Testimonials
To me, a teacher is someone who takes your hand to show you the way. They accompany you on your journey and equip you with tips and new ideas. They are your map and compass, steering you back on course when you lose your way. They have the patience to answer even the dumbest questions in a calm and constructive manner and don't mind repeating themselves. A good teacher always considers the pupil's current level and praises or criticizes them accordingly. A teacher should have empathy and the ability to put themselves in their pupil's shoes. In my eyes Ben demonstrates all of the qualities that constitute my definition of a real "teacher." He's really patient, flexible and adaptable.
Erik: English Instructor, 3-Kyu Go Player
Ben is an amazing Go teacher with an expansive knowledge not only in beginning, middle, and ending phases of the game, but also useful tesuji that many of your opponents won’t know. With help from him, I improved my rank from 3 kyu to 1 dan. I have always been apprehensive to take lessons of any kind with anyone, but Ben is also the kind of person you can get comfortable with and be friends! That to me is very important between students and teachers. Plus, if you happen to have an easy question that needs to be answered about homework or something that happened in a game, he’s good at responding. If you haven’t had a lesson with him yet, your game is suffering.
Austin: 2-Dan Go Player
I had the pleasure of knowing Ben when he was working as a Go / Weiqi teacher for Golden Key Cultural Center. Ben is an excellent Go / Weiqi teacher; he is very patient with kids and his teaching is easy to understand. He is also very dedicated to the game of Go. When he was teaching our summer camp, he always made sure all the students understood the lesson's material before moving on. We had many students and parents who were very satisfied with Ben's teaching.
Joanna: Marketing and Outreach Coordinator, Children's Go Class Instructor
Ben is an excellent teacher. In the short time I took lessons from him my knowledge and skills skyrocketed. He's always open to answer any question I fire at him or give me extra exercises. He shows great understanding of the game and how to improve in it.
Giovanni: Software Developer, 5-Kyu Go Player
When the Toronto Go Club decided to start hosting beginner Go classes alongside its usual weekly meetings, Ben Mantle was instrumental in its success. He was responsible for running the Go classes and he prepared learning materials, taught the classes and also promoted the club’s activities. Without him the Go classes would not have been as popular. He can also be counted on by the Toronto Go Club for its various outreach activities such as staffing the Go demo tables at Anime North every year.
Johnny: President of the Toronto Go Club