I took weekly private Polish lessons with Malgorzata from April 2015 to November 2018. When I first started lessons, I was very uncomfortable speaking Polish. Malgorzata has tailored the lessons to meet my ultimate goal- of being able to comfortable have a conversation. She has though up conversation topics that helped me improve my ability to carry on everyday conversations rather then learning new vocabulary (as you would in many other language courses) that is not useful for day-today life. As a result of her lessons over the past 3 1/2 years, I now have confidence when speaking Polish and feel like I can hold a conversations.. In addition, she always comes with interesting and diverse ideas for lessons. We’ve done everything from reading portions of classic Polish literature and poetry to articles in Polish Vogue. Malgorzata is also endlessly patient especially when you just cannot pronounce certain words. Beyond that, she is just lovely person. I have taken many different Polish courses over the past 10 years and can honestly say that she is the best teacher I ever had. I cannot recommend taking lessons with her enough.
Brittany Buccellato November 2018
Pani Malgorzata Pospiech is a phenomenal teacher. She is incredibly patient and inspiring. I took her class for three sessions with other students and learned the basics of the Polish language. She's unbelievably knowledgeable and made learning a ton of fun. Polish is a tough language and learning it could've been frustrating, but Pani Malgorzata Pospiech took all of that stress away. She's also very passionate about languages and Poland which comes through in each of her classes and makes you more excited to learn. Even when I felt like I was struggling, she made sure to motivate me and push through. She takes her time to make sure you fully understand the work and gets excited when it clicks. The class was an absolute pleasure to take and I look forward to picking it up again in the fall!
Sarah April 2018
Pani Malgorzata Pospiech has a unique ability to connect with each student's level of comprehension and guide their progress in mastering the Polish language. I have been studying the Polish language with Pani Malgorzata for over three years. I feel very privileged to be study with her - she is very encouraging and motivating, and very accomplished professional journalist, novelist and poet.
Pani Malgorzata uses a multi-faceted approach to teaching reinforced by practice. Our class is conducted in Polish and begins in conversation how we spent the past week. Each student has the opportunity to share with the class the highlights of the week.Ever more resonant in developing our abilities is ongoing weekly homework assignment to write our memoir, an imaginative way to practice writing in Polish while reflecting on our lives. Each week as we read our memoir composition aloud in class Pani Malgorzata corrects pronunciation, grammar usage and sentences structure. The reminder of the class is devoted to grammar study and reading Polish literature and poetry and orally translating these passages to English. As we read in Polish proper pronunciation an comprehension are emphasized. Pani Malgorzata has engaged us in reading "Pan Tadeusz", "Lalka", "Chlopi" and passages from other Polish classics. We write reviews about Polish newspaper articles, Polish films and television programs.
The class concludes in conversation regarding our plans for the coming week.
One of the special challenges Pani Malgorzata presented to our class was the project to review the English translation of her poetry. The project allowed us to glimpse in the poet's mind as we reconciled the idiomatic meanings between the Polish and English. By analyzing the translations,and the subtlety of idioms, we saw the differences in the language precisio and the painting of the poet's mind.
I always look forward for her class - there is so much positive energy.
Longia Milosz Miller December 2017
Moje umiejetnosci czytania i pisania sa teraz doskonale. Moje umiejetnosci w zakresie sluchania i mowienia ulegaja poprawie. Lubie czytac polska literature i dyskutowac o kulturze --szczegolnie o filmach. -- C.D. December 2017
(My reading and writing skills are excellent now. My listening and speaking skills are improving. I like to read Polish literature and to discuss Polish culture -- especially about films). -- C.D.
LOVE her class !!!
Victoria January 2018
I spent the spring of 2017 studying Polish with Małgorzata. I can't imagine a better tutor. She's knowledgeable, patient, always ready to teach, and knows just how to move you along towards a better command of the language. For each 45-minute lesson, she provides a mix of study materials that allow her to size up what you already know and that let you know what needs to be worked on if you are going to advance. Moreover, I always finished a lesson looking forward to our next one.
Jeff Spring 2018
After marrying a Pole, I knew I wanted to have a stronger connection with my Polish family, so I found Gosia and started learning the Polish language in September 2017. Since then, I have been having weekly lessons.
Gosia immediately immersed me in the language, and within the first few lessons, I was excited to have basic conversations with my husband. I have been truly blown away by the progress I have made in such a short time. Now, I am often able to hold conservations with my husband, at social gatherings, and importantly, I feel closer to my in-laws.
Gosia is a patient and understanding teacher. Her lessons are planned, and delivered with just the right balance of pace and challenge. Each session is tailored to support my needs, particularly before a visit to Poland! Gosia is also flexible with my work and my traveling - she is ready and prepared to conduct lessons online over different time zones.
I look forward to my lessons with Gosia. She generously shares her wisdom of not only the language, but also about Polish traditions and culture, from the past to the present day. Although I cannot say for certain where my future lies, I feel confident that thanks to Gosia, I could live and work in Poland.
March 2020 Catriona Geras
I’m so glad I found Małgorzata! Finding a Polish class was very difficult in the beginning. Once I found her I was very lucky that she could stick with me on whatever level I was on. I wanted to learn Polish after meeting my partner and traveling to Poland to meet his family. In the beginning I tried to teach myself the basics from a Polish for Dummies book but it was mostly fruitless.
Małgorzata makes learning stress free and actually fun. Over the years she has helped make the language much more personal and relevant for me. We’ve gone over things like songs (I’m a singer), weddings (when my classmate got married), holiday traditions (whenever one comes up), and things I talk about on a daily basis (like my dog). It’s even opened up some job opportunities for me in proofreading. She makes learning a joy and I would recommend her to anyone who’s interested in learning the Polish language.
Krystle Clark
March 2021
I began my Polish studies with Dr. Małgorzata Pospiech ("Gosia") in the fall of 2018 to help me prepare an application for Polish citizenship in honor of my late grandmother. I was hesitant to start another language in my late 30s, but I have nothing but praise for Gosia's manner and style of teaching. The Polish language can seem intimidating at first, but Gosia has a wonderful way of introducing and explaining even its most difficult concepts. In just a few years, I have grown comfortable with its complex grammar, spelling, and pronunciation. My small group has already reached the Intermediate level even though we only meet once a week for two hours.
When I enrolled in an intensive language immersion in Warsaw in the summer of 2019, the school was surprised by my assessment score after less than a year of study. I credited it to Gosia and her ability to challenge her students and keep them motivated as they digest new material each week, whether from their textbooks and supplementary class handouts, classic Polish literary works, more contemporary writings, or articles on culture and history. Gosia incorporates all of these tools into her well-rounded classes which tend to pass very quickly. Our class also easily shifted to Zoom at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic so I know that Gosia's methods work in person or virtually.
I hope that any person interested in the Polish language has an instructor as devoted and engaging as Gosia. I would recommend her to any student of the Polish language. I now appreciate the beauty and complexity of her native language, and I look forward to deepening my knowledge of it under her thoughtful instruction.
Melissa E. Welch, April 2021
As an American learner of four other languages prior to starting Polish, I have to recommend Dr. Pospiech at the highest level. She has a sophisticated, experienced teaching method that creates confidence in the learner, which is so important with this difficult language. She has clearly and thoughtfully built my proficiency up. Our group class has been meeting once a week for over two years, a testament to how much we enjoy the classes, appreciate our progress, and value working with Gosia.
Jennifer Chen 2021
