My Story: From Multilingual Childhood to Online Educator

I didn’t grow up with one language, one system, or one clear definition of “home.”

And in many ways, that shaped everything that came after.

I was born and raised in Switzerland to Hungarian parents, growing up as an immigrant child in a multilingual country where language was never just a school subject—it was part of everyday life, belonging, and identity. From the very beginning, my world moved between languages.

At home, I spoke Hungarian.

At school, I learned High German.

Outside of school, Swiss German was the language of daily life.

Later, French, English, and Italian became part of my formal education, while Spanish entered my life through spending extended periods of my childhood in Spain. My mother is a Russian teacher, so Russian was a language I heard regularly while growing up as well. Long before I understood the theory behind language acquisition, I was living it.

Languages were not something I “studied.” They were something I navigated.

Growing Up Between Systems, Not Just Languages

Alongside languages, I also moved through different educational environments. In Switzerland, I experienced public schools, private schools, and art schools—each with its own expectations, structures, and unspoken rules. Even early on, it became clear to me that education is not neutral. Systems shape confidence, independence, and how children see themselves as learners.

As a young adult, my path first led me into the performing arts. I worked internationally as a performing artist and spent many years on stage, living a highly mobile and creative life. Performance taught me discipline, presence, adaptability, and communication—skills that later became central to my work as an educator, even if I didn’t know it at the time.

In my mid-twenties, I made a deliberate decision to step away from stage life and fully commit to academia and education. I wanted depth, continuity, and the ability to work with learners over time.

Education Across Switzerland and the United States

I continued my studies in the United States, completing my academic degrees at Borough of Manhattan Community College and City College, focusing on childhood education and English literature, while simultaneously working in a wide range of schools across New York City—public, private, German, and international.

As both a student and a teacher, I experienced education in environments that ranged from highly privileged to deeply under-resourced. This dual perspective fundamentally shaped how I understand teaching. I saw firsthand that intelligence is everywhere, but opportunity is not.

I later returned to Switzerland to complete my Master’s degree in English (Literary Studies) at the University of Zurich, one of Europe’s leading  universities. Alongside my studies, I began teaching at a Montessori school in Zurich, where I continue to teach today. Working within a Montessori environment further strengthened my belief in child-centered, relationship-based, and developmentally appropriate education.

From Classroom to Online Teaching

Online teaching entered my work during COVID, when education systems around the world were suddenly forced to adapt. What began as a practical response quickly revealed something much bigger.

Teaching online allowed me to reach students and families far beyond physical classrooms—across countries, time zones, and continents. Over time, this evolved into a fully established online teaching practice and the foundation of an international client base spanning almost every continent.

What began as a practical solution evolved into my lifestyle—one that offers flexibility, continuity, and access for families whose lives no longer align with traditional school models.

Why I Teach the Way I Do

Today, my teaching sits at the intersection of:

Language and identity

Structure and flexibility

Academic rigor and creativity

Swiss and American educational values

I don’t believe in one-size-fits-all education. I don’t believe language learning should be reduced to grammar drills or pressure-driven performance. And I don’t believe meaningful education has to be confined to a physical classroom.

What I do believe in is relationship-based learning, confidence-building, and creating spaces where children and adults feel safe enough to try, make mistakes, and grow.

Why This Blog

I’m starting this blog because I receive the same questions again and again—from parents, students, and globally minded families navigating language education across borders.

Questions about bilingualism.

Questions about education systems in Switzerland and the US.

And increasingly, questions about the lifestyle of an online teacher.

I’m often asked what it actually looks like to teach online long-term, how I balance in-person teaching with online work, and how this kind of teaching fits into a modern, mobile life. Through this blog, I want to share not only my perspective on language education, but also the realities of building a sustainable, location-independent teaching practice—one that began during COVID and continues to evolve today.

This space will be a mix of education, experience, and everyday life—combining academic insight with the personal realities of teaching and working online.

This first post is simply the beginning.