OUR MISSION
My French Classes is an educational program based on a parent initiative organized within the French-speaking community of the Washington, DC metro area that aims to provide activities that:
- allow local French-speaking families to maintain French as a family and worship language while living in a predominately English-speaking environment, and
- promote the maintenance and advancement of knowledge of the French language and cultural heritage of origin of francophone visiting (e.g. as diplomats or as temporary expatriates) and immigrant families.
OUR VISION
By offering a weekly advanced educational program tailored to the specific needs of children who are French native-speakers or aspiring native-speakers and who attend English-language schools during the week, the program enables participating students to maintain the option of returning to their countries of origin, of reintegrating French-speaking educational systems, and of participating and actively contributing to their respective countries’ and religious communities while in our local area.
We strongly believe that culture and faith are primarily transmitted through language. In this context, the ability of parents to interact with their children without language barrier is essential for the children’s healthy development. The program aims to create a positive, self-reinforcing environment, so that students regard being in a French environment once a week as a highlight of their week, as a part of their identity, and remain voluntarily immersed in the culture and faith of their visiting or immigrant families.
WHAT WE DO
- My French Classes offers advanced courses that focus on reading, writing, spelling, grammar, and speaking in French.
- Classes are held in block sessions of 2.5 hours on Saturdays, 32 Saturdays per school year, following the MCPS school calendar.
- Students can arrive 15 minutes before class at the earliest and can be picked up up to 15 minutes after their class. Those 15 minutes on each side of class time are also a time for parents and students to socialize.
- Classes are taught by experienced and dedicated teachers who are native speakers who have received their academic training in a francophone country.
- Classes are held on Saturdays in Bethesda, MD near the Beltway and the I-270.
- Various events are organized throughout the year around academic, educational and parenting topics to support families and create closer ties within the French-speaking communities and parishes of our region.
- Our guiding principle is to make learning and functioning in French fun and to help participants enlarge their circle of francophone friends.
For more information, please read our annual report.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like to learn more or register your children.