What most students and adults want when they study a language is to be able to speak it. From the very fist class you will be hearing French. I will not, of course, leave you in the dust! There will be explanations in English as needed. By the time I finish you will feel at ease saying many things in French. I will be your biggest cheerleader.
I have spent three years of my life in France, I understand the culture and speak the language fluently. I am qualified to work with beginners as well as those taking the AP French exam and those continuing French in college. My experience has been in private schools and university.
I feel my summers at Middlebury College in the early 80's, working on my Masters degree, had the greatest influence on my teaching. When a student arrives for the 7 week session, the first thing is to sign a contract in which one commits to speaking only French the whole time. It is quite easy to do, for students are in dorms with others studying French and everyone eats together. ADD MORE
In the school year '85-'86 I was a Fulbright Exchange teacher in Brittany where I taught English in a "college" - Middle School. It was during that year when I feel I became a fluent speaker of French
I created a summer month-long study-homestay program in Rouen, Normandy in the 90's and regularly took a group of 12-15 students. They stayed with families we had chosen and took classes at the Alliance Française (in French) in the mornings; in the afternoons there were "field trips" to reinforce what had been covered in the morning. One day each week we went farther - ie to Le Mont St. Michel, Giverny, Caen, Normandy Beaches, Etretat, Honfleur, and Bayeux. My students returned to the USA speaking quite good French.
I have been fortunate to have also lived in the Middle East. In the 60's I lived in Saudi Arabia for five years. My husband's parents,professors at the American University of Beirut, were wonderful in helping me navigate and understand the area. This was before the War and when Beirut was considered the Paris of the Middle East. My language acquisition was enriched and broadened every time I was there. For at that time, all educated Lebanese spoke French.
In the past several years I have used film as an integral part of my teaching. The French are superb film makers. I teach a French Film class every summer at Chautauqua, NY during the nine week season. Film is an excellent vehicle for learning a language and improving one's capacity for expression. First of all,there is something to talk about! I give enough vocabulary at the beginning to get started. As the film progresses, the list of words and expressions grow. By the end of the film we are incorporating most it. I feel as though it is creating, composing a musical composition.
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