About us
Welcome to
JacobiTeacher - German Lessons
Learn German America
At JacobiTeacher, we offer individualized, professional, educating, and entertaining German language learning services that meet the goals of all students irrespective of culture, level, or age.
We are committed to offering flexible and non-constricting regulations and curriculums. While most language programs and curriculums are created around the teaching of every aspect of the German language, even often socially unnecessary rules, due to unnecessary government regulations, our programs effectively cater to the student's personal needs and individual goals.
We understand that learning a new language can be socially difficult. To be able to speak in a different language, students need to learn, how to deal with social conflicts arising from the language barrier. JacobiTeacher creates positive learning situations that enhance the student's learning process. With teaching methods based on Blended Learning education, the philosophies of John Dewey, Kersten Reich, and Vera Birkenbihls' brain-friendly language learning techniques we have always drafted our topics and lesson structures to reflect a conversational language approach.
As speaking a language is less following rules and more exchanging information socially, we aim to
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Create enjoyable and fun social situations that make you use your language skills.
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Provide stimulating learning environments that help you not to lose track of your goals.
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Individually tutor and coach you to organize your learning process and push you forward.
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Create and apply media that helps you learn grammar; build vocabulary and enhance your listening skills.
Our vision
After collaborating since 2007 with both the German and American public school systems, as well as several private learning services, we believe that now more than ever there is a dramatic need for a more individualized German language learning experience in the United States.
Sadly, for decades tighter regulations by the German government have made it more difficult for Americans to learn more about both the German language and culture. Unfortunately, these regulations have created an increasingly inflexible language-learning environment that has made many Americans reluctant to try to learn more about Germany and its language. Although some institutions like the Goethe Institute have made strides in trying to bridge this gap, they have shown little interest in including American values and interests in their vision and consequently do not provide an environment that appreciates the rich cultural exchange that has existed for centuries between the two countries. To be able to better understand the German culture and language, we feel that America needs an alternative platform where people can learn and discuss topics of interest without limitation. We feel that at JacobiTeacher, we can serve this need by providing an independent German language learning center that respects and enriches American society with German language and culture.
Our Teachers
William Slattery
William Slattery is a certified New York State teacher and Fulbright Scholar who has several years of teaching experience. As a former business student, William has an interest in both current events and business strategy, which has allowed him to gain a critical understanding of the world around us. After studying at Fordham University in the Bronx, William fulfilled a life-long goal of moving to Austria on a Fulbright Scholarship. During his time in the Alps of Salzburg, William achieved both fluency in the German language, as well as a deep understanding of Austrian and Germanic culture. In conjunction with teaching Business English and German at the high school level, William has decided to help others study the German language either by Zoom or in person to help others share in the joys of becoming bilingual.
During his time studying English as a New Language at the graduate level at Hunter College in Manhattan, William gained a thorough knowledge of the most effective skills needed to help others learn a language and looks forward to working with you.
I teach teenagers and adults of all ages.
Online Group Courses
- German for teenagers - Hueber: Beste Freunde aged 13 - 15
- German for teenagers - Hueber: Dabei! aged 16+
Online-Schulstunden
Englisch als Fremdsprache
Carmen Ketola
German-born Carmen Ketola is a native Professional German Language Teacher with a Master’s Degree in languages and education.
Her studies and expertise include:
> Education / Teacher-Student-Interaction,
> Teaching German as a Foreign Language, at all levels
> Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL),
> Teaching Basic French.
In addition to her teaching, Carmen has traveled extensively while utilizing her language skills as a VP in international distribution. Her direct insight into the corporate world enabled her to lead group language courses for employees of a global software firm.
Carmen’s teaching experience includes school settings such as
➢ Polytechnical University Helsinki, Finland
➢ Beverly Hills Language School
➢ Bridges Academy in Los Angeles, working with "twice exceptional" high school students.
Since COVID, Carmen has worked with her students virtually via online services like Zoom or Skype, always customizing the tutoring to her students' personal needs.
“The most important tool to teach a new language “, says Carmen, “is to recognize the individual level and learning skills of a student and develop tailor-made tutoring programs accordingly”.
She is passionate about teaching and particularly enjoys her students’ success in what she calls, “their language breakthrough".
Carmen, who speaks four languages, lives in Southern California and has dual citizenship, in the United States and Germany.
Online Group Courses
(Substitute Teacher)
Annegret Nolte
Musik und Theater sind meine Leidenschaft. An der Ruhr Universität Bochum habe ich Pädagogik, Musik- und Theaterwissenschaften studiert und mit dem Magister Artium abgeschlossen Anschließend habe ich das Lehrerseminar für Musik in Essen für die Sekundarstufe 1 besucht. Viele Jahre habe ich in Duisburg und Düsseldorf an weiterführenden Schulen Musik unterrichtet. Aufgrund meines großen Interesse für Tiefenpsychologie und seelische Prozesse beim Musizieren habe ich zusätzlich Klinische Musiktherapie an der Universität Münster mit dem Master vollendet und schließe gerade das Disputationsprojekt "Im Zauberwald des Spiels" ab (https://www.uni- muenster.de/Musiktherapie/Forschung/musiktheraphie-schule.html). Ich lebe mit meinem Hund in Serbien an der ungarischen und kroatischen Grenze in einem kleinen Ort an der blauen Donau in schöner Natur und mit einem großen Garten.
Ich biete
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Lektürekurse dramatischer Klassiker und
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Vorlesungen zu tiefenpsychologischen Themen (Traum, Intersubjektivität,
intrinsische Motivation, Phasen des Selbstempfindens, Kraft aus dem Selbst an). Willkommen in meiner Klasse!
Online Group Courses
Lektürekurs: Goethe - Faust 1
Erblina Topi
My name is Erblina and I am a German language teacher with a bachelor's degree in German language and communication and a master's degree in teaching German language. To me, communicating in a foreign language changes our perspective of thinking, improves memory, and improves our listening and analytical skills. I teach German C2, advanced English, and advanced Spanish to various groups of ages (children and adults) classes. During my experience of teaching these languages I have seen my students boost their self-confidence, expand the way they think, and compare traditions and values with other cultures. During several observations and evaluations for academic performance and social development, I have seen a lot of improvement and opportunities to study and work in Germany and other German-speaking countries. I teach elementary, high school, and college students. I have coached students to prepare for national competitive exams in foreign countries such as Germany, the USA, Mexico, and Spain.
Online Group Courses
German for children - Hueber: Paul, Lisa und Co age 6 - 8
German for children - Hueber: Beste Freunde age 8 - 12
Nicolas Jacobi
JacobiTeacher Founder
Nicolas Jacobi is a native German speaker, social scientist, and versatile, certified German educator from Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany, with over a decade of teaching experience. Having graduated from the University of Cologne, Germany in 2008 with a degree in Social Science, Teaching, and Education (Lehramt Sekundarstufe 1), Nicolas pursued his long-standing dream of impacting productive knowledge of language and social science on students from diverse backgrounds, working in 4 different German schools in Cologne, Leichlingen, Krefeld, and Berlin.
Stefan Lochner Grundschule, Köln
Realschule an der Wupper, Leichlingen
Kurt Tucholsky Gesamtschule, Krefeld
Julius Leber Sekundarschule, Berlin
In 2015, to pursue more challenging opportunities, Nicolas opted to continue his career as a seasoned, flexible educator by moving to America and starting his own private German learning service JacobiTeacher - German Lessons. He has implemented several student-oriented teaching methods, which have characterized his reputation as a prominent figure in the German language sphere in New York City.
The pandemic forced Nicolas to leave New York City. He spent a few years exploring different cities and German communities around America while focusing on Dallas, Texas.
He now lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, and grows his services in Nevada and California.
Parallel to his work at JacobiTeacher, he enjoys working at different types of schools. From 2019 to 2021, he worked at "Deutsche Schule at GISNY", and from 2021 to 2024 at the newly founded first German Online school "Wilhelm von Humboldt Online Privatschule". He is grateful for having the chance to help develop this new school concept at its early stages.
Nicolas supports the German educational program "Balu and du", independent university politics, independent language learning services, and FreedomFest. He is a member of the German-American Social Club of Nevada.