WHY YOU SHOULD STUDY WITH US

All instructors have:
  • Advanced degrees in Second/Foreign Language Acquisition and Education 
  • Extensive experience working in university programs in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Russia
  • Experience teaching all levels of Russian from complete beginners to advanced speakers
Our courses insure:
  • Highly engaging and effective learning experiences for all language learners
  • Your progress to higher language proficiency in carefully planned steps and activities
With us you will:
  • Take a course with other learners of the same level (maximum 6 students per class), or 
  • Have one-on-one classes tailored specifically to your learning goals and schedule
  • Receive measurable progress assessment based on the latest testing systems

Who we are:

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Susanna Nazarova 
​Сусанна Назарова
I graduated from Moscow State University with a graduate degree in Applied Linguistics, moved to the US, and completed an MA program in Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition at the University of California, Davis. Since then, I have taught Russian language and literature at the University of Vermont, Temple University, Mount Holyoke College, and Kathryn Wasserman Davis Summer School of Russian at Middlebury College.

Between classes, I wrote two Russian language textbooks -  ЭТАЖИ: Second Year Russian Language and Culture (with Evgeny Dengub), and ПАНОРАМА: Intermediate Russian Language and Culture (with Ben Rifkin and Evgeny Dengub), published by Georgetown University Press, which are used in many colleges and universities across the U.S.

​I enjoy teaching all levels of Russian language, from beginning to advanced, and to design special courses focusing on various topics; for example, Russian Fairy Tales, Soviet Plays, and Russian Language through Art.  До скорой встречи! See you soon!
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Iza Savenkova 
​Иза Савенкова
I have been teaching Russian for 12 years. I hold a Master’s degree in Teaching Russian as a Foreign Language from Lomonosov Moscow State University. Before moving to the US in 2018, I worked at Russian State University for the Humanities and private foreign companies in Moscow, teaching Russian to expats from different countries. 

I can lead you through all the steps of learning Russian: from your first Russian sounds to getting a job interview in a Russian company. I was a Visiting Russian Instructor at Dickinson College (PA) and Miami Ohio University (OH) and I am very familiar with teaching Russian at all levels in American undergraduate programs. Since 2018, I have been teaching at Kathryn Wasserman Davis Summer School of Russian at Middlebury College. In addition, I am a co-author of the textbook ПРО-ДВИЖЕНИЕ: Advanced Russian Through Film and Media (Georgetown University Press, 2022 with Alyssa DeBlasio). 

I am certain of your success in your Russian studies with our team! До встречи на уроке! See you in class!
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Olya Leshcheva 
​Оля Лещева 
My name is Olya. I’m passionate about teaching, connecting with students and making the learning process engaging and fun! I have been teaching Russian for 14 years and enjoy every minute of it!

I have a Master of Education and a Master of Modern Languages and Literatures degrees, which means that I understand your challenges and will help you overcome them with the tools that will work for you!  My teaching experience includes working in a variety of post-secondary institutions across North-America:  University of Montana, University of Alberta, University of Calgary, University of Toronto, University of South Carolina and Kathryn Wasserman Davis Summer School of Russian at Middlebury College. 

​My interactive and engaging approach, incorporating different mediums (from YouTube and Netflix videos to social media) will successfully support your learning of the Russian language and culture! And you’ll have fun as a bonus! On a personal note, when I’m not teaching, I love taking long hikes with my puppy, meeting with friends over coffee and pastries, reading, and binge-watching good shows. До скорой встречи! See you soon!