Hello and Welcome! My name is Elvira Leontyeva and I am your Russian Language Instructor. I was born and raised in central Russia. During a student internship in America, I met my future husband, Andrey. Now I live and work in my husband’s home town of Krasnodar.

By University training, I am a linguist-translator. I graduated from the Krasnodar University of Culture and Arts which helped me to master my first three languages: English, German and French. However, as a life-longer learner I am furthering my linguistic pursuits by learning Chinese. With the help of my teacher Yang Fan I hope to achieve mastery of this language as well. Wish me luck!:)

I have been passionate about my chosen profession ever since I was a student. While in school, I began working as a translator, moonlighting first as a coach and then began work as a teacher in a private educational center. Soon I had to move from my home town to Krasnodar and on the last day of work, my boss said something I'll never forget, "You'll devote your life to teaching; I bet you will, this is your true calling." Now, several years later, my life is still connected to both directions - teaching and translating- but I only feel a true sense of harmony when fully committed to teaching. To be able to share my knowledge, impressions and experience while helping students explore and discover new corners of their minds, fills me with joy, satisfaction and fuels my own enthusiasm. It is my goal to “infect” you with my optimism and dedication in learning the foreign language of your choice.

Three years ago I started teaching English to the employees of a large foreign corporation. Then I was asked to teach Russian to foreigners. For me it was a new, mysterious and intriguing direction but agreed to give it a try. Very soon I realized this had been a good move for me. In addition to teaching the language itself, it has provided opportunity for me to “to open the curtain” of my rich Russian culture and expose the secrets of the Russian soul.

In 2010, I completed the course of “Methods of teaching Russian as a foreign language” in Moscow M.V. Lomonosov State University Russian Language Centre where I received my certification as a Teacher of Russian for foreign students.