Bonjour! Thank you for taking the time to read my profile. I hope to share my passion for languages with you very soon.

My name is Amélie. My native language is French, and I also speak English, Spanish, and German. I grew up in a bilingual city, near Ottawa, Canada. I went to a French school until the end of high school, and pursued my university studies in English at the University of Toronto. I also studied Spanish in high school, and finally became fluent, after living in Mexico for a few years. As for German, I studied it about 10 years ago, when I was a flight attendant with Air Canada, in order to work the international flights to Germany. I am currently studying Portuguese and Italian.

Thanks to these languages, I have had many amazing personal and professional opportunities that have shaped who I am. Learning languages has helped me become more flexible in my ways of thinking, more creative when I express myself, and more attentive as a listener. It has also made me discover other cultures and share mine.

Learning languages has really enriched my life, and as a language teacher I love helping students do the same. I especially enjoy giving one-on-one classes because I believe it is much more efficient than classes with a group. When all my attention is directed to one student, I have a much better knowledge of the student's strengths and areas of needs, and can plan lessons accordingly. Furthermore, a one-on-one language class has the advantage that the student speaks much more, and receives much more feedback. In my experience, the student always makes faster progress.

I studied at the University of Toronto, Canada. I completed a bachelor's degree in psychology and philosophy, a master's degree in philosophy, and a bachelor's degree in education. I am a member of the Ontario College of Teachers, and an employee of the Toronto District School Board.

I taught French as a second language in public schools in Toronto, to English speaking students in grade four to eight. I also taught French and English in a private college in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, to Spanish speaking students in grade seven to ten.

I have been offering private classes for the past seven years to students of all ages and levels. I have worked with many children who study in a French Immersion program in Toronto. I have also taught French and English to adults of all levels.

Based on my experience studying languages, and on my studies in psychology and education, I have developed an approach at teaching languages that is focused on developing oral skills (e.i. listening and speaking), and aims at increasing fluency. Through conversation, I help my students gain confidence and speak creatively with the vocabulary they know. There are different ways of saying the same thing, and so it is always possible to say something even if we don't know a specific word. That is why I always encourage students to use definitions, analogies, synonyms and antonyms, and even hand gestures and facial expressions, in order to keep the conversation in the target language.

As we discuss different topics of interest, I teach new vocabulary and expressions, and I write them in the chat section so that they can be reviewed later. When needed, I offer feedback with regards to pronunciation, grammar, meaning, etc. When necessary, I can speak English or Spanish to explain the meaning of a word or expression, or a grammar rule.

This personalized approach makes the lesson rich in content, and much more engaging for the student. A motivated and committed student is sure to improve fluency and gain confidence.