Klavdija

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Klavdija is a Japanese language and culture tutor who studied Japanese at university and spent time living and learning in Japan. She teaches children, teens, and adults who are curious about both the language and the culture, from anime fans to serious students. In sessions, Klavdija combines vocabulary and grammar with stories, games, and cultural insights so that Japanese feels alive rather than abstract. She is particularly thoughtful about learners with dyslexia and other processing differences and relies on clear visuals, color-coding, and bite-sized goals instead of long lists to memorize. Mindfulness and compassion are central to her approach; Klavdija wants students to feel safe making mistakes and to see learning as a journey, not a race. Outside of tutoring, she enjoys nature, music, and life on a small farm, and she often shares bits of everyday Japanese life that textbooks overlook.

Monday: 1-3pm and 4-12pm (Eastern Standard Time)
Tuesday: 1-3pm and 7-12pm (Eastern Standard Time)
Wednesday: 1-12pm (Eastern Standard Time)
Thursday: 1-3pm (Eastern Standard Time)
Friday: 1-3pm and 4-12pm (Eastern Standard Time)
Saturday: No availability
Sunday: 1-3pm and 4pm-9pm (Eastern Standard Time)

My teaching approach is student-centered, adapting to each individual's unique learning style and needs. Drawing from my master's in Pedagogy (Child education), I prioritize holistic education, understanding that true learning encompasses not just knowledge but also emotional well-being. I believe our deepest motivations stem from within, so I personalize learning to nurture that innate spark.

I am a patient guide, connecting with students not merely as learners of Japanese (in this case), but as individuals with vast, untapped potential. My philosophy is one of mutual growth – "teach/learning, learn/teaching"—where both sides simultaneously learn and teach. I see myself less as a traditional teacher and more as a facilitator, helping to uncover the wisdom and abilities already present within each student.

Graduated from the Brusnice Primary School in 2005, graduated from Novo mesto Grammar School (Classical Gymnasium program) in 2009. My interest in Japan and Japanese language started in the second year of high school, so after graduating I enrolled at the Faculty of Arts at the University of Ljubljana, where I studied Japanese Studies and Pedagogy and Andragogy. During my undergraduate studies, I had a one-year exchange at the University of Gunma (Japan), where I improved my Japanese language skills and met people from different countries.

In 2015, I completed my Bachelor's degree and continued my studies at the Master's level, in the double-major program of Japanese Studies and Pedagogy. During my graduate studies I also decided to go on a one-year exchange at the University of Tsukuba, where I wrote a research thesis on the topic of analysing teaching material (textbooks etc.) for learning Chinese characters.

After graduation in 2019, I applied for a scholarship for a graduate degree in Japan, which was sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Japan. I was selected for the scholarship by the Embassy of Japan in Slovenia and started my studies at the University of Tsukuba in 2020 in the International and advanced Japanese studies program, majoring in Japanese language education, graduating in 2023.

In 2023 I was accepted to a PhD program at the same University of Tsukuba, majoring education, specifically my field was humanistic/holistic education. During that time, in July 2023, with a fellow Japanese student, we visited a school for children with special needs in Jodhpur, India, through “Mushashugyō project”, which is a research project regarding education funded by the University of Tsukuba. After six months of my PhD, I returned home for family reasons, which brought my studies to an end.

During my graduate studies in Ljubljana, I actively supported Japanese exchange students by organizing trips, providing homework assistance, and tutoring Slovenian language. This experience profoundly highlighted my fascination with cross-cultural communication. Concurrently, I taught Japanese language to elementary and high school students for a year at Youth Centre Pionirski dom in Ljubljana, where I implemented some of holistic teaching methods and fostered collaborations with Japanese exchange students, leading to workshops and co-created graduation presentations.

Later, at the University of Tsukuba, I participated in an exchange project between the universities of Tsukuba and Ljubljana (transitioned online due to COVID-19), serving as a translator and interpreter for Slovenian students. My time at Tsukuba also included working as a Teacher Assistant for subjects like "English Discussion Seminar" and “Education in Japan.” In this role, I actively supported Japanese students struggling with English, frequently checking their homework and reports to aid their progress. Additionally, I collaborated with my mentor on a project called "Yasashii Nihongo," teaching Easy Japanese to immigrants in various cities across Japan.

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Klavdija
$117.00 USD

Subject Expertise

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Japanese
Japanese

My mission

My mission as a tutor is to guide students in discovering and nurturing their innate potential, fostering not just academic growth but holistic well-being. Drawing from my background in child pedagogy and a personal journey with mindfulness, I approach each student as a unique individual, adapting to their learning style and emotional needs. I believe true learning is a mutual "teach/learning, learn/teaching" exchange, where my role is to help them uncover the knowledge and confidence already within. I want to tutor because I am passionate about facilitating this personalized journey of self-discovery and connection to the world, making learning an engaging, empowering, and joyful experience.

My Story

I grew up on a small farm in Slovenia, surrounded by nature. My childhood was full of fun, playing in forests, doing farm chores, and being with animals. In school, I was bright, but I found it hard to learn subjects that felt distant or abstract. I naturally loved languages and other logical subjects. However, school didn't really help me learn about myself, my purpose, or what I could offer the world. I only started discovering these things in my twenties. It felt wrong that I had to do this personal work on my own time, when I believe schools should play that role. This led to my passion for a new kind of education: one that helps people find what's already inside them, that truly supports children, and sees them as whole beings connected to something much bigger than just their physical selves.

Cognitive Diversity

How I adapt to students with diverse intellectual needs.

During my graduate studies in Ljubljana, we had pracsis at elementary/high schools, where I, together with the pedagogist at the school, also helped children with learning issues, or traumatic experiences.

Furthermore, a university subject focused on creating lessons for children with dyslexia significantly broadened my perspective on developing diverse teaching materials and methodologies.

My personal journey years ago involved overcoming anxiety, largely through the transformative practices of mindfulness and meditation. This experience instilled in me a deep appreciation for presence, openness, and gratitude in life.

I don't have that many experiences, but my friends have ADHD, so what I would do is creating a proactive, structured, and dynamic approach, as the online environment can amplify distractions and make sustained focus challenging. The key would be to minimize distractions, keep things fresh, and add lots of interaction and movement.

I don't have experiences teaching children with dyslexia directly, but we had a subject at the university where we were creating lessons for children with dyslexia. It made me shift my perspective toward creating different types of material and also teaching methods.

Klavdija Sample Lesson

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