Teacher of German as a Foreign Language

Mark Twain had lived for a while in Berlin and lamented a lot about the German language. He once wrote, “Some German words are so long that they have a perspective.”

What he did not mention is how efficient German is. As an example, there is the word "Zeug", which means "stuff". If you want to say "airplane", you add "Flug" (=flight), "Flugzeug". For toys, you add "Spiel" (=play), "Spielzeug", for "cigarette lighter" add "Feuer" (=fire), "Feuerzeug", and so on. You get the gist. 

German has an undeserved bad reputation, we make it fun. I adapt the teaching to your needs: From beginner’s German to advanced, I go for practicability, so that you can instantaneously go out and practice what you learnt – get an ice cream, order coffee, say something nice and dazzle your neighbor or colleague. 

I always incorporate cultural knowledge in the class – from the way we greet each other, to how we eat, how to take public transportation, how to shop, how we date, how we go about visiting each other, how we treat each other in business situations, and much more.

My experience: I have been teaching German for over 30 years. At Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN I tought for 4 years various levels of German to bachelor and master/PhD students. This included German language, literature, and culture. Later, I became the instructor for German language and business culture for companies mostly in the New England area. For the past years, I have helped students to reach their goals, lead conversation groups with adults, taught the first words one-on-one, and practiced with individuals to get around town (public transportation, restaurant and coffee shop, shopping, etc.). 

Please contact me, and we can discuss your needs.