| Instructor Highlight |
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Amina
Moujtahid
Teaches: French,
Arabic
Speaks: Standard
Arabic, Classical Arabic, French, English
Years at SLA:
Celebrated 10 years on September 15th, 2009.
Hometown: Rabat,
Morocco
Favorite
Seattle restaurants: Italian Restaurants
What she enjoys about
teaching: It's rewarding because you give and
take. You are constantly learning. My life changed
through being a student and I feel strongly the same now
as a teacher, especially when my students often leave me
notes stating that I have changed their life in a way
somehow.
Amina in her
students' words: "I love that Amina expects as
much of herself as she does of her students; she brings
along a sense of humor and a willingness to change
things up a bit, to use her professional 'bag of tricks'
to challenge and to motivate us." --Rebecca
Oorthuys, FRN 300 student
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What's
Happening
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Winter schedule now
online:
Connect with
Seattle Language Academy on Facebook or
Twitter:
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Trivia: did you
know...?
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"Drawing on my
fine command of the English language, I said
nothing."
Robert Charles Benchley (American
humorist, 1889-1945)
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In terms of number of native
speakers, Spanish is the world's second largest
language. It is spoken as a primary language in 44
countries. Of the United States' more than 280 million
citizens, about 15%, or 43 million people, speak Spanish
as their primary language, making the US population of
Spanish speakers the second largest in the world, behind
only Mexico. According to Ethnologue.com, the world's
five largest languages are:
| Chinese |
1.2 billion |
| Spanish |
329 million |
| English |
328 million |
| Arabic |
221 million |
| Hindi |
182
million |
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How to Help
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Many students find out about us
through web searches. Help differentiate SLA by
writing a review on Yelp or Google.
Yelp
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| Student Highlight |
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Name: Robert
Pillitteri
Hometown: Nutley,
NJ
Years in
Seattle:
12
Q: Which
languages are you currently studying?
A:
Italian
Q:
Why?
A: For several years I drifted back and
forth between Italian and French. Then I visited
my mother's family in Itri, a small town between Rome
and Naples, on the old Roman Via Appia. With few
exceptions, my distant cousins only spoke their native
language--so I decided then and there to study
Italian--again--this time with resolve. Of course,
everything sounds better in Italian, tastes better in
Italian, looks better in Italian. Everyone wants
to be Italian; even me--and I'm
Sicilian!
Q: How long have you been
studying at SLA?
A: Nine
years.
Q:
Why did you choose Seattle Language Academy?
A: While looking for a school, I discovered that
Seattle Language Academy had a reputation for small
classes and inspired teachers, and I have found that to
be true.
Q:
Briefly describe your experience at Seattle Language
Academy.
A: I have always enjoyed my time at
Seattle Language Academy. Every teacher I have
encountered, even if only for a single class, has been
warm and intelligent, passionate about imparting
knowledge of the languages they teach. In nine years,
I've only been made to stand in the corner
once.
Q: Something funny that
happened to you while traveling the
world....
I was with my girlfriend, taking the
train from Rome to the Port of Civitavecchia to catch
the ferry to Barcelona. We made many stops along the
way, but as the train approached our station, we started
to make our way from the compartment to the hallway,
lifting our large suitcases over the dozing passengers.
One old man refused to wake up. The hallway was blocked
with two large suitcases, so we had to maneuver around,
and over, them as well. When we reached the exit, Anita
descended the steps to the platform and I handed her
suitcase to her. As I turned to retrieve my suitcase,
the train left the station! There wasn't a conductor in
sight; in the hallway, or on the platform! I considered
pulling the emergency brake, but thought better of it. I
decided to ride to the next stop, and get a train back
in the other direction. Unfortunately, while the train
was a local from Rome to the port, it now became an
express, and it was nearly an hour to the next station.
I jumped off in Grosseto, hopped into a taxi and asked
the driver to take me to Civitavecchia. I told him I had
to be there in 55 minutes--he responded in Italian, and
all I understood was "polizia." He was quiet for a
moment, and then motioned for me to sit in front. We
took off like a shot, negotiating the two lane road at
breakneckspeed, all 70 kilometers to the port. No
cops--we pulled up to the gangway, the ferry was at the
dock, but Anita was nowhere to be found. After the
driver made two round trips with me to the train
station, I gave him all my cash, exclaimed "grazie
mille" a dozen times, and returned to the port office
where I found Anita, looked into her beautiful eyes, and
said "what?"
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