About Me:
My name is Martina and I grew up in the heart of Europe, in Bavaria (Germany), where I was living for 27 years. I hold a German degree in teaching ESL and German to kids aged 9 to 19. My training consisted of six years at university, where I took classes in (obviously) English and German (linguistics, literature, Middle English, Middle High German, etc.) as well as Pedagogy, Didactics and Psychology. After that, every teacher has to work at two to three different schools throughout Bavaria for two years and still take classes themselves (Didactics, Psychology, Pedagogy, school law and politics) before they can take their final exam (2. Staatsexamen) which includes three show lessons that are being graded by a committee consisting of head teachers and principals from different schools. After I was done with that, I decided to turn down the job I was offered and move to the US instead, to finally be able to lead a regular life with my fiance - now husband (who is American).
The languages I know are German, English, French, some Spanish and Latin. In addition to that, I am currently studying Italian, which means, I remember exactly how hard and confusing it can be to learn a new language. Believe me, I, too, hate studying vocabulary! ;-) Learning a language is hard and can be crazy boring - I am trying to make it as pleasant for you as possible! As a professional teacher with a German degree in teaching ESL and German, I know how to teach foreign languages and also what mistakes to expect, since I am fully aware of the linguistic differences of both languages. I can't study vocabulary for you, though - so let me teach you a few techniques you can use to make it a little less boring. I use a variety of teaching methods and provide my own materials that were picked or even created to match each student's individual learning style. Study at your own pace and level - I will match everything to your needs so you won't feel bored or overwhelmed. The worst thing is to be bored during a lesson. Believe me - that is just as horrible for the teacher as it is for the student. That's why I am trying to make every class as much fun as possible.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE: Activity based and product oriented instruction, performance assessments (written and oral), Inductive learning, Motivational teaching aids, Multisensory lessons, Excellent time management, Use of props Dealing with conditions like AD(H)D, test anxiety or dyslexia