This is a very effective way to learn Spanish (or English) through practicing conversation and…read moreevery day application, rather than the traditional large classroom setting or memorizing long vocabulary lists. Micah is a great teacher! She's very friendly, patient, and helpful. I had lessons once a week for a 2 months with 2 other friends to divide the cost, and my Spanish speaking ability improved immensely!

I've been learning Spanish with Micah and her team for almost 3 years, and she and her teachers…read moreare awesome. Two classes per week in my office and two classes per week on Skype when my schedule allows. Micah is enthusiastic, encouraging, and professional, and I recommend her company to anyone with an interest in learning another language.

In my last review, I wrote that after this school, I could drop my kids off in Japan. As it turns…read moreout, my older daughter has worked for two Japanese offices in Hawaii where she had to communicate (writing and speaking) exclusively in Japanese. In both cases, she was the lone American in the department and she was able to function. I did drop my younger daughter off in Japan for college and she is now working in a Japanese office. Both of my kids have been able to function in a completely Japanese environment thanks to this school.

This is my second time taking Japanese lessons after I took it for two years at UNT in 2000. My…read morereview is for non-native Japanese lessons normally taught on Saturdays. I decided to start off with Level 1, the most basic course they offer. Coming back to Japanese in a non-graded and non-tested format is unusual because the class doesn't have all the testing normally associated with foreign language classes in high school and college in Texas. Japanese at a college level required that I learn hiragana and katakana over the span of six weeks, whereas this course gives you about 10 weeks for only hiragana, with katakana and kanji taught in later courses. The material has a strong focus on numbers early on in the course and the material has a business-minded bent for people who might go over to Japan for work-related reasons. Classes are easy-paced and instructors are patient with new students over pronunciation, character recognition and vocabulary drills. It is normal for classes to start off very crowded and to shrink over time. Some students just do not grasp the concepts taught in Japanese (different sentence structure, learning foreign character-based alphabets) and this was similar to what I experienced in college. Students who struggle are encouraged to attempt to take a class over again to reinforce the concepts and language. The classroom is a mix of different aged students from seniors in high school to actual seniors from a range of backgrounds, so classes are very diverse. Our instructor is a very nice and patient sensei who engages with the class frequently throughout each lesson. Portions of the class involve reviewing homework, doing vocabulary drills, playing "bingo" with hiragana characters, and question and answer worksheets where you talk to fellow classmates. Let me also state that the key to success in this class is through networking with the other students. Having someone else that understands the material from a different perspective can be invaluable when tackling a largely unrecognizable language like Japanese to a native English speaker. People who work alone seem to struggle more and drop out quickly, but if you're willing to work with your group or make a few friends, the class is immensely easier. I'm reviewing only the Level 1 class portion in my review. I will amend it later if/when I attend Level 2 courses.

The best teachers and the best experiences! Highly recommend! Lisa helped me learn Korean. The…read moreprogress I made was completely beyond what I expected. Their immersion trips are the best. If you can go, you will have an amazing time.

Great language learning experience for our organization members learning English and Spanish.read more

Everything you need to know about the school: the school has ongoing difficulties hiring qualified…read moreteachers, which is a critical concern. The math teacher and the IB coordinator resigned last March, and as of December, no permanent replacements have been appointed. The teacher currently covering these responsibilities reportedly has no prior IB experience. Assigning teachers without confirmed IB background to senior-level classes raises serious concerns about the quality and continuity of instruction. The chemistry teacher taught online for half a year because the school was unable to secure a visa. Another teacher was hired in the middle of the year; however, the school has not provided any information regarding her IB experience or certification. This lack of transparency makes it difficult for parents to assess whether IB standards are being met. The school's salary and benefits package appears to be uncompetitive within the local market, which may explain the hiring challenges. At the same time, the school continues to allocate funds to cosmetic updates such as repainting facilities and redesigning the website through third-party contractors. This raises reasonable questions about budget priorities. Overall, student academic outcomes do not appear to be the school's primary focus. Additionally, it is publicly known that the director's wife works in UX design; beyond this, the rationale for the recent urgency to redesign the school's website remains unclear.

Imagine, just for a second, that you live in a different world…read more In this world, when you are traveling in France or Canadá, your child can have a conversation with adults or other kids in French with such a pure Parisian accent that no local would ever suspect that he/she did not grew up in France. Imagine a world where in highschool the honors class is the entire highschool, 9th graders present the College Board "AP French" exam and every single 9th grader gets a solid 5 (max AP grade). Imagine a place where AP courses and IB (International Baccalaureate) or FB (French Baccalaureate) diplomas are not mutually exclusive and, 1370 SAT and 30 ACT scores are the average. Sounds like a familiar place? If it does not then you should consider DIS for your kids.

The Alliance Francaise is a great place to learn or brush up on your French language skills or…read moresimply connect with the French culture. They have branch locations all over the world, and I was delighted to find one in Dallas that was nearby. I actually have a degree in French, but like anything, if you don't use it, you lose it. There was at least 20 years of dust and cobwebs to wipe off my broken language skills. I specifically went to AFD to brush up on my conversation skills before heading to Paris. The AFD has a variety of French classes at every level. If you are new to the language, take one of their submersion classes to build your foundation quickly or slog away with their once a week classes which are often 2 hours. Either way, you will eventually get to a point of basic proficiency. If you are more advanced, you can take their free online placement test to see which class to register for. I took the test, but opted to dive into their conversation classes instead of their regular classes. The latter requires you to purchase textbooks, but the former does not. The conversation class was very small. It ranged between 5-7 students. A student that was there one week might be gone the next, and sometimes new people would show up. The student to teacher ratio was always very low. I got to know the other students in the class quite well. We even met for a brown bag lunch at AFD to continue practicing our French outside of class. My conversation class met for two hours during the weekday. They also offer night and weekend classes. Some classes last 8 weeks, others are much shorter. My conversation class was about 4 weeks, but the teacher gave us an option to extend for two more weeks. The French Language for Travelers met just 4 times. There are also one day workshops occasionally. My conversation teacher was Parisian and regularly engaged us in partner work and games to keep us entertained and learning in a fun, safe space. The class was conducted entirely in French. Some students were more advanced than others, but we all helped each other out when we were stuck finding the right word or conjugation. I really appreciated that the teacher didn't stop to correct us. We were free to make mistakes and build our confidence through use of the language. The teacher helped when we asked her for help, otherwise, she simply provided the class structure and guidance in doing the activities. AFD also has lots of specialty classes like pronunciation, grammar, literature and French for travelers. The French for Travelers goes over all of the basic vocabulary you would need to survive in the francophone world for vacation. It was a great review for me, but others seemed to be overwhelmed with the amount of material. We also had very little time to actually practice what we learned, but I was thankful for the review and an additional opportunity to hear and speak the language in a safe space. It is worth becoming a member of the AFD. Members get a discount on class registration. Also, you have access to a library where you can check out books and videos. There are cultural events each month, and even cooking classes. My favorite part of the membership was the automatic enrollment in Cultureteque, an online library. It has newspapers, books and novels in French. If you are new to the language, there are books designed just for language learning. They have easy readers with vocabulary explanations in the margins and an aural option for having the books read to you. This is great for improving your listening and pronunciation skills. They even have reading comprehension checks at the end of each chapter. There are books for children, teens and adults. Wherever you are, be sure to find your local Alliance Francaise so you can immerse yourself in the French language and culture. It is an amazing organization. I wish they had the same for other languages.

Today was the first day of my French lessons. Always wanted to learn French but never did take…read moreprofessional classes until now. I missed the first class that was last week because the website listed it as starting today. 3 students showed up like me today and 3 began last week. That's why I'm not giving a 5. Class was informative and the instructor was very patient and a native speaker. Accent was totally French but sure it's great to learn from a native with real-life scenarios and context. A bit challenging to me since I felt lost considering that I didn't attend last week. But everyone insisted I keep this course instead of waiting for the next term. So I have a lot of studying to do! Classes are for 2 hrs each wk. $240 plus membership for $40 (gives you access to events at a discounted rate for a yr). Oh and book is $70- yes it's quite expensive. Not sure if I have to buy another book in the next course. I don't understand anything in the textbooks as their all in French... Not even instructions...Term is for a month and a half (if I recall correctly).

I am reviewing this wonderful school as an 'outsider'. I had been attending Teacher Professional…read moreDevelopment on Montessori Applied to Children At Risk. All of the instructors are very knowable of the MACAR method and detailed (which I like). This training is wonderful, it makes me wish that I could of had the training sooner to help the children in my classroom who are at risk. The Shelton school helps children who have learning-differenterences. Including dyslexia, attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), speech and language disorders. While I observed in the classrooms, I saw incredible teachers and students. The classroom sizes are small and the teacher to student ratio is 8 to 1 (at the most). The children are very respectful to their peers, teachers, work, and the environment. I will definitely want to come back for more training.

I came to the school as a guest speaker, I am an author, and I was very impressed with the people I…read moremet. Everyone was genuinely nice and caring. The school is clean, with a hint of fun flair on the walls. And the art exhibit I was shown was amazing. The principal came out of her meeting to personally welcome me, and the kids I spoke to about writing were so curious and delightful. This was a wonderful experience for me, and I hope I have the chance to come back for another author visit.

Best language classes. I have taken tons of language classes of different levels over the years,…read moreincluding high school, college, US government, online, and community adult education classes. I've also used Rosetta Stone, Fluenz, workbooks, apps, and podcasts. Different techniques work for different people, but Simona's approach seems to work for everyone. She's positive and motivating, yet creates a relaxed and comfortable environment for learning. Class sizes are small. I jumped into classes here somewhat blindly. I couldn't find any reviews. I barely found Farmers Branch on the map. Now, I'm happy to fight rush hour traffic to get to class every week.

Ciao, I have been studying Italian at The Italian School of…read moreDallas for 3 years now, I am able to write, read and most important of all speak in Italian! Besides the classes, we get together out of the school as well, we go out to eat Italian food and to parties, we speak in Italian about movies, books, traveling, etc. I really recommend it.