Nominated for UVA Lecturer of the Year 2022!
Varvara always makes the Russian lessons something to look forward to. Always cheerful, always enthusiastic, gives constructive feedback, and knows how to give students the right support.
Varvara is patient and explains very complex matters in a calm, understandable way, but she is direct. In my opinion, this is the best combination.
Teacher of
the Year
2022 UVA
From Varvara you inherit an unbelievably great pleasure in language learning. She puts a huge amount of effort in every lesson, which inspires you to do the same. Her love for the language and teaching radiates from her!
Through teaching us Russian Varvara has shared with us much of the hospitality and kindness thatare also present in Russian culture. Her love for both the language and culture makes her a verymotivated teacher. Great lessons!
RECOMMENDATIONS
Since 2018 I have been enjoying Russian lessons at Uva Talen with Varvara as our teacher. She knows how to create a very nice group atmosphere so that everyone feels at ease, enjoys the lessons and improves his/her Russian constantly. She encourages us to write and speak. Varvara is fluent in Dutch, so she can easily explain all the language components and improve our vocabulary. In addition to that we also learn about Russian culture and get examples of Russian Films to watch at home. I have a Russian girlfriend and I can have better conversations with my in-laws. I really notice that my Russian is improving every week!
Vincent Van Leenen
Varvara has patience of an angel and you feel her passion for language, teaching and identifying similarities and differences between both cultures. This course has brought me more than just a new language. It is an extraordinary experience to see how a language that seems strange and unintelligible to so many people suddenly becomes understandable and before you know it you can speak Russian. Varvara made me experience that learning something new, however difficult it may initially seem, always begins with a good and motivating teacher. I highly recommend the courses with Varvara. Even if you are afraid that you don't have a gift for languages, Varvara helps you overcome your own prejudices.
Sjoerd Santema
Varvara is a professional teacher with a pleasant way of teaching. As a native speaker and a professional interpreter, she stands far above the language and can explain and answer any question. A classroom atmosphere is pleasant: light-hearted but with attention to the material, with room for questions without straying too far from the matter. I can highly recommend her to anyone who is considering learning Russian!
Paul Hengeveld
I find the way Varvara teaches extremely enjoyable. Not only because she is a very skilled teacher, but also because she combines language lessons with a lot of humor and interesting stories about Russian culture. What appeals to me is her practical approach: no academic discussions about grammatical details, but language skills that you can really use. She also has a great eye for detail, she remembers very well what each individual student has difficulty with and lets those elements come back in the following lessons.
Rens Ouwerkerk
As a Russian teacher at the University of Amsterdam, Varvara did an excellent job in coaching and guiding me to a next level of understanding and using Russian language. Because of her enthusiasm and motivational spirits, she really helped me to enjoy learning and talking in Russian. Learning a different language can be quite challenging, but Varvara was a big help to regain my confidence in speaking Russian and upgrading my knowledge in a natural way. She has this gift of explaining difficult grammatical matters in an easy comprehendable way, really clarifying and interesting. And last but not least, a very pleasant, patient and humorous person!!"
