Thanks again for the skype lesson. What I liked most was the focus on speaking--which is my weakest point in Russian. It was very helpful when you repeated things back to me which I had said, allowing me to know if they were correct or not. Making me repeat key vocabulary and structures was also useful, so the roleplays were a good idea. My only suggestion would be to ask fewer Yes/No questions, because it allowed me to avoid using full sentences to answer. Overall I thought it was a well-structured lesson focusing on speaking and specific, real-life vocabulary (hotels, travel etc.) That's probably the best way to use skype for teaching, as it's hard to do reading or more complex grammar without textbooks or whiteboards.

I have had a distinct pleasure of having Tatyana as a teacher in Russian classes in St.Petersburg. Tatyana has demonstrated outstanding leadership and maintained a clear sense of purpose. She has fulfilled all the requirements. One of the requirements in my case was to prepare grammar explanations and guidance for the beginners. With Tanya’s superior knowledge and involvement in the fields of Russian language and culture I developed a strong sense of confidence. Therefore I could always depend on her to set the best example as an instructor. On account of her mature approach to her responsibilities, I will always hold Tanya in the highest esteem.

While I studied Russian and taught English in St. Petersburg in 2009, I spent a grand total of 144 academic hours with Tatyana in private Russian lessons! Our lessons were like creative, exploratory lifeboats for me as I went through culture shock and learned how to adapt to Russian culture. Tatyana did an excellent job of catering to my unique interests as a language learner, creative writer, and teacher of English as a Foreign Language. By the time I left St. Petersburg, my Russian reading and writing skills had improved significantly and my oral proficiency in Russian (particularly my pronunciation, understanding of important grammatical structures, and use of idioms and key vocabulary) had improved so significantly that some of the locals actually believed I was Russian! Truthfully, I was somewhat obsessed about improving my Russian to the point where I could speak "like a local," and fortunately for me, Tatyana encouraged me in this quest by providing me with relevant and authentic materials to stimulate my knowledge of topics important to daily life in St. Petersburg. I highly recommend her to Russian language learners who are searching for an enthusiastic teacher and tutor who puts great thought into selecting materials and conversation topics that will be relevant to the learner's unique language learning goals.