons outside of the textbook, as well as recycled lessons that reinforce previously gained skills; including the cultural implications of language and its corresponding actions. This basic sequence involves: a) developing the building blocks first, and once these are acquired, b) facilitating and contextualizing the appropriate practice, while c) building confidence and motivating the student to express him/herself freely.
Beyond this, Skye is a member of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), where he has been rated at the 'superior' (oral) and 'advanced' (written) levels. He has taught for the Film and TV Production Faculty at La Universidad Politecnica de Santa Fe, El Colombo Americano in Bogota, and has coordinated both Spanish and EFL Programs for La Institucion Etnoeducativa Tayrona de Bunkwimake (Native American School) and the Bridge Academy Charter School in Bridgeport, CT. He has written his master's thesis completely in Spanish and holds additional diplomas in the areas of: Latin American Culture, Literary Criticism, and Ethnoeducation.
Come join the adventure! |
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Solee
Korean
Solee was born in New Haven, CT but has lived in Seoul, Korea since
she was 7. As a result of extensive traveling, she is perfectly bilingual
in Korean and English. She graduated with a B.A. in Sociology and
Women’s studies from Ewha Woman’s University in Seoul, and earned
an M.A. in Sociology from University of Washington. Currently, she
is a graduate student at the University of Washington studying the
development of East Asian Economies.
Despite being a social scientist in training, teaching and studying
languages has always been one of her core interests and passion.
Before pursuing her graduate degree, she worked as an English
teacher in South Korea, as well as an English-Korean translator/
interpreter. She has been teaching group classes and offering private
lessons through Seattle Languages since 2007. |
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Tung
Vietnamese
Former teacher in Vietnam (1972-1975), Tung graduated from the University of Saigon in Vietnamese Literature and History. Since 1980 he has been teaching bilingual education for the Seattle Public Schools and has offered many lectures on Vietnamese language and culture. In 1981, he begun to work with various refugee programs, especially for the Vietnamese refugees in King County. Tung has a deep knowledge and understanding of the Vietnamese language, culture and history. |
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Yasmina
French
Yasmina Mobarek was born in Morocco and raised in France. She holds a B.A. in Phonetics and Phonology from the Sorbonne, a Masters in English Literature from Paris X and a Ph.D in French Literature from Yale University. She has been teaching at the University level since 1985. She recently moved to Seattle where she joined the teaching faculty at SLI. During her free time, she enjoys dancing with a special interest in tango. |
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Yea-Jae
Chinese
Yea-Jae, who also goes by the name of Pollyanna, is a native of Taiwan. She speaks Mandarin Chinese and Taiwanese. She holds a Master in Education (TESOL) from Ohio State, and is currently pursuing her Masters in Teaching at City University.
During the regular school day Yea-Jae teaches Chinese at different Elementary Schools. Yea-Jae has taught Chinese for close to a decade at heritage Chinese schools and teaches both children and adults. She believes in early success when learning a foreign language and knows that there is no one approach that fits all learners. Yea-Jae teaches Chinese in an very effective way, uses different approaches and games in her classes in order to maximize the opportunity for students to speak Chinese from the early stage.
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Yu
Chinese
Born and raised in China, Yu, a native Mandarin Chinese speaker, has over 15 years of teaching experience, ranging from teaching Chinese to groups of children and young adults to teaching college students. Yu holds a B.A. in Civil Law from Nanjing University and an M.A. in Environmental Law from Wuhan University in China. She also obtained a Certificate in Environmental Law and Regulation from the University of Washington.
Yu Dai has comprehensive knowledge of Chinese language and culture, speaks two different Chinese dialects and enjoys teaching Mandarin Chinese to adults and children.
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Yukie
Japanese
Yukie, a native of Japan, strives to provide and share the full range of Japanese communication, from formal presentation to colloquial conversation. She is a professional, proactive individual with valuable experience in education and language instruction. Yukie enjoys the challenge of helping students of different ages, interests and cultures to develop their Japanese language skills that help them not only in the classroom but also after their language classes have ended. Yukie has a B.A. from Western Washington University and has vast Japanese teaching experience in Japan and the United States. |
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Yukiko
Japanese
Yukiko was born and raised in Kobe, Japan.
After graduating from Osaka Jogakuen Junior College in International Communications, she finished her Japanese Language Teacher Certificate in 1998.
Yukiko taught Business Japanese at the Kobe International Communication Center.
After arriving in Seattle in 1999 she worked as a Japanese assistant teacher at Sedro-Woolly High School. Since then she has been working as a Japanese music teacher at a local Kindergarten.
She enjoys working with students of all levels, from children to adults.
Yukiko also believes that using various teaching methods for each student or groups of students is very important. |
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Yuri
Japanese
Yuri is a native of Japan and has over 20 years of teaching experience. She holds an A.B.A.in English Literature from Shoin Women`s College in Japan and a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Washington. She has taught Japanese language and Japanese ethic classes at various community colleges as well as at private international organizations. She is often engaged by various civic organizations as a guest speaker for their seminars and classes. Yuri has just returned from Japan after spending 6 years teaching Business English for several major Japanese companies. After returning to the United States, she developed her own unique and effective method of teaching Japanese to small children. Yuri now teaches a creative Japanese course to children ages 5 through 8, at five different public Elementary Schools. Being perfectly bilingual, Yuri has a great understanding of what it takes to master a foreign language, including the relationship between language and culture and enjoys sharing her knowledge with others.
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