So, who is this "Sammy Sensei" fellow?
A pleasure to meet you. My name is Sammy Rugnao, though online I also go by the name "Sammy Sensei." Since I was young, I have always had a knack for helping people achieve their goals. As a high school student, I worked as both a dance instructor (tap and ballet, for the curious) as well as a math tutor. I had big plans to go into business management, but my parents told me I would be a teacher one day. I guess the joke was on me., because here I am. At the age of 25, I set out to take the hobby of learning Japanese a bit more seriously. To this end, I began teaching free Japanese classes at my local cafe. This was the start of Sammy Sensei, but little did I know it would alter the course of my life in a cascade of opportunities.
- My Meetup group managed to gain over 900 members in my area, making it the biggest Japanese learning community in the Fullerton area.
- I was asked by DuoLingo (yes, THAT DuoLingo) to host their in-person Japanese events. I gladly accepted.
- I was hired by a local college who needed a Japanese teaching program. I still teach there to this very day, the program is called ILSCA.
- After moving to Arizona, I was immediately hired by a local middle school to teach their Japanese after school program. During school hours, I worked as a special needs instructor.
- After leaving the middle school behind, I became a teacher on Outschool. I had the highest rated Japanese courses available, maintaining a near perfect 5 star rating while having 500 unique students.
Now I'm staking out on my own, looking to take what I've learned and use it to help anyone who has an excuse not to learn Japanese overcome that excuse and start enjoying this amazing language.
Okay, but what's a "Shio Kosho"..?
I'm so glad you asked! Shio and Kosho are the names of the mascots you'll be getting acquainted with when you take the course. Shio is a white rabbit, and Kosho is her younger brother. They'll be helping me teach my students Japanese by featuring in some example conversations, practice stories, and so much more. They aren't alone either, stay tuned for all kinds of new friends you're going to make when you start your lessons.
Shio Kosho: Introduction to Japanese
This should be your first stop in the world of Shio Kosho! Click on a link below to learn more about the course, or scroll down to learn more about your teacher!
A handful of happy memories
"Wait, what's with the spot that says 'Reserved?'" That's easy, once you've tried the course you're going to have some wonderful things to say too, so I'm saving you a spot!
Humble Beginnings
My first ever group of students. We had a cafe, a love of Japanese, and a sketch pad from the dollar store.
That's More Like It
Same cafe, same sketch pad, but now with a much bigger audience! We had a few more people from the Meetup group showing up, as well as some students from the DuoLingo event.
My Own Classroom!
Nothing feels nicer than having your very own work space, especially when you're used to teaching in a Panera Bread. This is the calligraphy assignment we did near the end of the year. Everyone came up with their own Japanese name and we practiced writing. Kids as young as 7 able to enjoy the language with students in their 60's.
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