Italia 500 reviews: David & Andrew
Evviva!!!! We've received two lovely reviews from two lovely lovely lovely students called Davide e Andrea (which, despite the ending in "a", is a boy's name, as is Luca): "The small class size created a supportive and friendly environment and the chance to get to know each other." (Davide); "The group atmosphere was supportive, lively, and full of laughs, which made time fly." (Andrea).
In Italian we have a lovely verb: affiatare or affiatarsi, from the word fiato which means breath. Dictionaries translate affiatare (OR affiatarsi) as "to create accord or harmony within a group of people", and we would add, so much so as to share the same breath, to breath in unison. From the verb, we derive the adjective affiatato/a, (Luca e Gianni sono molto affiatati - Luca and Gianni get along really really well) and the noun affiatamento which the wonderful Treccani dictionary defines thus:
affiataménto s. m. [der. di affiatare]. – L’affiatare, e più com. l’affiatarsi, l’essere affiatati; in particolare, la perfetta fusione di una compagnia drammatica, di un complesso artistico o musicale, di una squadra sportiva, di un gruppo di lavoro.
That is: the perfect fusion of a drama company, of a musical band, of a sports team, of a group of workers.
Both Davide and Andrea's reviews touch on something which is truly truly important to us and which we do our very best to foster which is: l'affiatamento ! A class which works well together, which enjoys each others' company and relishes everyone's idiosyncrasies, truly is a sight to behold and leads to truly excellent outcomes. Luckily, per fortuna, we don't have to work too hard to achieve a high degree of affiatamento in class, so much so that, when teachers come to observe our classes, we often hear the comment: sono molto affiatati!
Grazie Davide e Andrea!
P.S. You'll find a lovely take on the word affiatato here.
In Italian we have a lovely verb: affiatare or affiatarsi, from the word fiato which means breath. Dictionaries translate affiatare (OR affiatarsi) as "to create accord or harmony within a group of people", and we would add, so much so as to share the same breath, to breath in unison. From the verb, we derive the adjective affiatato/a, (Luca e Gianni sono molto affiatati - Luca and Gianni get along really really well) and the noun affiatamento which the wonderful Treccani dictionary defines thus:
affiataménto s. m. [der. di affiatare]. – L’affiatare, e più com. l’affiatarsi, l’essere affiatati; in particolare, la perfetta fusione di una compagnia drammatica, di un complesso artistico o musicale, di una squadra sportiva, di un gruppo di lavoro.
That is: the perfect fusion of a drama company, of a musical band, of a sports team, of a group of workers.
Both Davide and Andrea's reviews touch on something which is truly truly important to us and which we do our very best to foster which is: l'affiatamento ! A class which works well together, which enjoys each others' company and relishes everyone's idiosyncrasies, truly is a sight to behold and leads to truly excellent outcomes. Luckily, per fortuna, we don't have to work too hard to achieve a high degree of affiatamento in class, so much so that, when teachers come to observe our classes, we often hear the comment: sono molto affiatati!
Grazie Davide e Andrea!
P.S. You'll find a lovely take on the word affiatato here.
