It’s time to shine the spotlight on another one of our amazing teachers! Meet Raziq, a language teacher with Global LT.
Raziq is from Bangalore, India. He started teaching in 2002 and has been teaching with Global LT since 2007.
This is the impressive part – he teaches English, Arabic, Hindi, and Kannada with Global LT. He also teaches Urdu and Persian, but not regularly, since there isn’t as much demand for those two languages.
You could call him a polyglot or a hyperpolyglot, depending on your school of thought. Some think a polyglot is someone who can speak more than two languages, others think they must speak at least four or five. And some define a hyperpolyglot as someone who can speak at least six languages with fluency, while others think it needs to be 11 languages. Either way, I’m deeply impressed.
Raziq initially started with Global LT to check the English language proficiency of candidates traveling overseas from India. Then he started teaching English, Hindi, Arabic, and Kannada to overseas students. Currently located in Bangalore, he makes regular trips to the Middle East for teaching and training purposes.
Teaching for as long as he has, he’s developed friendships with many of his students over the years. They’ve come to his home for a meal with his family, or they’ve gone out to a restaurant with him and his family. One student, who was a veteran at coaching youth football when he was in the U.S., was so touched by his teaching methodology that he offered to teach Raziq’s son football.
“There was an Australian student whose husband, a renowned artist, gifted me a wonderful painting as a gesture of appreciation for teaching them Hindi. I still have the painting hanging in my home.
Another student became a very close friend of mine. So close that he would be concerned about my weight and would give me tips to stay in shape and not put on extra pounds.”
When it comes to learning a new language, Raziq is very well-versed. Because he has learned so many languages himself, it’s safe to say he’s somewhat of an expert on the topic.
“Languages are usually learned by a lot of listening to begin with, and then by speaking two- and three-word sentences. Then, you slowly add different parts of speech to these small sentences. Sometimes, imitating expert speakers of the target language helps learners a lot. At the start, they appear to be parrot-phrasing these sentences, together with learning simple concepts of grammar. But they surprise themselves with the passage of time and realize they have learned so much in so little time.”
Raziq shared that one of his tips for new teachers is to meet the students where they are, and most of the time that’s at a very basic level of the language. If you get too far ahead, the student won’t be able to keep up or grasp the language and will become discouraged.
When asked what he loves most about teaching, Raziq said, “I love everything about teaching. I reckon teaching is almost natural to me, which is perhaps why I never feel like I’m at work. I never get tired of teaching.”
Here is some of the feedback from Raziq’s students:
“The lessons were incredibly useful and Raziq was extremely helpful. His learning plan aligned perfectly with the way I learn best. Very accommodating with my schedule and any requests I had. I have nothing but the highest praise for his teaching and hope to be able to work more with him should the opportunity ever arise.
“Hindi lessons with Raziq have been going well. He has been helpful in adjusting the lessons to align with my experience level. I feel that I am on track to meet my language goals.”
“We are very pleased with Raziq. He is walking us through some very practical exercises for Hindi, and he provided important cultural context for some of the language rules we are covering. Our goal was to better understand the culture of India through our lessons, and Raziq has met that goal wonderfully. He also has been extremely patient. It’s not easy scheduling lessons around the activities of a toddler! Throughout all of the craziness of our relocation to India, Raziq has been nothing but kind and supportive. We are so happy he is our teacher.”
“Thank you Raziq for your unwavering support, guidance, and belief in me. You’ve made a profound impact on my life, and I am forever grateful. Your passion for teaching, and your dedication to my growth, has inspired both me and my daughter. I cannot put it into words.”
“I will continue these lessons from you even after I’ve used up all the hours [I have] as I want to continue to learn Arabic. I need your continuous guidance to achieve this target.”
Want to experience our incredible teachers for yourself? Let us know! We’d love to pair you with the perfect teacher so you can start learning a new language.
This post was written by Megan Tully, Marketing Manager.
