Natasha has taught Russian for over twenty years, first in Ukraine and now in the U.S. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Linguistics and a Master's Degree and has attended many teaching conferences and seminars. In the process, she has learned much from her colleagues. Before beginning her career as an author, Natasha was a head teacher, observing countless lessons. In this capacity, she provided feedback to the teachers on improving their lessons, and to the students on how they could best benefit from the program.
As a teacher, Natasha watched students struggle to learn Russian from complex textbooks that presented too much too quickly. The students had no time to internalize the information. She soon began to develop her own way of presenting the material, and realized that there is a very simple method of learning any language: divide the complicated material into simple pieces, and master it step-by-step.
Natasha's years of experience have culminated in a book series of her own - Russian Step by Step. The books are easy to follow, and, at the same time, they teach real Russian. In RSBS books, students will find dialogues from everyday life, exercises to help master those dialogues, and texts to help remember them.
The series has branches for both adults and children. The adult series is aimed at non-Russian speakers who want to learn either alone, or with the help of a teacher. The many hours of audio included with the books help students to learn proper Russian pronunciation.
The children's series is aimed at bilingual kids, or those whose Russian-speaking parents or grandparents want them to both understand and communicate in Russian. The books take into consideration the specifics of this audience and make sure the kids have fun while learning.
Originally from Russia, Anna has a Bachelor's in Education and Linguistics from Moscow State Pedagogical University in Moscow, and a Master's Degree in International and Interactive Communication from University of Lille 1, IAE Business School in Lille, France. Anna speaks fluent Russian, English, and French and also knows some Spanish, German, Japanese and Italian. Her education, work experience and many years of teaching and tutoring both in the actual classroom and online help her understand the needs of students as well as the design, management, and promotion of language courses, textbooks, and learning materials.
As a voice actor Anna has contributed many tracks to the audio components of this course and you can see her in the videos as the lead teacher. Anna is very interested in supporting and promoting the study of the Russian language, as well as introducing Russia's language and culture to a variety of people worldwide.
If you notice any issues or mistakes in the digital or audio components, are interested in reviewing Russian Step By Step Series or in purchasing large quantities, please contact Anna.
Ellen (Elena Andreeva) credits her Russian parents for making Russian her first language even though she was born in Germany. After her family emigrated to the U.S., her mother made sure Ellen learned Russian grammar at the same time she learned English. This would have been even more fun if RSBS books had been available then!
Ellen still speaks Russian, though English is her primary language now. She also has a working knowledge of French and Spanish. Ellen’s education includes a J.D. from Hastings College of Law in San Francisco. Her colorful work history includes serving in the U.S. Army as a journalist, operating an oil refinery plant, delivering mail, collecting taxes, auditing recipients of government contracts, providing library services to children, and teaching English. She has been editing other people’s writing for many years.
Ellen is proudest of having a daughter who loves to travel and who is now using RSBS materials to learn the Russian her mother and grandmother never taught her. In fact, Ellen’s search for easy-to-understand Russian-language materials for her daughter is what led her to RSBS.
Elena was born in the city of Omsk in Siberia and has loved drawing all her life. She decided early on that her profession must include pencils and paint brushes. So she became a graphic designer and then an illustrator.
Now Elena works at a design studio in Moscow, mainly with acrylics and oils. Vector characters for books and magazines she dreams up at home after work.
Elena says that she has really enjoyed working on the RSBS project, and hopes that her drawings will help you to learn Russian.
Oleg was born in St. Petersburg, Russian, and is a regular contributor to RSBS - you hear his voice on the audio.
Before coming to the U.S., Oleg worked as a stage director at the "Chyomaya Kuritsa" theatre in St. Petersburg. He now works in security and spends his free time teaching children drama and acting skills at "Skazka", a Russian theater in Walnut Creek, California.
Olga Glenn is originally from St. Petersburg and has a degree in psychology. Since immigrating to the U.S. Olga has taught small children, in a Russian Immersion program. As a new mother, she now enjoys staying at home with her son, while providing customer support to the Russian Step by Step website and publishing.
Olga is an active and outgoing person and enjoys many hobbies including reading, modeling, following the latest fashion trends and meeting new people. Her photo here is from one of the shoots she did in St. Petersburg. If you have received an email from us, you have most likely communicated with Olga already. Please email to info@russianstepbystep.com if you need any support.
Irka graduated from the Moscow College of Animation Cinematography, and up until now was busy doing static illustrations. While her hands-on experience is mostly in magazine illustration, she is continually searching for material for her projected fairy-tale book. Moving from Russia to Israel to Canada, she finally settled in a beautiful city of Montreal.
Irka participated in an illustration project "33 Tales", that was granted the "Best Art Book Award" in 2006, and in an advertising company promoting new settlements in Israel. Recently she had her debut as a decoration and costume designer for a theatre studio of the University of Toronto.
In her leisure time, Irka is a toymaker and master of many different crafts. Her toys have found homes in many different countries.
Russian Step By Step is one of her first freelance projects and definitely one of her favorite ones. As she says, RSBS gives her a unique opportunity to look at the same picture from different sides.
Don earned his Ph.D. From the University of Pennsylvania. During his academic career, he was Director of an Arkansas university's Russian-American exchange program and served as a Visiting Professor at Moscow State Pedagogical University. In addition to his teaching in international politics, he has served as a college dean in Arkansas and vice president for academic affairs in South Dakota. He has had more than seventy articles published.
Having (somewhat) learned Russian, while in his forties, via informal tutoring by visiting Russian professors and students, he understands the need for Russian Step by Step for those without this opportunity. This has been recently reinforced, as when reading aloud in Russian to his two-year-old granddaughter, she felt the need to correct him. Currently, Don is a Fellow at the McGovern Center for Leadership and Public Service.
A cum laude graduate of Mount Union College in Ohio, Trilla majored in both history and political science. Her avocation of the subsequent years has been the study of British social and political history and of European royal and noble genealogy.
She has held a variety of positions, all of which included components of writing and editing. Married to Dr. Don Watt for the past forty-two years, she has also been the unpaid editor of a great number of academic papers and articles.
It is Trilla's belief that the study of languages is vital to the education of anyone. Even those who never become fluent in a language other than their own will learn a great deal which will help them to understand and use their native tongue.
JoAnne has a Masters’ degree in English and taught ESL at the high school, college and university levels. She has also done a great deal of editing, proofreading and translating official reports, academic manuscripts, and other documents. JoAnne loves languages and is fluent in French. She also speaks some Persian. JoAnne is well-traveled and lived in Europe and India for several years.
JoAnne says that she has gained some good friends while working on the Russian Step By Step project.
Anna Alexeeva is a freelance artist living in the East Bay area of California since 2010. She was born in Minsk, Belarus.
Hanna’s main focus is graphic design and illustration, but she also has a passion for fine arts. She loves to experiment with any medium that can bring her ideas to life, from digital pen to oil.
Hanna loves to study the world and view things from different perspectives, finding something special in everyday life and enjoying simple things. In her free time, Hanna enjoys reading and spending time with her family. Some of her hobbies include painting, yoga, camping, and snowboarding.