About Stéphanie Berton
My story began
with one word.
I'm Stéphanie—a qualified native French teacher, an author, and a lifelong learner. My love of language began as a little girl in the French countryside, long before I became a teacher.
Over the years, that curiosity took me from elementary and special education to independent teaching, university research, and a college classroom in California. It also brought me back to writing—the passion that began with my first word.
Today, I bring those experiences together at My Private French Class, sharing French with children, adults, seniors, and families whose learning journeys are all different.
“At five, I wanted to learn to write. Today, helping people discover their own paths is still what drives me.”
2001
2009
Independent education business founded in France
New teaching chapter in California
15 years
In the U.S.
before returning
to France
The pages of my story
A journey shaped by curiosity.
The moments that shaped me as a learner, educator, researcher, author—and the person behind My Private French Class.
01
Childhood
in France
It all began with lune.
I grew up in the countryside of west-central France. At five, I had had enough of finger painting at school. I wanted to learn to write. My teacher told me to wait until I was older, so I found another way.
At my grandmother's home near Paris, my father taught me my first written word: lune—the moon.
By eight, I was writing poems and stories and, one Christmas, received the typewriter I had dreamed of.
I loved discovering new things and reviewed my school lessons again and again, always hoping for the best grades. But around eleven, the traditional school system began to take away my enjoyment of learning. I wished I could be homeschooled and learn differently.
Ages 5–11
That is when I decided I wanted to teach—and make room for different learners.
02
Children &
education
Teaching children was a calling.
In my early twenties, I trained to work in children's school-break and after-school care programs. I also spent a year volunteering to help children with their homework—especially children from economically challenged families and homes where French was not the native language.
After earning a bachelor's degree in English, I trained for elementary education in order to work as a special education teacher. I wanted to support children with different needs, not ask them all to succeed in exactly the same way.
When the positions I had prepared for were eliminated within the French national education system, I chose to build my own path. In 2001, I opened my independent educational business in France.
I worked with gifted children, students with unique ways of learning or health-related challenges, and adults resuming their education or preparing for new careers.
Adapting to their needs and specific situations was the biggest lesson I learned as I teacher. Paying close attention to their mistakes taught me so much about how the learning process functions.
Before 2001
My work with children has always been central—not an addition to my French classes.
“I didn't stop looking for a different way to learn. I made room for one.”
From the student to the teacher
03
University
& research
A teacher who never stopped learning.
As an adult in France, my curiosity led me back to university to complete a master's degree in French with a focus on research. My research mentors praised the originality of my topics and the quality of my analysis.
What excited me most was exploring questions that had received little attention and looking for possibilities others had not yet considered. Research became another way of following the curiosity I had felt as a child.
New questions
04
A new
chapter
From children's first words to college finals.
In 2009, I moved to the United States and reopened my teaching business, sharing French language and culture with learners of all ages. I also taught French through the Murrieta Recreation Center, offering classes for both children and seniors.
As a community college French professor, I taught students from a wide range of backgrounds. I didn't simply deliver lessons: I wrote course syllabi, set learning objectives, designed final examinations, and graded the results.
California · 2009
01 / SYLLABI
Planning course objectives and the standards students were expected to meet.
02 / FINALS
Writing examinations that evaluated what students had learned.
03 / GRADING
Assessing student responses, progress, and academic performance.
This firsthand experience helps me prepare students for academic expectations—and help younger learners build strong foundations for high school and college.
Official language exams, including DELF and TCF, have their own criteria; I prepare students with attention to the particular requirements of the exam they are taking.
05
Writing
& books
From my first typewriter to my own books.
Once in The US, I was struck by how few French self-learning books were available to the general public. I decided to create the resources I wanted learners to have.
I developed the My Private French Class and My French Passport™ book series, organizing learning content differently from traditional textbooks. I carefully crafted individual books and mapped them together so readers could follow a connected learning experience.
Writing has always been more than a pastime to me. It is part of how I explore, structure, and share what I discover.
The author
My Private French ClassGrammar & Conjugation · Level 1
My French Passport
Reading & Comprehension
Level 1 · Level 2
My French Word Search Puzzles
Les Vacances
From my bookshelves ✳ Published editions
06
Beyond the classroom
Helping has always mattered.
For my husband and me, helping others is important.
In California, we trained to become a foster family.
We also fostered animals, offering a caring place when it was needed.
Compassion, patience, and respect for individual circumstances are values we carry into everyday life.
07
The journey continues
Back to France. Still discovering.
After fifteen years in the United States, I returned to France and continued teaching.
I now share the language and culture of the Catalan Mediterranean region where I live.
After writing articles for a regional newspaper, I also continue to write portraits of entrepreneurs—discovering the stories and people behind their businesses.
Whether I'm teaching or writing, I always begin with the person.
And now, your journey
Every person has a story.
Every journey is different.
From a five-year-old determined to write her first word to the teacher, researcher, and author I am today, I have never stopped learning, questioning, and creating new paths.
That curiosity is still at the heart of My Private French Class. The detailed story of how I turn it into personal French lessons continues on my Portrait & Atelier page.
Bienvenue, Stéphanie
MY PRIVATE FRENCH CLASS
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Every journey begins with a portrait.
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DELF & TCF
MyPrivateFrenchClass.com
Immersion in France
Stéphanie Berton ·
Qualified native French teacher & author
Creator of My French Learning Portrait