Private French Lessons

Private and small-group lessons for grades 4–9, built on the belief that language learning should feel like an adventure — not a source of anxiety.

Learning a language asks a child to do something genuinely brave: to sound imperfect, out loud, in front of other people, over and over. That's an especially big ask during the middle years (grades 6–9). The students who thrive aren't necessarily the "naturally gifted" ones — they're the ones who feel safe enough to take the risks.

That's what I build first: a warm, low-pressure environment where mistakes are simply part of the process. From there, we go beyond grammar drills into what actually makes French come alive — culture, music, film, history, and real curiosity.

If your child has had a rough experience with French before — a bad year, a scary teacher, a mark or any experience that made them decide "I'm just not good at French" — that's often exactly where we start. Helping a student let go of that story is half the work.

A note on Credentials
A highly experienced French teacher with over 22 years in the classroom, 19 of them at The York School, plus Special Education training that helps identify whether a struggle is about the language itself or something else entirely going on for a student.

Why this matters to me

I believe teaching a language is really teaching open-mindedness, perspective-taking, and empathy — qualities that build character and feel more needed in our world right now than ever. French is just the vehicle.