Jeffrey Davis

I grew up in Kenya and learned Swahili as a child. While attending an American system school I also took it as a class. After college and graduate school in the US, I returned to Kenya and worked in the Hotel industry for 2 years where I used Swahili on a daily basis. Since 2005 I have been teaching Swahili to high schoolers in Kenya. Occasionally we return to the US for a home assignment. During one of these, I worked as an interpreter for hospitals & social workers around the US. I have a deep love for the language and culture (not to mention food!). One of my favorite Swahili sayings is "Mtu ni Watu" (Person is people), which reflects the yearning & need for community, belonging, and value. I love teaching language because speaking a person's native tongue (or trying to!) raises you up in their eyes and gives you a bond that would otherwise be hard to achieve.

I like to cater my teaching style towards how individuals learn best, but ultimately, the best way to learn a language is to immerse yourself in it. This means using a lot of speaking & listening & repetition. Having said that, I am one who really needs to see something written down to help me learn it. Having seen it, then by hearing it and speaking it, I learn it even better. I like to ask questions in Swahili and though we don't like to make mistakes, this is one area where the more mistakes one makes, the better! Not many people learn something once and forget it, so constant review is necessary. I like to use a lot of imagination, role play (buyer & seller, for example), and humor while teaching too. While I'm not a musician, nor do I have a good voice, I realize the value of music in learning words & songs too. Tell me how you learn best and I'll work around your preferences, while also trying to get you of your comfort zone too.