Testimonials

Jason Chen says:

“Anar is hands-down the most influential teacher, if not, person, that I have ever encountered and gotten to know in my entire life. Anar is a teacher filled with compassion and passion. Although she may seem strict on the surface, she is driven by her love for literature and writing to draw out the best within her students. The past four years have been an honor learning from her. Anar has transformed me from a confused student into someone who now has the confidence to write and the skillset to back it up. Her methodology is extremely important to learn as it benefits and enhances writing regardless of style or field. At the end of the day, Anar has been the driving force for me to pursue my path in liberal arts studies and without her, I wouldn’t have found my love for literature and the area of studies I would like to pursue in my post-secondary academic career.”

Christina Xie says:

“I began taking classes with Anar simply hoping to improve my grades. However, under her guidance, I have not only been able to succeed in school, but also discover passions and deeply explore aspects of literature, philosophy, and culture that are found beyond the borders of standardized education. Although strict on grammar and other technicalities of the English language, Anar’s teaching methods more greatly emphasize the student’s ability to examine the conceptual and abstract elements of writing, an imperative skill that is highly applicable to all facets of life and learning. Anar’s endless creativity, incredible curation of knowledge, and love for teaching have given me the opportunity to both cultivate a genuine curiosity for literature, as well as gain deep-rooted skills of critical thinking, synthesizing, and reflection.”

Geneva Ge says:

“Anar’s clear passion for literature and intellectual discussion shines through her lessons with students- I’ve been lucky to be under her tutelage for several years now, and it is an understatement to say that I’ve gained insight into many different aspects of life, not just pertaining to literature and writing. Classes with Anar are personal and specific to what is needed; I particularly enjoy our discussions of abstract concepts and poetry on top of learning the ins and outs of writing. Some of my best work has been created and refined under her care, as she consistently goes above and beyond to provide each student with the specific tools they need to sharpen their thinking and philosophy. Anar’s guidance is impeccable and sure to lead any student into the right direction for them.”

MingYu An says:

“I started having lessons with Anar and she is unlike other private teachers I have had, Anar is extraordinary. Anar is a great educator, and she contributes 100% effort to all of her students. She has a clear plan and instructs her students in a unique way that not only helps the students to understand the problem, but also to reflect. Without Anar, I could never achieve the success today. With Anar, my writing skills improved enormously, and I scored nearly perfect on the final exam. I also successfully adapted to the IB program, and finally jumped out of the ESL program. Not only does she teach her student academically, Anar also educates her students’ way beyond that. She also teaches her students philosophically, which is something a person cannot learn in school.”

Vivian Hao says:

“I started taking classes with Anar in grade 10. At that time, I was only hoping to find someone to help me with ACT and edit my essays. However, after a few lessons, I realized that Anar teaches a lot more than basic writing structure and grammar. She has a well-organized plan for my learning and introduces various amazing literature piece to me every class. While I was not a strong writer when I first met Anar, she has her own methods of helping me develop my ability in understanding abstract concepts and forming convincing arguments. After three years of learning with Anar, I not only built up my skills and knowledge in college level writing but also interest in appreciating poetry and literature. My lessons with Anar have undoubtedly contributed to improving my school grade, constructing a strong Common App essay, and enhancing my ability as a student learning writing. I sincerely feel grateful to have the opportunity to meet Anar, as her passion and wisdom shaped my understanding of how intriguing English can be.”

Jack Shi says:

“School English is very different from English is what I have found. After going to Anar, the door to literature, poetry, and different genres of writing have been opened for me. She has exposed us to the full diversity and richness of the English language. With Anar, I have learned that the five-paragraph essay is not the sole definition of English, and that even to write one there are still many ways to do it. I used to be a very slow writer. Now I feel confident writing in class essays and ideas, examples and connections come to me much faster. Therefore, Anar has not only helped me see English through different eyes she has also improved my mark in school, and my confidence as a writer. Anar teaches with a vibrant energy and shares her passion for English with her students.”

Olivia Lau says:

“Seven years ago, I struggled and feared to have to do anything related to writing. Meeting and learning with Anar helped to make that fear disappear, as she walked me through the process of writing. She also introduced me to many works of literature – poetry, short stories, music, and autobiographies – that helped to kindle a passion for the arts in me. Through her distinctive methods of teaching, Anar was able to lift me to reach achievements that went beyond the limitations of a high school English class. I have become more confident in my writing ability and have challenged myself to take difficult writing courses in university. I am very thankful for having the opportunity to learn with her and to be able to flourish under her guidance.”

Grace Gao says:

“My son was with Dr. Anar for three years. He has made tremendous progress in both close reading and essay composition. His achievement in English study helped him build up confidence in this new country and in the top private school. Anar is expressively eloquent, smartly thoughtful, and professionally ethical. She is kind, patient, yet strict and down to the point. She has developed an efficient methodology to help kids write. As an English literature lover, myself, I took the opportunity to read her assignments and recommended readings to my son, I couldn’t admire more of her taste and width in the selection of writing. She really knows her field well.”

Henry Shi says:

“I have been a student of Anar’s for some time, but every class I always learn something new. She is an extremely passionate educator, with a sincere love of literature that she tries her best to share with her students. She has a clear plan for every student and delivers it in a personable fashion. She picks the most interesting pieces to work with and takes her student’s work as the highest priority. She can teach structure, philosophy, the way to think, good habits, and more all at the same time. Her ability to educate is truly remarkable, and my respect for her is unspeakably high. Anar always puts 100 percent into her teaching, and is understanding and considerate, along with keen and responsible. She guides students with how to think and how to express their ideas, and on the way, one can always rely on her to teach them something new about humanity once in a while. It is almost impossible to explain the enormity of her love and skill for her work.”

Kathy Chan says:

“English isn’t my first language, and I’ve always struggled in writing, especially with essays. Anar helped me overcome this barrier with efficient strategies to write essays and further explore the themes and ideas present in other works of literature. And with that, I’ve also scored the highest in my school in my English exams. What I love about her lessons is how much she truly loves what she teaches and tries to have her students share the same passion for the language arts as she does.”

Henry Hu says:

“Anar’s guidance has helped me make leaps and bounds in English writing. She methodically taught me how to organize disconnected ideas into solid support for an essay; she passionately encourages me to express my thoughts in a poetic way; she also inspires me to contemplate the theme and deeper meaning of every reading.  Anar is truly amazing.  She opens the door of language arts for her students to explore.”

Ashley Zhang says:

“Anar is very patient, resourceful, and organized. More importantly, her teaching style is different from any other teacher I have met. She has her own system of teaching but very flexible, so it suits all students with different levels of writing skill. Anar also presents amazing articles, essays, poem, writers, poets, and other literature to students each class that broadens students’ knowledge and interest. I become much more confident with deep and in-class writing after learning writing with Anar and became one of the top English students in my class during my last year of high school.”

Winnie Guo says:

“Other than a teacher, I would also like to describe Anar as an inspirational instructor. She does not teach straight rules, but rather, provides a variety of literatures and techniques so that she could discover which way of learning fits each student the best. Her class is truly an eye-opening experience, as what is learnt in her class can never be obtained in school. She leads us to realize our own individual understanding of literature and poetry and teaches us how to best convey our ideas through writing. Through completing several semesters, my essay writing skills, school grade, and understanding of poetry and classics have all improved dramatically. Anar has truly shown me an entire new portal of understanding literature.”

Sharon Yu says:

“Anar is an amazing teacher. My eldest daughter learned with her for two years and successfully admitted by Cornell University. Anar teaches the students not only English, but also critical thinking, and the understanding of English Literature. We are so lucky to have Anar. Last year, my second daughter started learning with Anar, and she has already made much improvement. Passion is very important and Anar has so much of this!”

Jessica Chen says:

I’ve been told countless times to write about how components in a piece of writing ‘show’, ‘tell’, ‘convey’, or ‘demonstrate.’ From the very first class, Anar used a different word when we discussed literary elements: ‘illuminate.’ However, writers’ artistic intentions weren’t the only things that were illuminated throughout our classes. Lights inside my mind became brighter, illuminating the paths of my learning with sparks of inspiration and genuine appreciation for the English language. Then there were the darker paths, vaguely outlined by the new sources of light we discovered in class. Anar helped me find these paths as well: the paths I never knew existed, the paths that hid creatures of curiosity and excitement for the unknown.Put simply, Anar, with her elegant, powerful, and poetic teaching, illuminated.

“The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the thresholds of your own mind.”  – Khalil Gibran