The Italian Language Course at GZAAT!

Many students have expressed complaints about the lack of foreign languages being taught in our school. Not to worry, GZAAT now offers to teach Italian to seniors! Khatuna Tskhadadze created a five-month-long Italian language course: it will last the entire second semester. While the course existed before covid, it has just now been renewed by Miss Khatuna. She says that even though the time is limited, if the students do all the work required, they can master the language at a basic level in a matter of months.

The reason behind making this course was the significant interest expressed by the GZAAT students to learn Italian, among other languages. Some simply want to learn a new language, while others want join because they plan to continue their studies at Italian universities. Even though the programs they want are offered in English, some universities still require a basic knowledge of the language. Other than that, it’s good to be able to communicate with the citizens of the country students plan to study and live in.

But for some, the motivation is different. Nanuka Sturua, a senior taking this class says, “I chose to enroll in the Italian course because, first of all, I’ve always loved learning new languages and thought it would be fun. Another one of the reasons is the current seniors’ trip to Italy which is planned in March. I feel like knowing a bit of Italian will make the trip more enjoyable and interesting.”

Though the meetings have started only recently, the students seem to already be enjoying them. Nanuka describes the lessons as “fun, not too tiring, very educational, and fast-paced.” She also told us a little about how the classes are going so far. “The course is not that hard, to be honest. Italian is a very logic-based and easy-to-learn language. Although, learning any new language, of course, still takes dedication, time, and effort. Miss Khatuna is a very considerate teacher, so she is doing a great job at regulating the difficulty level of the course,” she says.

Before Miss Khatuna was hired as an English teacher, she taught Italian at our school. While as a second language, she knew English, she chose to learn Italian as her third. She was lucky enough to work with Italian companies early on, which helped her further master the language. Afterwards, she also taught Italian language and literature at a university for several years. She gained great experience teaching the language and is happy to continue doing it now as well. She is planning on offering the course next year if the interest remains.

Nanuka Sturua says: “I would definitely suggest joining this course if anyone is planning on studying in, or simply visiting Italy, or is generally interested in learning a new language.” Sadly, the course is only available to seniors, but Miss Khatuna hopes that in the future, it will be accessible to all.

Italian is just the beginning. We hope that our school will offer other languages in the near future.

Edited by: Natalie Gordadze