“I've always wanted to be able to speak a second language, and Jack's teaching style is giving me my best chance at doing that, having tried dozens of different approaches in the past. I've learned more in the months I've been studying with Jack's help than I have in the previous four decades!
Thank you, Jack.”
A Word From Emma
Here's what my tutee, Emma, had to say about our lessons together. Emma moved to Spain in 2024, and was eager not to be that typical "Brit abroad" who knows nada of the local language. We've worked together to build up her Spanish ability and her confidence in using it day-to-day, and this is the result of some questions I asked her about working with me:
Describe your Spanish skills before tutoring, and what improvements you have noticed so far.
I had studied Spanish on Duolingo for some months, and whilst my ability to speak the language and basic vocabulary was good, I didn't have any theory to support that: no understanding of how to conjugate verbs, no idea of how to use conjunctions (or even what a conjunction was), the same with adverbs, pronouns... basically, no comprehension of Spanish grammar.
I wish I had been able to start with Jack so that I could have got the basics in place first as I feel I wasted many months playing 'the game' of Duolingo, without any real understanding of the rules. In addition, Jack has given me some really helpful, simple tips on pronunciation. He also has such an amazing ear for picking up the tiniest of mispronunciations - so he is able to gently correct any errors as we go. Lessons with Jack have given me all of those missing parts but I'm also having to undo previous misunderstandings about the language - Duolingo oversimplified it and then suddenly got very hard and I was lost! So, Jack is helping me go back to the basics and get knowledge in place that should have been there from the start.
What do you like about Jack's teaching style?
Jack is the most patient teacher you could possibly wish for. He is gentle, kind and endlessly adaptable. I am a neurodivergent learner and therefore I get bored very easily, my attention span is not great and I do struggle to retain new knowledge. Jack never makes me feel that I am anything less than thriving in my lessons - so different to the experience of school! His knowledge of languages is vast and his warmth and approachability have assured me that I have found the best teacher for me.
Out of 5, how would you rate your tutoring experience overall?
