“Valerie has helped instill a love for the French language in my boys (ages 7 and 10). We initially met Valerie when she was the full time teacher for the lower grades at our elementary school. Once she started her consulting business, we thought it would be a nice way to reinforce at home what they were learning at school. It has been that and more! She is very conscientious about checking in with their current teacher each week to understand their curriculum, and she helps them learn it through new, fun teaching methods. She also builds on the school curriculum to deepen their understanding and comfort level. The thought of learning French once stirred up feelings of nervousness, but both of my sons now truly look forward to their weekly tutoring! And what’s more, they go into their school classroom with more confidence and excitement. Valerie is warm and so talented with children. She brings a bag of games and learning tools and my husband and I look on with a little bit of envy as they all sit around smiling and, well, speaking in French! “
Emily L.
“Ms. Valérie is an excellent teacher. She’s currently tutoring my 8 & 5 years old children and they’re looking forward to every session with her. She has a special way of engaging them with songs, games, stickers and stories which makes learning more fun. Every session, they work on handouts and after I get to review the materials with them. We love her so much that we’re currently waiting to add another day with Valerie if her schedule opens up. I’ve been looking for a French tutor for a really long time and so glad I’ve found Ms. Valérie!”
Elle
“We have had several tutors over the past 2 years teach our daughter the French home-school curriculum (Centre National d’Education à Distance). We can full-heartedly attest that Valérie is absolutely the best. Three times a week for the past 6 months, Valérie has consistently captivated our 7-year-old daughter’s attention for the full 2-hour lesson without a single break. And Valérie is perfectly punctual to boot, even with early morning starts. Valérie will not disappoint, she is a true professional, you are in amazing hands!“
Lucien L.
“We cannot recommend Madame Genc enough! If you’re thinking of French tutoring for your children look no further! She’s been teaching our son (9years old) and daughter (6 years old) for a couple of months now on a weekly basis. She is always on time and smiling! Our kids love her lessons and look forward to them!! She’s fun with them, she plays games and draws to further emphasize the words and the visual association. We will be continuing for as long as we can!”
Zoe D.
“I’ve been taking French lessons once a week with Valerie for about 2 months now. Before we were even able to start I was really impressed and grateful that she was so flexible about location, though that didn’t end up being immediately relevant as we began lessons the week shelter in place orders went into effect.
Before coming to Valerie I had taken lessons at CCSF and two other group class centers. Although that was good for learning the very basics, I felt I needed to commit to private lessons if I wanted to really improve and get more practice and feedback communicating in French. It was certainly a great decision and my weekly lessons with Valerie are a highlight of my week. We are making our way through a textbook and workbook that she scans and sends to me. Valerie also frequently spends a little extra time on our lessons to finish at a logical place. I very quickly felt comfortable trying out my French in conversation and she’s very patient with me as I navigate new words and expressions. It’s still early in our time together but I’m very optimistic that I’ll continue to improve!
I very much recommend Valerie!”
Mary A.
“Valérie is truly awesome and everything I expect from a tutor and more. She is a native French speaker and taught French in her native Switzerland before moving to SF. She can work with learners of French as a foreign language, as well as native francophones.
My three children (ages 4, 10 and 12) have been doing weekly lessons with her for the past 6 months. Valérie is always very well-organized, runs lesson time very efficiently and has gone above and beyond in helping my daughters participate in a French contest and in recommending books and other French ressources. She adapts very well to different ages and abilities. My 3 children connect with her very well and really like her.
I’m sure she would also be a great tutor for adults. I recommend her without any hesitation.”
Kat. C
“I have been taking French lessons with Valérie for nearly 2 months and I have always found the classes enjoyable! She is immensely patient when it comes to teaching the language and gives appropriate examples during class. A core part of the lessons is the homework and the constant guidance she provides while working through them! Valérie is immensely thorough with the material and she goes above and beyond to assist fluent learning and comprehension. I highly recommend!”
Prithiv N.
“Valérie is an experienced and incredibly gifted teacher who makes learning French fun for our 5 year-old daughter. Valérie engages her with games and songs, and I am amazed at how much our daughter learns and retains each week. She is learning through playing, which she loves. Our daughter’s only complaint is that each one-hour lesson is too short- she says she wishes it was two hours! Time flies when learning French with Valérie.“
Leah Keller
“Valerie is an excellent teacher for adults who want to learn conversational French. She uses a workbook to ensure a logical progression of grammar instruction, but initiates conversations each week that require listening to real spoken French and encourage appropriate-level responses. While I was preparing for a trip to France, Valerie’s conversations often involved questions about getting from one place to another, restaurants, menus, making reservations and so forth. Valerie paces and shapes her lessons and homework to the interests of her students. She is always positive and extremely patient. I’ve loved every hour I’ve spent learning with Valerie. I believe you will, too. “
Nancy J.
“Valerie is thoughtful and perfect for our family! highly recommend her.”
Shamala H.
“I would’ve given her more stars if I could. She’s very knowledgeable and is very good at teaching French. I felt like I learned more with her in 2 months than I had in 2 years of studying French at my highschool. She’s a great teacher, very kind, and is very amiable. Learning with her was a pleasure.”
Honore P.
“Valérie has made my experience as an adult French learner very enjoyable. Our lessons begin with a one-on-one conversation in French about different topics each week. These conversations are a highlight for me, as having real conversations in the language are a crucial part of learning that I lacked when I had previously used only learning apps or other online resources. What’s more is that Valérie provides responsive feedback during the lessons, and records the phrases or parts of speech with which I struggle the most. This has helped my personal study time outside of lessons become much more effective.”
Andrew S.
“I learned french in college and can speak like a 10 year old, but I was sorely in need of reconnecting with the language and upping my vocabulary and usage. Discovering that Valérie was willing to help me with all of these goals through one-on-one classes was just the perfect opportunity for me to get a break from regular work and rediscover my love for french and everything francophone. Valérie and I met for weekly one-hour one-on-one sessions for many months and it was one of the best ways to spend a Friday evening. Every week she would pick an article (usually about a current event, such as the gilet jaune protests or a famous baking competition) and I would read the article and watch an accompanying video. We would then spend the hour both discussing the article and difficult vocabulary and phrases, as well as just having a regular conversation about our week and current events. I had a lot of fun — Valérie was a really patient and creative teacher and a fun conversationalist. She also made detailed notes about all of my mistakes which was a super valuable resource for me going forward. She really cares about her students being engaged with what they’re learning, and if you are looking for a patient, caring, creative and fun french teacher you can’t do better than Valérie!!“
Abhishek N.
“I have studied French over many years with many French teachers and think Valérie is among the best. Indeed, she is exceptional. No matter how hard the student works to learn French, Valérie works harder to teach it. You can not do better by having Valérie as your French teacher.”
Mary P.
“Valerie is a wonderful teacher and a rare gem to find! Patient, kind, highly educated, very pleasant and with calm demeanor, extremely knowledgeable and always with a smile on her face; she has many different strategies that she customizes for a student and a student will progress quickly in the course of her lectures. We were always looking forward to spend an hour with her. We highly recommend Valerie and could not imagine anyone else to have as a teacher! If you get lucky to have her as a teacher, that’s all you would need to learn French. She is a true sweetheart and a delight! “
Amy
“Valérie is an expert teacher of French, and I was fortunate that she was my French tutor for half a year. Valérie easily individualized her tutoring to my french level and interests. Her professionalism, warmth, and regard for her tutees makes learning french with her a pleasure. Thanks to Valérie, my conversational french improved quickly. I highly recommend working with Valérie.“
Chad K.
“Valerie is an excellent French teacher with a wonderful demeanor. She efficiently covered the material while keeping my two middle schoolers engaged. I’m grateful for her help!“
Meghan Z.
“My then 8 year old daughter struggled with French until Valerie put things in perspective for her while teaching at the school she presently attends. It was her third teacher and grammatical structure was a bit challenging for her. However, Valerie gave her the time needed for one-on-one sessions before school started. The extra 15 minutes made such a huge difference. We thank Valerie for her generous time, patience and her professional way of teaching, but most importantly for giving my daughter the confidence to raise her hands in class to participate. We miss Valerie at the school! Valerie is an excellent teacher! You will be in good hands!”
Mila, Mother of M.
“Valérie is a great teacher who helped me with my TCF exam. When I had the classes with her, she explained all the steps in the exam and how to use the right wording to express sentences better and more accurate. And also she is very well prepared teacher. Every class, she already listed what we were going to have in each section and how can I make it better after each class. That was really helpful for the person like me who would like to see the progress after period of time. If you are the person who is looking for the great and patient teacher with experience, Valérie will be a right choice for you.”
Shine Cormier
“I am so pleased to finally take the time to write this review. Valerie has been an essential support to my 16 y/o kid. We are a French speaker family and we needed a very organized, committed and dedicated tutor for our teenager. Valerie has met every expectation and more. She is an excellent tutor and is extremely dedicated to her students. She has shown infinite patience, knowledge, and commitments. She is always on time, very prepared and calm. These qualities were essential especially when our teenager was in dire difficulties with her advanced French literature class. Valerie always finds the best way to stay on track. I could not recommend her enough!
We are so blessed to have find you.
Infinite gratitude to your excellence, Valérie!“
Cleo B.
French with Valerie 