Nikolai Jerkunica

I was born and raised in southern California, and have been teaching in Mexico as well as the U.S. for 8 years now. I have a background in languages, and I always knew that I wanted to use my linguistic background to help others learn languages and open themselves to a whole new world of experiences, culture, and food, among other things. I studied linguistics, and most of my family members speak 3 languages, some more. I decided that I wanted to be an English teacher back when I was in college, in 2010, and so I finished my degree and started teaching a few years later. I am very passionate about what I do, and am happy I have been doing it.

When it comes to classes, I focus on presenting the material in a fun way. I have found that enjoying your classes will facilitate learning, help your memory, and in general make things easier. My students always say that my classes are fun and enjoyable. I have a flexible teaching format- I adapt to what my students need. Sometimes I use a book when structure is needed, and in other cases such as conversational classes, I use different methods and sometimes use material from books. I like to focus on speaking, since that is the area where most students have the most difficulty, therefore there is more opportunity for them to learn. I usually give students writing exercises for homework, since that gives them more time to carefully formulate their ideas without feeling pressured. Thank you!