Educational and Professional Background: I grew up going to a French school in Spanish-speaking countries and gained fluency in both languages. During university, I worked for environmental NGOs and international organizations. After graduating, I joined the Peace Corps and spent my service in China.
In my time as a Peace Corps volunteer, I gained experience instructing English and Spanish to Chinese university students in both classroom and one-on-one settings. My name is Annette Scattoni and I teach Italian. Italian is a beautiful language. I have taught it in the NYC public school system, the home school community and privately, and I love it.
When I am not teaching Italian, I am learning languages. I also teach ESL to adult immigrant students in Queens. This year included teaching courses to Venezuelan refugees. Being able to help people improve their quality of life by increasing their language competency is exceedingly rewarding and I am fortunate to be in a position where I can make a difference.
I was born in Beijing and grew up in Harbin, a city in northeastern China. I trained in medical school for both undergraduate and graduate studies and worked as a physician and teacher at Harbin Medical University. Throughout my academic career, I enjoyed interacting with students and realized my passion for teaching. I am excited to apply my knowledge in language teaching and bridge cultural gaps between the East and West.
I am also a certified Goethe-Institut examiner for German all levels. My current independent research is a case study on cultural and linguistic diversity for L2 and L3 learners of German. Maria Menendez has been a Spanish teacher for over 15 years and has taught Spanish at all levels from beginners to fluent speakers.
