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.

The Palo Alto French Education Association (PAFEA) offers an excellent French after-school program…read moredesigned for children who speak French as a second language (grades Kindergarten through 6th) using the CNED curriculum, which was created by the French government for French children living abroad. Our sons have attended these classes for several years, are fluent in written and spoken French and have a wonderfully supportive francophone network and community through PAFEA! This is a great alternative to private full-day French immersion schools.

My three kids attend PAFEA - two in CM2 and one in 6eme. We have tried many forms of French…read moreeducation over the years - private school, tutors and a few afterschool programs and can say hands down that this has been the best program for our kids. It has truly been a competitive alternative to enrolling our kids in French private school. PAFEA is a warm and welcoming community. The refreshed CNED program is approachable and interesting and PAFEA provides a flexible tailored approach. The way they go about CNED makes it very manageable - it requires the same amount of time commitment as most afterschool programs (2 hours twice a week with 1-2 hours of homework on the weekends). In addition, PAFEA incorporates French culture into the program with events such as chandleur etc. Because it is such a well-established distance learning program staffed with excellent, well-trained teachers, the transition to online has been seamless. What we appreciate the most is that our children look forward to their classes.

Amazing, fantastic, cozy, loving preschool! My daughter spent three years here and loved it. She…read morestarted out in the younger kids room and moved onto the bigger kids room when she was ready. Her teachers were all incredible and the director Ms Marthe is amazing as well (I heard she used to teach at Odyssey too)! During her years at preschool my daughter made countless friends and had a ton of fun. And amidst all the play, the preschool also, to my surprise, managed to teach her how to write and sound out words - I definitely didn't do anything on that front myself! The bilingual circle time was great as well - turns out my kid picked up quite a few Chinese characters and phrases along the way. Logistics wise I was amazed by how flexible and caring the school is: super easy process in terms of changing between part day and full day, random pickups, etc.. Hot lunch program is delicious according to what daughter told me - and super convenient. I really think the fact that there's a younger kids program (18-36 months) really helped make the preschool program super kind and loving. Overall I couldn't recommend this preschool more. It's a total gem!!

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.

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!

This review is from my wife Aleksandra U. I took 10 week (1.5 hr/wk) course costing her $2100. My…read moregoal was to learn sentence formation and grammar however the course was focused on accent reduction. I believe it was just mismatch in expectation and think if accent reduction is what you are looking for, you cannot go wrong. However, for basic communication- i suggest you find another coach.

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.

Amazing! Best Chinese school nearby…read more Our 4.5 years old son can only understand a little Chinese at the beginning, after first day's after school, he asked me to read some Chinese books at night, which is incredible and he never asked me to do that previously. We really like their "learn and play" project based language program, and they keep their classroom so clean and organized. So many activities ( cooking class, art, airplanes museum trip, etc). And we highly recommend families trying out.

From the owner: Introducing the Chinese language to young learners in a way that keeps them motivated and engaged…read moreis our mission here at Menlo Chinese School. We believe that the most effective way to help our students begin their exploration of Mandarin is by using small-group teaching methods. In this way, we can ensure we always give personal attention to each of our students. With our carefully designed curriculum, we help our young students on their learning journey with a wide variety of imaginative and engaging activities in a Chinese immersion environment.

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.

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.

Sharon is a wonderful teacher. She is kind and tolerant. I love her sophisticated comments and…read morefeedback. And what makes her special is her flexible program. If you really want to improve your English skill, then you should not miss the chance to study with her! Additional updated review: Sharon's career course was so powerful and critical that I could complete my resume, CV, elevator pitch, and R-A answer for an interview. And because of them, I was able to get my new job! I couldn't made it without her. I appreciate her for everything. Thanks Sharon!

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.

I had been thinking of purchasing a camera for a while and had my research independently, and…read moredecided down to a Fujifilm XM5 or XT30III, but I struggled to make that last decision because I couldn't tell how the cameras would feel in my hands. I saw online that they had the two cameras in stock (although, if you are particular about whether there are kit lenses or not, you should call ahead) so felt pretty good about dropping in on a Saturday. There were a few people speaking to all available staff so I did wait a bit, but soon enough I was able to speak to two separate staff members. The first may have been a manager and was able to tell me upfront what was in stock and what was in the area (other location or in their warehouse - would need to be transferred). I asked if I could hold the cameras, either with the showroom cameras or whichever way. They had an XS20 on display (similar weight) and pulled an XM5 from the back. Just from the weights, I could tell that the XM5 was the right choice for me. The other salesperson was able to pair me with a Fujinon 27mm pancake lens that would keep my unit light and compact and a UV lens for protection. I will say that anybody coming in should do their research - the suggestions were helpful and already in line with what I had been planning to buy, but there are other options that are more budget friendly that they may not offer. I mentioned that I was going on a cruise to Alaska soon and asked about rentals, and he recommended that I call a few weeks in advance to see what they had in inventory to rent out. I will definitely do so! He said to aim for a 50-200mm and mentioned lensrental.com if they did not have what I needed in stock. Overall I was very pleased with their service. I would definitely come back for my other camera needs.

1 star; absolutely terrible experience…read more I called Mike's Camera ahead of time to confirm that a specific camera was in stock. The employee confirmed it twice and told me they would reserve it. Based on that assurance, I drove 50 minutes to the store. When I arrived, the entire staff seemed completely confused. Nobody knew about the reservation, they couldn't find the camera, and they kept asking one another who had reserved what. Eventually, someone remembered the phone call and brought out the "reserved" camera..only for it to be the wrong model. Despite confirming twice that the correct camera was available and wasting nearly two hours of my time driving there and back, nobody even apologized. They simply said, "Yeah, we only have this model." This store is disorganized, careless, and completely disrespectful of customers' time. If you call to confirm inventory, apparently you still cannot trust the information they give you. I would never return or recommend Mike's Camera to anyone.