"I started studying Japanese in middle school. After graduating from Seattle University, I moved to Kamakura, Japan to teach at Eiko Gakuen High School. After Eiko, I taught at Keio University and at Keio I started tutoring exchange students in Japanese. I later quit teaching in order to work as a full-time translator with a Tokyo translation company. 15 years later, I still work with them today.

I completed my Master's Degree in Advanced Japanese Studies at the University of Sheffield (those British professors mean business!). I also passed level N1 of the JLPT in 2010.

My first training in language teaching came at Berlitz, so I am especially partial to the "Berlitz method" or "direct method." Many students, however, prefer a much less intense approach and I am very happy to tailor lessons to whatever the student needs. I see language lessons as very much like music lessons: the student has time with the teacher, then goes home and practices a lot (hours if possible). Both the lesson time and the practice time are essential for making real progress." less...