Zac Tobias
E-mail:
zstobias@gmail.com
Cell phone:
645 191 371
We study grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation not as ends in themselves, but as tools that the student can use to express him or herself better. The most important thing is for the student to internalize these elements and learn to use them naturally.
After an initial diagnostic lesson we try to set a good foundation, focusing on the quality of the student's English more than on the quantity of things he or she knows. This often means trying to correct bad habits accumulated over years of education focused on preparing for written exams and not on using the language as a true means of communication.
Correcting these kinds of mistakes is also the goal of my website, www.hablamejoringles.com, which we use to reinforce the ideas we talk about in the lessons.
We use text books when it's appropriate, but I also help my students find their own paths depending on their interests, whether through reading, watching TV shows, or listening to radio programs in English.
Every student is unique, and my lessons are always customized to the needs, goals and problems each one has.
 A little bit about my "background". . .
My passion for languages began when I was a teenager, when I spent a year living in a small town in France. As a college student, I spent a year studying Mandarin Chinese in Beijing, where I also had my first experiences teaching English.
Before coming to Spain I worked as a writer and editor at the Exploratorium, a hands-on science museum in San Francisco, where I had previously worked as a guide. At that time I also worked as a freelance journalist for American business and technology magazines.
I've also worked as a translator on a wide variety of projects, including subtitles and promotional materials for films, musicology books and DVDs, as well as academic research papers and presentations.
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