BEST TURKISH TEACHERS

I was born and raised in Istanbul. I was interested in drawing, sewing, and helping my father fix electronic and mechanical devices throughout my childhood.

I went to Istanbul Technical University and graduated as an Electronics and Telecommunication Engineer. I worked in various corporate business environments within national and international firms.

Throughout my high school and university years in Turkey, I tutored all ages of children from K-12. I worked as a technical designer after moving to England and then to the US. Since I have always loved to teach, I started working as a substitute teacher for K-12 and subsequently moved on to early childhood education.

Early on, I decided to study the Montessori Method because of its distinct scientific approach. The Montessori Method provides a strong foundation for young brains. In addition, today’s children’s interests and needs guided me to bring more science and arts disciplines into my workspace which I also incorporate as a method when making curriculums at merhabakids.

I utilize the Montessori Method to create a curriculum that addresses the problems of the education system, which was a big pain point when I raised my son. I supplement my curriculum heavily with the STEAM system which brings children a wealth of opportunities to satisfy their intellectual needs, even starting at a young age.

I have devised exercises that support children’s relevant mathematical understanding between ages 3 to 6. As a passionate teacher and self-taught artist, I also love to build programs around purposeful artistic activities that help children to identify their ideas concretely. Today, after a long and passionate journey, I am happy to say that I hold a California Teacher’s Credentials.

Meanwhile, I helped my child maintain his Turkish, who moved out of the country at an early age. Struggling to have proper, age-appropriate, and helpful material for Turkish learners was a great encouragement for me to work on this matter. Therefore, I enjoyed and am proud to be the curriculum developer of the merhabakids online Turkish Language program. I love the syntax of Turkish and am aware of the importance of speaking multiple languages and how it contributes to brain development at any age.

I truly believe that education can shape the future of the world –as Nelson Mandela said: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Improving education is the most important objective for me.

Hello everyone, my name is Asil. I am from Palm Desert, California, and am 28 years old. I currently work in Finance. I graduated from the University of California, Riverside with a B.S in Business Administration. I was born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey and I have been living in Southern California for the past 12 years. My dad is American and my mom is Turkish.

I have a passion for teaching and enjoy tutoring in my free time. I have been tutoring Mathematics for 8 years (mainly high school and college students). I was given the “Outstanding Tutor Award” in 2017 while working at the College of the Desert’s Tutoring Center. As a tutor, nothing gives me more satisfaction and joy than seeing my students succeed in something they struggle with. As a native Turkish speaker, I would love to guide and mentor your child. I am sure to get a similar outcome guiding your child.

I know the challenges of growing up bilingual as a child from my own family. I understand how frustrating this could get for some parents. Many of our Turkish friends here in the United States have young kids that struggle with the complexity of the Turkish language. I love spending time with them and it amazes me how fast they can learn when they are exposed to Turkish daily. I am excited to show the students of merhabakids the beauty that relies on the Turkish language. Let’s get connected and let’s learn Turkish together.

Hello everyone, my name is Özlem. I was born in Adana, Turkey in 1979, and I have been living in Florida since 2021. I have a thirteen-year-old son.

I have a Bachelor’s degree in Math Teaching and a Master’s degree in Statistics from Çukurova University in Turkey. I started my professional teaching career in 2003 and worked as a math teacher for students in grades 5-8 in five different middle schools across three different cities in Turkey until 2021. During this time, I also worked as a private tutor.

Throughout my professional life, I have placed great importance on establishing healthy communication with students and their families. To achieve this goal, I have participated in various training programs such as Effective Speaking, Drama Instruction, Student and Family Coaching, Child Coaching, and Game Tools for children between ages 5-12, and have used these skills to constantly improve myself and my students.

Besides teaching, my other passions are nature and music. In my free time, I enjoy being in nature by hiking, picnicking, and skiing in the winter. Additionally, I love singing and dancing and I used to be a member of an “a cappella” music choir in Turkey.

My motivation for working with merhabakids is that I love teaching, working with children, and the Turkish language. I believe that I will find great pleasure in working with merhabakids as I can combine all three of my passions. I am confident that I will learn a lot from merhabakids‘ students who come from all over the world as they will learn from me.

There is a strong connection between language and culture. Children who understand the words, expressions, jokes, and songs specific to the Turkish language can socialize more easily with their relatives and friends. Especially when they visit Turkey, they will feel more confident and happier. Therefore, I will be happy to see our children improve their Turkish language skills.

Hello everyone, I am Ali from Ankara, Türkiye. I was born in Aksaray in 1981, and I have been living in Ankara since 1996. I have a Bachelor’s degree in English from Language, History, and Geography Faculty (DTCF) of Ankara University in Turkey. First I started my career as an interpreter/translator. I translate all types of documents and books. In fact, I still continue my translation career. Nowadays I translate political philosophy books.

And then I realised that education is my true passion and I decided to be a private tutor. I started to teach English and Turkish to children and adults. I was selected as the “#1 number one“ tutor in a website which was one of the platforms I served. Nowadays, I have also started to teach coding to children in a fun way. My first students are always my children, I have a thirteen-year-old daughter and a nine-year-old son. I have also learned French and German. So I can tell that learning new languages and education are my true passions in this life.

In my free time, I enjoy solving jigsaw puzzles. Playing computer games is also among my hobbies, I especially love playing strategy games. My other passion is visiting new cities and countries. There is a big connection between language and culture. So it makes me feel great to discover new places and new cultures. It is great to communicate with different people by using different languages.

I was very happy and excited when I first heard about merhabakids. It is a great objective to teach the Turkish language to children. And I know that merhabakids performs this in the best way. While learning the Turkish language children can also have a great time by singing Turkish songs and drawing wonderful pictures. I also believe that when they visit Türkiye they will be able to display their Turkish language skills to their relatives and friends, and they will feel much more confident.

So, finally, I would like to say merhaba kids, I will also be here to teach Turkish on this great platform. Görüşmek üzere…

Hello everyone, my name is Zeynep, and I was born in İzmir, Türkiye, in 1986. I pursued my primary education degree at DEU Faculty of Education, graduating in 2008. Throughout my university years, I actively participated in social projects and volunteered, including teaching and supporting blind students.

I embarked on my teaching career two years before graduating, working as an intern teacher in one of the premier private schools in İzmir. Currently, I am a primary school teacher in another private school. Additionally, I served as a deputy school principal for three years during my career.

I have a profound passion for spending time with kids, teaching them, and engaging in playful activities like singing and playing. I hope to be an exemplary teacher whose impact will be remembered throughout the lives of all my students.

Hello everyone!

My name is Özgen, and I’m thrilled to be part of the merhabakids team, dedicated to supporting your children on their journey to learning Turkish. I was born in Adana, Turkiye, in 1980, and raised in Muğla, Turkiye, where my parents are from. I have been living in the USA since 2007. I have a PhD in Operations Research from SUNY at Buffalo. I have been working as a Solution Architect to help companies with their digital transformation for the last 13 years. I am currently living in the Chicago suburbs. I am a mom of two – a 4-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy.

Like many of you, I understand the unique challenges and joys of raising bilingual children. My daughter was born during the Covid pandemic and spent her early years at home, where Turkish was her first language. However, when she started daycare and was exposed to English, she stopped talking for a while, probably confused by the sudden shift in language. Thankfully, she started speaking again but in English.

Like many Turkish parents who live abroad, it is very crucial for me that my kids learn Turkish. I want to communicate with my kids in my native language. I want them to listen to Turkish songs and feel it the same way I did. I want them to read from Turkish authors and feel the Anatolian atmosphere as an insider. When they go to Turkiye, I want them to communicate in Turkish easily. Besides, there is a fact that Turkish is a very beautiful language. I want them to experience this beauty. Moreover, being bilingual is a great opportunity for their intellectual development. Therefore, it is one of my biggest objectives that Turkish is and will always be part of their lives. My motto on this subject is that I can’t force them to speak Turkish, but I can do my best that they understand it. If I can direct their curiosity enough, they will share my passion and will keep Turkish in their lives.

This is the main reason that I joined merhabakids team. Your kids at merhabakids have a chance to learn Turkish at a very young age. I understand how challenging it is for them to learn Turkish when it is easier to communicate in English. I heard many times from my daughter how difficult it is to pronounce a word in Turkish. However, I also witness how happy she feels when we sing Turkish songs together. I am constantly amazed at how she understands both the Turkish and English language logic at this very early age.

They say it takes a village to raise a child, and I’m honored to be part of that village for your kids. I’m here to support them every step of the way as they learn and grow, not just in language but in their connection to their heritage.

I look forward to being part of your child’s learning journey!