And like learning to ride a bicycle or a skateboard, you won't learn everything about language the first time you give it a try. Even with our own mother tongue, we learn to speak only after we hear things over and over and try things over and over again. You have to keep trying and eventually it'll become as easy as riding that bicycle!

        One of the most important skills is the listening skill, but equally important is the "trying" skill -- that is, the willingness to keep on trying over and over again and then once you get it, to keep on practicing until it becomes natural!

        One of my primary goals as a German teacher is to get you to understand what people are saying when they speak German.  Along with that, we want to get you to get to the point where other folks understand what you've  got to say!

        I also stress reading and writing.  This not only aims at preparing for exams, it's another avenue for learning which reinforces the speaking and hearing components.   The more different ski-slopes you go down, the more confident you are going to be when you encounter new slopes and new situations. Likewise, the more ways you use German, the more secure you are going to be with it!

        Grammar topics and vocabulary will be covered each year in order to prepare you for high school study -- and to help you express yourself more accurately: sort of like sharpening your skis or putting new wheels on your in-line skates when the old ones begin to wear out.