Hi my name is Steph and I am a teacher who loves helping students feel empowered in their learning. I'm from New Zealand and have recently moved to Italy to improve my Italian and experience the culture. Being someone who has learnt languages, I understand the difficulties and frustrations that can come with learning a new language. However, I also know how rewarding it can be to make progress and eventually feel able to converse (comfortably, even!) in that language. It's a long journey so you need someone to not only help with the language, but empower you to keep going and be an independent learner. I have over 6 years of teaching experience in a high school setting, and have also taught adults.
My philosophy around teaching involves two principles:
1) learning is much more successful when you are enjoying it. That means that if you are someone who enjoys games, we can play games, if you enjoy quizzes and challenges, we can do those, if you enjoy speaking about motorbikes, I can centre my lessons around that.. I bring fun and humour into all my lessons, because you are way more likely to stick at your studies if they don't feel like a chore.
2) I, as a teacher, want to improve constantly. I am a very self-reflective teacher, always assessing how my last lesson went, and looking for ways to improve my methods. I like to check in with my students to measure understanding, but also to ensure they are getting the most from the way I am teaching. I have taught many subjects (all focussed on the arts - don't ask me about science or mathematics!) and I love teaching.
