Mixing Pleasure and Business

One week in sunny April, I was invited to attend WICE's French 1 Beginner language course.  Below is my experience as a student for a day with Muriel Lunetta.

Among countless of French classes in the nation’s capital, how does one choose? There are countless of things to consider: size of class, costs, level, and certification, not to mention the humanistic criteria that can’t help but creep into one’s psyche whenever signing up for something new and unfamiliar. 

Although usually classified as “secondary criteria”, these “humanistic” metrics tend to be the most defining characteristic of our experiences and manage to define whether or not we repeat an action.  Have you ever gotten a negative vibe from walking down a street in Paris?  When this happens to me, I seldom return to it, and if I do, it’s months after this has happened.

Personally, I yearn for comfort, friendliness, and a generally welcoming atmosphere whenever walking into something new – a job, a class, or a party.  Meeting Muriel Lunetta at WICE’s French 1 Beginners course left nothing to be desired.  Last week, I attended her class as a special guest.  It was equipped with five chipper and keen students, one professor, patient yet commanding of her craft, and workbooks and textbooks.

From the moment I walked in, jokes were flying and the ladies were exchanging pleasantries.  I felt as if I was at a social event!  Muriel turns every question into both an educational experience as well as a practice in self-reflection.  She pushes each student to speak in French, no matter their level, and patiently corrects them if need be. 

I have attended my fair share of French courses, in Paris and various other cities.  The care of personal attention that I witnessed in WICE’s French course was unparalleled.  Each person in the class was familiar with the others, which explains why students were keen to help each other out. 

Social aspects aside, it is worth nothing the instructor’s capabilities.  Muriel Lunetta earned her Master’s in Arts in French as a Foreign Language from none other than the Sorbonne.  She boasts more than twenty years in foreign language teaching experience. When searching for a way to practice your French in a convivial, approachable ambiance, look no further than WICE. 

WICE offers a range of language courses as well as French-English conversation groups, year-round, at every level and background. Find out more about the WICE Language Department here.