Judith

Hello, my name is Judith, I'm 45, and I am from The Netherlands. Nobody speaks Dutch apart from Dutchies so I have learnt a lot of languages and I really enjoy teaching them to others. I can't imagine not knowing any foreign languages since after living in Latin America, the UK and Spain and being married to a Guatemalan that would be a real handicap for me. I think it is wonderful to be able to express yourself in more than one language and I try to convey that passion to my students as well.

About my personality; I am very patient, I am open, usually get along with everyone, and I will push my students as much as I can.

Tutoring Experience

I lived in Norwich for 3 years, did my PGCE and I have taught Spanish, German and French in secondary schools. Then I moved to Madrid where I have taught the British National Curriculum at an English Primary School for 2 years. While I have been teaching in schools I have always taught private classes as well because I enjoy the one to one relationship. At the moment I am Head of the Spanish Department at Norwich School.
I have taught students aged 7 to 50 and am happy to teach people of any age. I have also helped students prepare for their Cambridge First and Advanced exams and as a secondary school teacher obviously I am familiar with GCSE an A level requirements.

Tutoring Approach

Obviously it depends on the purpose of the classes but in general, I structure my classes around the four basic skills, so they will always involve a bit of reading, writing, speaking and listening. I am not a big fan of grammar drilling even though sometimes it is necessary. I try to find games that are enjoyable with younger students and texts that interest my older students. I am used to giving my students a little bit of homework every week because I believe that it's easier to learn a language if you have a lot of repetition.