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"Joanna is a great teacher, she is fun, easy going and tailors each lesson to your level to give you just the right mix between the technical grammar you need and everyday chat you want!
The best part is that since the lessons are good fun that you look forward to the next one and so learning does not feel like a chore at all, I would definitely recommend signing up for a lesson if you want to learn or improve your tagalog." -- Martin Burke, Hamilton, Bermuda, Online Subscriber |
"Thanks for a fun and entertaining class. I definitely want to take the next level." --Jennifer Celio., New York, NY
"I am very happy to have found TWK. I've spoken Tagalog since I was a kid but arrived in the U.S. when I was still little and never felt totally sure if I was speaking correctly.
In a few grammar lessons, Joanna made me realize that all I needed to learn were the mechanics of my mother tongue. Alongside the grammar lessons, she is really improving my vocabulary by encouraging me to speak as well as write.
Now I am able to express myself with more confidence because of what she's taught me. She is extremely intuitive and I couldn't have found a better teacher."
-- Zarah Cabanas, Washington DC, Online Subscriber
"I learned more in these sessions than I did 5X a week with Rosetta Stone." -- Joselito Padama, New York City Besides my unsuccessful attempts to ask my parents to teach me how to speak Tagalog, I started to be proactive and began with listening to Tagalog music, watching Tagalog movies and series, I bought a thick complex grammar book and even tried the language program Rosetta Stone. I even tried to speak a little bit during my last stay in the Philippines during my holidays. But at the end of these attempts none of this really helped me to overcome my existing hesitation and I was rather insecure. That’s the point where Joanna came into play. Joanna has motivated me even more to learn the language. In my mind I thought it would be enough to learn some basic grammar to understand how sentences are built and get some speaking practices, but Joanna gave me an understanding of the necessity to learn vocabularies, grammar and have speaking practice. In the beginning I was super excited and during our conversation I felt that I am in good hands. I really enjoy my Tagalog sessions with Joanna twice a week. I finally found someone to pose my open questions to and directly get an answer, learn new vocabularies and cultural originalities. And the 45 minute lesson time flies by! I haven’t expected to have so much fun to learn a language. Besides Joanna always asks at the end of the session for some feedback, if I liked today’s session in order to better cater my specific needs. I totally recommend TWK to all those people who want to learn or improve their Tagalog skills in a fun but very effective way and who are willing to spend some money in their mother language. -- Nicole Hilario, Dusseldorf, Germany "I understand Tagalog much better when listening to a conversation, and I have learned to communicate using the vocabulary I know." -- Level 1 Student "You learn fast in the course and it's easy to learn." -- Level 1 Student "The class was a great learning experience. It was intimate, personal, you really get to bond with the teacher and students. Malungkot ako kasi it's ending." -- Level 1 Student "Joanna is a patient and encouraging teacher. I enjoyed her ability to guide dialogue to reinforce Tagalog words, phrases and sentences." -- Level 1 Student "I liked that it was conversation-based." -- Level 1 Student "Wow! After one session of "Tagalog With Kirby" I am now able to make up and complete sentences. I've tried for years to learn Tagalog, but I always gave up after two sessions. Joanna teaches in a way that is fun, exciting and interesting. I actually learned a lot in my one session. I am eagerly awaiting my next class with her. This time I feel that I will really learn Tagalog. I encourage anyone who wants to learn, give "Tagalog With Kirby" a try." -- James Reece, Seattle, Washington, Online Subscriber "I enjoyed the class. It was very helpful and fun. I am interested in the next level." -- Level 1 Student "I liked that it was conversation-based." -- Level 1 Student "I feel more comfortable trying to listen to Tagalog speech and songs." -- Level 1 Student "Joanna was excellent at bringing me up to speed with basic Tagalog and comfortable enough to try and speak with my parents. I'm looking forward to Level 2!" -- Level 1 Student "The language lab is a good compliment with the class because you applied what you learn in class." -- Level 1 Student "I would always tell myself, "I wish I knew Tagalog," but would never actually do anything about it. Now that I'm in grad school, I felt that this would be a good time to incorporate learning Tagalog before I graduate. I am a second generation Filipina and I took this class because I wanted to be able to understand and speak to my family, other filipinos, and future filipino clients in my career. Before this class, I could only understand small simple phrases of tagalog, and I would depend on context clues to see whether people were talking about the past or future. I grew up speaking English to my family and vice versa, although my parents would speak tagalog to each other.
Before finding Joanna's class, I bought books and cd's but never got around to finishing them. I tried finding affordable and accessible classes but unfortunately many of them were too expensive or too far from home. Joanna's class is a live, online class, where I learn one on one, and I don't have to feel self-conscious about how I sound or at what level other people are at. Joanna is very kind, really takes the time to help you with articulating words, and incorporates cultural history along the way. Most importantly, she helps build a good foundation to basic sentence structure instead of giving you the daunting task of memorizing 100+ vocabulary words when you start out. The key is being able to converse with someone else, and she does a great job teaching me that. I would HIGHLY recommend taking this class, even if it's just to try it out for a month. I've learned more in her class than I ever would from a computer program." -- Sammie Bautista, San Francisco, California "I enjoyed my first class with Joanna. She was extremely helpful and patient with me as we reviewed basic greetings and vocabulary with special emphasis on the “nga” pronunciation. I can’t wait to finish the six week introductory program." -- Geno Simeon, Houston, Texas, Online Subscriber |
"I understand more of what my parents say now! The class isn't scary, it's fun, it's very helpful. Joanna really explains things very well. It's completely worth the money, by far. You will learn so much and the practice you get in class really makes a difference than trying to learn by yourself. I really recommend this, especially if you are a total beginner." -- Louise Santos, New York, NY, Level 1, 2 "The other day, I was with a friend who, for years, often slips into Tagalog while in conversation with me. She stated how much I've improved in my understanding and confidence with Tagalog, even from just a few months ago. She also said that I am much more confident and comfortable with "thinking" in Tagalog. For someone who was always frustrated with learning Tagalog, this was an awesome compliment!" -- Don Castro, New York, NY, Level 1, 2, 3 "The curriculum of Level 2 is geared towards sentence structure and correct use of the language in writing as well as in conversations. I will be continuing onto Level 3. Magaling!" -- Walton Cheung, Level 2 and 3 "I was so excited to find Tagalog With Kirby online in my search for an affordable and unconventional language class in the city--I had to sign up! Ms. Kirby is patient, nurturing and enthusiastic in her approach to teaching the Tagalog language--it really helps create an atmosphere of ease and comfort. I'm going to definitely continue my study of Tagalog with her for the next level--until I'm fluent!" -- Debralee Daco, Level 1, 2 and 3 "The class is very inviting to non-Tagalog speakers, but very effective in its time with getting the students to understand the basics of the language." -- Level 1 Student "I would recommend this course because it is intimate, personal, and easy to understand." -- Level 1 Student "The course was well-paced, well-organized, and fun! I learned more than I expected and am looking forward to building on what I have already learned." -- Level 1 Student "I have learned how to have simple conversations and feel comfortable speaking with confidence." -- Level 1 Student "I feel more comfortable in settings that are all Tagalog." -- Level 1 Student "I would recommend this course to friends because it is very helpful and fun." -- Level 1 Student "This is a good intro course." -- Level 1 Student "I feel more comfortable talking to Tagalog speakers." -- Level 1 Student I look forward to every lesson with Joanna. She is extremely personable and a highly effective teacher. Because of the one-on-one format, learning with her is both challenging and fun. I feel my knowledge of Tagalog dramatically expanding every single week due to the structure of her lessons and the homeworks she assigns. I can't say enough good things about my experience so far! I plan on being Joanna’s student for as long as she will have me, and I highly recommend her lessons to anyone hoping to learn Tagalog. -- Jimmy Farrell, San Antonio, Texas, Online Subscriber |
"I was initially skeptical about how effective learning would be online, but after the first lesson I was absolutely convinced that there was very little to no difference in the effectiveness of the lessons.
The video and chat was really high quality, with video in real time motion, with no slow delay or pauses, clear resolution and the sound was better quality than over the phone, almost as if you were speaking in person. In fact, it really did feel like my instructor was right next to me! It was good!
With everyone's busy schedule, especially mine, it's so hard to travel for lessons at times, if at all. So if you're considering getting Tagalog With Kirby lessons online, whether for makeups or on a regular bases, I can tell you that you won't miss a beat! Give it a try!"
--Anthony Yabut, New Jersey, Online Student
"Taking the Tagalog Level 1 class online was great! To be honest I was a little wary because it was online. But there really was nothing to worry about since taking it online did not hinder my learning experience.
If anything it helped it even more since having the lessons one-on-one significantly helped my pronunciation as well as drilling the different exercises.
I also felt extremely comfortable to ask any questions without worrying about taking up the time of other students. I would definitely recommend taking Tagalog Level 1 class online."
-- J. Fullon, Bronx, NY, Online Student
If anything it helped it even more since having the lessons one-on-one significantly helped my pronunciation as well as drilling the different exercises.
I also felt extremely comfortable to ask any questions without worrying about taking up the time of other students. I would definitely recommend taking Tagalog Level 1 class online."
-- J. Fullon, Bronx, NY, Online Student