Don’t take my word for it! Here’s what some of my students have to say:
“I have taken several Italian language classes with Mr. Caren Davidkhanian over the past several years. He is an excellent language instructor on many levels. Mr. Davidkhanian has more than 30 years of experience in reading, writing and speaking Italian while living in Italy. This has given him a unique perspective in knowing the Italian language as well as the Italian culture and history. Mr. Davidkhanian provides both a structured and very positive learning experience to the novice as well as intermediate and advanced students. He cares about his students and is very interested that they learn to understand and speak the language fluently.
“I have had many instructors during the course of obtaining my education in an unrelated field. Hence, I feel that I am well qualified to evaluate both the quality and effectiveness of any teacher irrespective of the course being taught.
“Mr. Davidkhanian is truly one of the best instructors that I have had when I compare him to teachers that I have had for previous college coursework. This is particularly true for my recent Italian language learning experience where Mr. Davidkhanian was the instructor. I have truly enjoyed his courses in the past and look forward to taking additional Italian courses with him in the future. This is the best endorsement that I can give pertaining to the quality of instruction provided by Mr. Davidkhanian.”
— Phillip J. Sprino, Ph.D.
“As Caren’s longtime student, I can wholeheartedly endorse his teaching talent, his language ability, and his broad knowledge of Italian culture, customs, and dialectical variations. He adds understanding to lessons with background etymology of words and phrases and his multilingual capacity is an enormous advantage for those who have studied other languages prior to taking on Italian. Caren is dedicated to an accurate and thorough language learning experience.”
— Diane Freeman
“Caren Davidkhanian helped me prepare for an Italian vacation with private lessons. He understood my time constraints and prepared me for my trip in just 5 one-hour lessons. He has a very easy teaching style and beautiful command of the Italian language. Unlike other teachers, he used my time wisely. He understood that a visit to Italy would require my ears to be trained to listen to Italian just as my mouth would have to speak it, so my lessons involved listening to spoken Italian as well as vocabulary and syntax practice. Perhaps the best endorsement I can give is that I am eager to continue learning Italian even after I have returned from vacation.”
— Meg A. Lemon, MD
“I have been studying Italian for the past five years at the Italian Institute where I have had the opportunity to take several classes and workshops with Caren Davidkhanian, all at different levels of proficiency. It has been my experience that he is professional, thorough, and knowledgeable. With an unwavering dedication to excellence, Caren’s teaching methods have proven to be effective in advancing his students knowledge of the language, history and culture of Italy. I highly recommend him to all students at all levels.
— L.G.
“Caren is a personable, engaging instructor in teaching the fundamentals of the Italian language. He is knowledgeable in the grammar of both Italian and English, allowing him to teach students the reasoning behind language construction. This of course is very helpful for those that want to be able to ‘think’ in a new language. I recommend him highly as an instructor of Italian.”
— Karen Perry, Longmont, CO
“Caren is an outstanding teacher of Italian to English speaking students. He not only is a native speaker, but he thoroughly knows and can explain the root of languages and words that I found valuable in aiding my retention for and comprehension of Italian. In addition, his “whole language” approach blends listening, speaking, reading and writing with functional practice and repetition to fully develop the Italian Language to non-native speakers.”
— Barbara Carey
“After nearly two years of Italian instruction, I am very satisfied with Caren’s teaching style and have been constantly amazed by his cultural and linguistic knowledge, which is interwoven in every class session. Having previously taken language classes in German and French from various institutions and instructors, I rate him highly. My interest in Italian is for tourism, culture and history, as well as language. Caren’s instruction covers them all.”
— Mark Sippel, Engineer
“Caren has a profound understanding of the origins of the Italian language which he uses to help his students grasp its modern-day usage.”
— Denn
“I am happy beyond words to hear that Caren continues teaching Italian since I had the pleasure to have him as an instructor. He was always well prepared for classes, was patient and made our classes so much fun. Caren always applied his vast knowledge of journalism and experience of his travels to every aspect of the lessons, giving us the opportunity to learn more and in depth. I wish him the best!!”
— Amelia Marcols
“Caren Davidkhanian is an excellent teacher of Italian language and culture. In addition to other course work, I found that Caren’s private lessons in conversation were extremely helpful in preparing me for a trip to Italy and in enabling me to speak more comfortably while there. Caren’s comments and suggestions relating to the area I was to visit went far beyond what could be found in any guidebook.”
— WAB, Attorney
“As a beginner, I so appreciated Caren’s ability to teach with patience and good humor. He makes the challenging aspects of learning a new language interesting and fun. Caren’s superb command of English allows him to explain and clarify Italian grammar to his students. It is so valuable to learn proper pronunciation from a native speaker. His knowledge of Italian history is a welcome addition to class and puts the Italian language in the context of Italian culture.”
— Mary Stribling
“Caren is a well-prepared teacher who supplies various sources as didactic material. He is also good-humored, patient, and able to convey the intent of the lesson with ease.”
— Nikki Raschbacher
“I studied Italian with Caren for several years. He guided me to move from my ‘travel knowledge’ to mastering conversations in Italian. Classes, special workshops and private lessons with him are lots of fun and completely non-threatening. Caren’s enthusiasm and passion for languages create a great learning environment. We laughed a lot and we learned a lot. I, along with students from all over the world recently spent several weeks in Italy at a local university to immerse ourselves in Italian. I was quite excited when my teacher there praised my language skills and my excellent use of Italian grammar: proof of how much I’ve learned!”
— Christine Hollander, Software Development Manager
“Mr. Davidkhanian was my Italian language instructor during June-July 2012 and was very accommodating and highly skilled in both Italian and English language. His personality is very receptive to questions. He is sensitive to learning styles, and he finds alternative methods to assist learners with difficulties. Mr. Davidkhanian has a deep and personal insight of cultural applications along with a dose of humor and sensitivity. I was impressed with his depth of understanding of the grammar and usage, explaining both formal and common styles found in American and Italian cultures.
“From my personal and professional experience, I would highly recommend Mr. Davidkhanian as an Italian language instructor and consultant for cultural affairs.”
— Ted Engelmann, Writer/Photographer
“I have no hesitation in endorsing without reservation Caren Davidkhanian’s abilities as a teacher of the Italian language and culture. His knowledge of the nuances and history of Italian, including various dialects, is enormously impressive. He combines this knowledge with an engaging, friendly, and patient demeanor in the classroom and establishes a real rapport with his students, who are greatly varied in age, background, ability, and in many other ways.
“It has been my privilege to study in Caren’s Italian class for several months, and I look forward enthusiastically to the opportunity to do so again and for as long into the future as is possible.”
— Kenneth Dawson