L'Institut français d'Oak Park - French Institute of Oak Park — Local services in Oak Park

Stacy's class has been a delight so far, and I can't wait to continue my studies after this session! My new year's resolution for 2018 was to truly commit to either Spanish or French and make as much movement towards fluency as is possible in a non-immersion environment. With 4 years of high school Spanish plus off & on self-study for years, French did not seem like the most practical choice for me initially (only a year in college by comparison) but I'm so glad I discovered her class. Having an comfortable, low-key environment in which to actually engage in conversation, fluidly ask questions where they arise, instead of being drilled with vocab and verb conjugations is huge, and I'm ready to keep going with it! I only wish that some of my previous classes years ago were taught in this manner, with an emphasis on listening and speaking instead of reading and writing. It's definitely work to struggle through attempting to communicate and often failing (I imagine it's how my preschooler feels sometimes) but the moments when it clicks are wonderful. If you're even a little bit interested in learning French/more French I highly encourage you to take one of Stacy's classes. She's created a warm, relaxed environment and is so supportive, knowledgeable, and...

April 2024: Edited to add how much I have enjoyed the new class format! It allows everyone to go at his/her own pace. There is so much support both inside and outside the classroom. I am so happy with my progress. Stacy is such a wonderful teacher. I never thought I could go this far learning a language!

I have been thinking about joining Institut français d'Oak Park for a while, but my fear of feeling lost kept me away (my four years of high school French being forgotten a long ago). Wow. I am so glad I put those fears to rest and signed up. Stacy Fife had us speaking French in a matter of minutes in the first class. I absolutely love her teaching method - the easy pace at which we learn things, the conversational types of things we are learning, and the intimacy of the small class size. Stacy is a fantastic teacher, completely approachable and patient and fun! I highly recommend this class to anyone who either has never taken a French class before or is...

I'm so glad I found the Intermediate French Culture and Conversation class! I never studied French formally, but grew up hearing it, so I wasn't sure what kind of class I would fit into. I wasn't looking for a traditional language class structure, since I mostly wanted to work on conversation without getting bogged down in grammar details. The "culture" topics have been so interesting and cover a wide range of subjects. We've discussed current news events in France, medieval French legends, the Theatre of the Absurd... It runs the gamut! The in-class exercises are fun, useful, and low-key. If you're a curious person in general who loves to learn new things, it's definitely worth it. The teachers do a good job of making everyone feel comfortable, too, and I have never felt intimidated if I didn't understand something or said something incorrectly. Also, it's a great space and a practical location. I highly recommend this class, this school, and...