I have always had a passion for languages. My mother is an English teacher, so I grew up with a healthy respect for the English language, scoring a 5 on the AP English assessment in high school. When I started learning German in middle school, this background in the understanding of grammar greatly helped me in learning German. In turn, German gave me a better appreciation of elements of English since they come from the same language tree.
In high school, I won a trip to Germany based on my performance on a national exam, as well as many awards in a high school German competition in Tennessee. I have a Bachelor of Arts in German (summa cum laude). I was again in Germany for about a month after my freshman year for a class related to Berlin. I spent my junior year in Mannheim, Germany, studying at a business school and then gaining practical experience in the German workforce with an internship at BASF.
More recently, I received a Fulbright grant to teach English in a German high school for a year. I lived and worked in northern Germany. I taught English in twelve different classes and also tutored on a regular basis, two high school students and two professionals.
When working in a foreign language, I believe that immersion is key, though grammar is easiest to understand in one's native tongue. In any language, I believe that one should have a proper understanding of the rules of the language instead of just being told when one makes mistakes. My goal is to help you to understand these rules. In addition to exercises, practical experience (such as reading long texts or books) is extremely beneficial and increases vocabulary-- it can also be fun and engaging!
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