Josipa’s passion: helping students grow through language

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A warm welcome from Davor

Josipa was born and raised in a village called Davor, near the Bosnian border. Despite having just around 2,000 residents, Davor brims with community spirit and cultural pride. After her studies in Zagreb, she returned home, drawn by the village’s inviting atmosphere and the chance to give back to the place that shaped her upbringing.

She began her teaching journey by instructing Croatian to international students and taking on German lessons in primary schools. These early experiences inspired her to become the encouraging, hands-on educator she is today, focusing on patience, perseverance, and personal growth in every class.

From Zagreb to online classrooms

Initially, Josipa’s day involved corralling energetic children for 45-minute after-school sessions. Despite the challenge of capturing tired pupils’ attention, she discovered that adaptability and gentle guidance could bring a whole new level of engagement to the classroom.

Beyond her work with children, Josipa taught adults hailing from India, Russia, Ukraine, and France. Juggling multiple languages – Croatian, German, and English – kept her on her toes, but she found the variety exhilarating. In her eyes, each lesson is an opportunity to expand horizons – for herself and for her students.

Therapy through conversation

Josipa never explicitly planned on becoming a teacher. It was only after witnessing how genuine connections form through language learning that she realised the profession was her calling. Rather than fixate solely on grammar, she favours a nurturing approach, blending structured lessons with open discussions about life, culture, and personal experiences.

This holistic style fosters confidence in learners of all ages. As students relax into casual conversations, they naturally sharpen their comprehension and fluency – allowing them to make meaningful strides in speaking the language. Her classes become a shared space where everyone’s personal story has its place.

Unexpected surprises and cultural insights

Among her many teaching memories is a moment when she expected a female student, only to find a gentleman signing in. The amusing misunderstanding broke the ice from the start and reminded Josipa to stay flexible in her assumptions.

She also enjoys highlighting Croatia’s linguistic variety, where each region – from Dalmatia to Zagorje – carries its own dialectal flair. In her view, no learner should worry about absolute perfection when even native speakers grapple with local expressions. After all, she says, the real goal is mutual understanding.

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From boxing bags to ballads

When Josipa isn’t teaching, she’s often decompressing in her home gym – complete with weights and a punch bag. Physical exercise, paired with listening to music ranging from local Croatian bands to timeless regional rock, keeps her energised for her lessons.

Josipa’s story reminds us that teaching is a shared endeavour – one where both educator and student discover new facets of language and culture. Whether she’s helping someone navigate the intricacies of Croatian grammar or swapping travel tales between lessons, her dedication to open communication remains at the heart of everything she does.