I’m Dagmara, but friends call me Daga. I come from Poland and I’ve been in UK for 4 years now. I teach Polish and English. I’ve got a Master’s Degree in language teaching and many years of experience in teaching students of all ages, from toddlers to adults. I specialise at teaching Polish for everyday use, tailored for students’ specific individual needs. However, I’ve got experience in teaching Polish for business purposes as well.
Reasons for becoming a Polish teacher
I’ve always enjoyed learning languages. I wanted to share my knowledge and skills with others and help them breaking down language barriers. It’s extremely satisfying to see when people of all ages start speaking a foreign language thanks to you. It makes me feel especially proud to spread Polish beyond my country borders and help foreigners speak my unique and niche native language. These are some things my students say about me and my lessons:
“Dagmara gave me Polish lessons over a few months and now that I’ve moved to Poland I realise how much this helps. It’s great it is that I am able to sort out almost everything on my own, and I am not lost in Poland – it’s a very difficult language!”
“Dagmara is a very professional Polish teacher who assessed my competency herself and then tailored lessons to my needs (although not necessarily to my wants, she makes me work hard!).”
“She made the class challenging but also relaxed.”
“Well structured lessons. Good explanation of grammar. Varied and interesting lessons. Highly recommended.”
My favourite phrases in Polish
There are hundreds of phrases/idioms in Polish that are very funny, especially when translated literally into English, e.g.
- Po jakiego grzyba – For what mushroom (why on earth…?)
- Nie rób wiochy – Don’t make a village (don’t make a scene)
- Nie być w sosie – To be not in the sauce (not in the mood)
My tips for language learners
You need to genuinely want to learn a foreign language and be self-motivated. Learn vocabulary and aspects of language relevant to you, your passions, interests and everyday life needs. That will make learning faster, more enjoyable and satisfying. Polish is not an easy language; it has quite complex grammar as well as spelling and pronunciation that appear to be impossible to learn for English speakers at first sight. I can assure you that when you break it all down and understand the rules it becomes logical and much simpler.
Outside of teaching
I love dancing, especially Latin dances. I could say I’m addicted to that and I go dancing whenever I can. It’s a nice addiction to have though.
More about Poland
In my home country we don’t really have any distinctive dances that we dance nowadays, but we do have very distinctive Polish food, which is the tastiest food in the world. It will be best if you go to Poland to try it, but you can also find Polish restaurants in Manchester. Have you ever heard of ‘pierogi’ (dumplings?). Not everyone knows that Poland is also a very beautiful and picturesque country, full of amazing beaches, lakes, mountains, old castles and much more to see. You should definitely visit my wonderful country with long and fascinating history and extraordinary beauty.
Pick me as your Polish teacher!
I believe I have genuine talent to explain complex issues in Polish and make my difficult and a bit scary language much more accessible. I think I have great skills in making my lessons enjoyable and keeping my students motivated to pursue their plan to learn Polish, which, according to some rankings, is considered the most difficult language in the world! Keep going, guys!