Our Mission
We aim to provide the best language instruction to our students. We recognize that each student has individualized needs, and we craft our teaching technique to the learning style of the student.
We limit our classes to no more than five students because the small size permits everyone to talk while still ensuring that instructors can correct mistakes immediately, before they become embedded.
We strive to create an environment which is welcoming to all: young and old, beginner, intermediate and advanced. We love teaching children who are so happy in our classrooms and never feel intimidated. We love teaching adults, too, who find such fulfillment when they rise to the challenge of conquering a foreign tongue.
Who We Are
We are a private language academy: A team of committed professionals dedicated to your success.
Premiere service: This is your school! We adapt to your learning style and ease of comprehension.
Native speakers: Our creative and experienced faculty teach in their native language with authentic accents.
Quality language instructors: We attract and keep the best teachers with competitive compensation.
Extra-Curricular Activities: Field trips, meals, special holidays...
Our Philosophy
We believe that language is communication. The key to picking up a language, therefore, is conversation. We have all observed how painless it is for young children to learn. They listen to and mimic those around them, receiving individual attention when parents or teachers correct them. That is why we specialize in small classes and why we put so much emphasis on individual instruction. By recreating the conditions in which humans learn language, we are able to teach efficiently and effectively.
Language, as it is taught in high schools and universities, is very difficult to learn. With twenty-five or more students in a class, the student's surest method to obtain a satisfactory grade is rote memorization. Using this method, we may retain enough vocabulary but any hope of a real conversation is dim at best.
Most people internalize their failure to acquire another language, telling themselves that learning a foreign language is a talent they do not have. However, learning a new language is not as difficult as many perceive. It takes patience and practice, but it does not have to be unpleasant. Believe it or not, with the right teacher, it can be downright enjoyable!
Other methods to learn a language, such as the popular Rosetta Stone CDs, can help with vocabulary and basic phrases. As anyone who has used language CDs can tell you, one encounters a wall early on. Repeating words and phrases does not lead one to fluency. The experience of immediate feedback on speech, context, and pronunciation is invaluable. There is no replacement for one-on-one conversations with a native speaker.
Another reason we keep classes at the Academy of Foreign Languages small is that we know everyone learns differently. That is why both the school Director, Daiana Baldanzi, and the language teacher will sit down with you for a thorough intake interview. The interview is designed to identify your goals, your proficiency level, your background, and your learning style. While some people learn visually, others get more from listening and repeating. There are students who need a quiet environment to concentrate and others who need to distract themselves by doodling or moving. Additionally, students may have different goals. A high school student seeking to gain proficiency requires a different curriculum than a person going to meet their partner’s family in the old country. A business owner who needs to write emails to a supplier in Japan will want more emphasis on grammar than the leisure traveler planning a month-long backpacking trip. Our instruction is tailored to meet the needs of each student.
the art of communication
ENRICHMENT
