I took an intro French course recently with Celine Val. I really liked the class and our teacher. I…read morethought it was reasonably well structured and that she did a good job teaching us first how to pronounce, then how to read and write. We studied formal and informal. If you have any background in a language I would suggest you refresh yourself and test into something other than the intro course. Starting at the beginning was perfect for me since I have never studied French before, but it was very, very basic stuff. Had I taken that level for a language I had previously studied I think I would have been bored. Pros: - Conveniently located to the 84 and 101 (and Caltrain?) - Convenient times after work - Great way to sample a new language to see if you're really interested in it. - You get to keep the text book (they are used, mine had writing it...) Cons: - When you are only meeting once a week it's really easy to say: "I'll study this weekend." "I'll study tomorrow." "Oh crap, class is tonight, I better study." - Cost - it's roughly $40 a class (give or take) so if you're going to stick with it long term it's going to add up. A college course may be cheaper (though with the way college tuition is these days maybe not?). Private lessons seem to run $30-$40+ an hour, so I think their costs are reasonable. It just adds up over time, which hurts my head when I do the math... - $50 one time set-up fee per student

I took private intro spanish lessons with Erick. He was very flexible with my scheduled and allowed…read moreme to have a different meeting time each week to accommodate my schedule. Erick did a great job of assessing my current level of proficiency and then adapting an appropriate curriculum to advance my skills. We met at the Menlo Park school at times, which is a very easy to access right next to the Facebook campus off of Willow Road. Other times we met at a location we decided upon. The staff at ABC were very helpful in my billing or any questions I needed to get answered. Highly recommend ABC for anyone interested in any foreign language, no matter what level they are in. They will have an instructor for whatever language you are interested in.

I can't speak for the entire school, but I had a very bad experience trying to enroll in a night…read morewood working class. I had previous experience in woodshop classes I took at Mount Tam high school in Marin, so I wasn't a novice. I paid the fee and enrolled in the class. However, when I met the teacher Ray, he decided not to let me take the class. I think he just didn't like me. Disappointed, I tried to get a refund but the school wouldn't give it to me, so I had to open a dispute with my bank. None of my calls or emails to the school or the teacher were ever returned regarding the class or the possibility of taking future classes. It felt like the class was a private club not open to outsiders. Its this kind of elite snobbery that gives rich cities like Palo Alto a bad name.

I am all about learning something new. I have taken classes from financial, to building your own…read morewater fountain to a basic sewing class. Classes are mostly held at Palo Alto High School on Embarcadero Road and El Camino Real across from the Town and Country Shopping Center. They follow the semester system. I get a hard copy catalog in the mail. You can register online, by phone, by fax and by mail. How easy is that? Classes are very reasonable and can range from $35 on up to $200 depending on how often it meets and the types of supplies you pay for. Geared toward the adult, so evening and weekend classes. They have arts and crafts, cooking, financial, computer, language, music, health and fitness, birdwatching, dancing, acting, CPR and first aid, ...you name it.

Odyssey Montessori in Palo Alto has been a wonderful preschool for our family. Our three children,…read more5-year-old twins (now graduated) and a 3-year-old, thrived and loved their time here. Director Marthe's excellent administration of the school contributed greatly to our positive experience. Our kids loved their teachers. Ms. April, Ms. Sophia, and Ms. Bianca helped our twins develop confidence and mastery in foundational concepts such as colors, shapes, letters, manners, counting, addition/subtraction, and basic Chinese characters. Ms. Nuo and Ms. Lupe helped our younger child grow in his motor skills, language skills, and ability to play with others. All three children are fluent in both Chinese and English with support from Odyssey's diverse bilingual atmosphere. The teachers alternated to prepare school lunch, including accommodating our kid's allergies. The thoughtfully implemented Montessori approach fostered independence and curiosity, while ensuring our kids felt happy and secure. Classrooms are well-prepared with engaging, age appropriate activities. For a preschool with energetic caring educators who inspire learning, we highly recommend Odyssey Montessori Palo Alto.

Odyssey has been a great place for our child. The teachers are kind and caring. They share lots of…read moreupdates and photos, and chatting with them at pickup is such a treat. The activities are fun and help our child learn. It feels calm, safe, and welcoming. We're really happy we found it!

I would not recommend. Initial experience was not stellar. Materials provided for my children were…read morenot age appropriate and the instructor was changed mid program. My son still had interest as they provided new materials and he liked the second instructor. So I decided to purchase another session with the condition of the same instructor and time we required. The representative agreed, charged my credit card and a couple of days later reneged on the agreement. Now I am struggling to get reimbursed.

Im not sure who to blame here. Is this a Berlitz satellite location that is a franchise and the…read morefranchise owner is horrible at running a business, or is Berlitz a completely incompetent company that is completely mismanaged? Either way I beg you, PLEASE please please look elsewhere. This place is a complete joke. Teachers don't show up to teach. Their communication system involves emails that are never sent or sent right before a cancelation. Good luck managing this with your work and kids. God forbid you complain and expect to get refunded for your charges where nobody was teaching. You get this insane run around where nobody knows what is going on, where your credit card is stored, how it is charged, what you have been charged, etc. It's almost like dealing with a scam company. In the end we live in Palo Alto. There are dozens of legitimate and high quality programs in our area. Just don't waste your time or money by coming here. Honestly, this place should be investigated and shut down.

First of all the German is bad, second a Chinese teacher in 4th grade was too strict but taught 1st…read moregrade math, because the Chinese teacher taught math in Chinese. Last The food service is really bad.

Never pressed submit so my review is dated but still accurate. - I just have to give a shout out to…read morethe staff at my children's school during such an insane time in the world. I feel incredibly fortunate that we are part of this community during such trying times. Many people have been so negative and I believe that is primarily due to the fact that this is obviously a terrible time for so many people. INTL is doing everything in their power to provide the best education possible during a world wide pandemic. We have to keep this in mind. My children's teachers have been exceptional considering the challenges of the world right now. We are lucky they even get to go to school. They are excited everyday, I feel like they are safe onsite and that the school is doing everything to the best of their ability. Teachers have found unique ways to share what happens at school with parents online. Pandemic aside- my children are only exposed to Chinese at school and come home singing to themselves in the mirror in Chinese. The program is IB which focuses on creativity and questions. They learn through discovery. The school is as international as you can get in the Silicon Valley which was really important to me having grown up internationally myself. Thank you INTL for working so hard to make such an unreal time in our lives as good as humanly possible.

Janet is an outstanding teacher with extensive experience in coaching non-native speakers who want…read moreto improve their language skills. She is quick to identify and understand your challenges during the trial class and designs personalized modules that cater to your specific needs. Janet is patient when correcting repetitive mistakes and provides constructive, consistent feedback. She is also flexible with scheduling, making it easier for you to find time for lessons. Beyond language skills, Janet is someone you'll enjoy getting to know. She is friendly, approachable, and genuinely interested in your life story. As a kind, honest, and easy-going person, she creates a comfortable learning environment. Throughout my time learning with Janet, I've gained a much better understanding of native speaker intonation and effective communication. My pronunciation has significantly improved after just a few months of coaching. I now comprehend the reasons behind my accents and am actively working to avoid reverting to my old habits, ensuring I deliver my messages more clearly. You will achieve remarkable results and gain a friend and mentor through her class!

I highly recommend Janet to any non-native speakers who would like to improve their American…read moreEnglish pronunciation and delivery, and speak with confidence. I had worked with Janet for two and half years. Her sessions are highly customized to the client's needs and interest. I've learned a lot from Janet. I'm happy to say I can now speak English much more fluently and native-like. I will surely keep improving my spoken English by applying the techniques I learned from Janet, such as linking, reduction, inflection. Janet is very knowledgeable and has a keen curiosity and continual desire to expand the breadth of her knowledge. We read articles on history, culture, science, etc. Our conversations were always interesting and inspiring. I look forward to working with her again in the future.

Our daughter has been at Cornerstone for almost 2 years and we absolutely love it. Her Chinese is…read morefluent now, and this is one of the only schools that we toured for the children actually speak to each other in Chinese on the playground, instead of reverting to English. The project based and play based curriculum for three and four-year-olds is truly unique and engaging. The teacher to student ratio is low and the teachers genuinely understand and are invested in each child's development. Unlike many traditional Chinese schools, they also focus on children's social emotional development, and my daughter has matured substantially in this area. Helen and Teresa are wonderful and made time to meet with me anytime I had concerns. Truly, an exceptional environment for Chinese immersion, and in my opinion (after touring nearly every Chinese school) the best on the Peninsula.

Summary: A great immersion school with caring staff. My chicks have been attending here for many…read moreyears. 99.8% of their Chinese ability is from CLF. ( yeah, I will take the .2 %). Their Chinese is not native level but enough to help new student from China in school. ;) We know plenty of kids go to other Chinese schools that have shuttle services, homework hours, extra enrichment options etc. let's be clear. CLF doesn't offer any of that. When you sign up CLF, you are there to learn Chinese. Guess what? Unlike the norm that kids dislike Chinese school and eventually drop out, Most CLF kids stay and continue for many years. My chicks have close friends from CLF kinder days. The same class pretty much grow up together. My chicks love their Chinese school and excited to go. Students learn Chinese though regular activities like singing, performing, cooking, science projects. Last key point: CLF fosters a healthy culture of handwork and effort. Not purely on how fluent/good you are with Chinese. Students who don't have the opportunity to practice at home can equally feel empowered and recognized. On rainy days, you can see teachers escorting the kids with their umbrellas up and down the stairs. Now that is caring!

I took 20 sessions with Rebecca. She encouraged questions while she covered concepts and…read morepainstakingly pointed out the areas that require pronunciation, tone improvement. I enjoyed it even after long workdays. Interestingly though, I feel I benefited in areas that were totally unplanned for me (which resulted in some mental clarity, lesser people pleasing, conflict resolution, drawing boundaries); more than the reasons I reached out to her for (accent reduction, pronunciation, executive presence). It was a pleasant surprise that she was able to offer effective solutions to everyday situations I found challenging to respond to. She is more than a accent coach and I'm so grateful for that experience.

I came across Rebecca's YT channel one day and was instantly hooked. Her take on the issues that…read moreMandarin speakers have when it comes to English is spot on. I was delighted to find out she is in the same city as me and I signed up on her one-on-one class for 15 sessions. On the first class we worked on breathing techniques, postures and how to project voice. We took a before vs after video and it was literally night and day difference. My voice was much stronger and I sounded more confident. Over the next several sessions we worked on vowels, consonants, diphthongs. She would listen to my pronunciation carefully and provide me feedback. We'd drill those tricky sounds over and over until I got it right. The last few sessions we worked on more advanced topics such as reductions, different T pronunciations, stress and intonation. Finally I recorded a video, putting everything I learned together and review with Rebecca. I got valuable feedback and ideas that I can use to refine and improve my pitch. Rebecca's strength lies in she can identify students weaknesses pretty quickly and provides target exercise and suggestions for students to work on. I highly recommend her if you want to take your English communications and accent reduction to the next level.

Sharon is very excellent interview preparation coach. She listen carefully, very friendly, and very…read moreprecise to help me with interview questions I might get. She not only fix my pronunciation and grammar but also help me organize my answers, making them sound more polished and comprehensive. After two sessions with her, I got accepted for the position. making them sound more polished and comprehensive. After two sessions with her, I got accepted for the position. I greatly appreciate her help!

Sharon is an excellent ESL (English as a second language) teacher. I take online English lessons…read morefor 60 minutes once a week. I wanted to improve my English grammar, pronunciation, writing, and conversation skills. In a few lessons, not only did I notice big improvement, but my colleagues did too. Her approach is to work on quick fixes and to give immediate feedback so I can incorporate that learning immediately in my daily life. In addition to helping with daily conversation, she has expertise in resume/LinkedIn profile review and job interview preparation. With the help of her sessions, I landed a wonderful job opportunity.

Our son joined Amigos when he was 2.5 years old and has thoroughly enjoyed his 2+ years as a…read morestudent. We've been thrilled with all the teachers - the love they show our child and others, and the quality of education he has received. The other families and students, many associated with Stanford University, help to round out a nurturing, family friendly environment with high quality Spanish immersion education. Our younger son is in a Spanish immersion preschool that is also wonderful, but we plan to pull him out and put him in Amigos when he is old enough to enroll.

Our son LOVES Amigos! It is his home away from home, that just happens to be his preschool also…read more The staff are extremely warm and friendly, they truly love the kids and are invested in their success. Our son brings home his art and proudly gives us a lesson in the word of the day. Our newest family phrase is "como se dice _____ en español?" From day 1 they had him practicing writing his name and learning how to hold his pencil, etc. He loves school and we are thrilled he is able to have this baseline exposure to a structured learning environment. There is so much diversity here also. Our son is Korean and Japanese and although we speak English at home, he speaks Spanish beautifully. I am absolutely thrilled to have a Spanish speaking Asian munchkin. We couldn't be happier with our experience at Amigos!