La Petite Classe - Semur-en-Auxois

Lorraine Forster

La maison de Maryse à Semur était l'endroit le plus tranquille, sûr et idéal pour faire une immersion en français.

Maryse a une bonne compréhension des sujets clés et de la grammaire sur lesquels il faut se concentrer pour votre niveau individuel. En plus des cours, il y a de nombreuses occasions de parler ensemble de manière décontractée tout au long de votre séjour.

Maryse est également très généreuse en prenant le temps de vous emmener faire diverses sorties dans la région et possède une mine d'informations historiques !

En plus de tout cela, sa cuisine est incroyable ! J'ai beaucoup apprécié mon séjour et j'ai hâte d'y retourner.

jul gin

Vu la voiture sigle de votre école ce jour (22/03/23)dans le secteur Vincelle/Auxerre. Vitesse plus excessive mais surtout depassement dangereux avec franchissement de ligne blanche....

Janina Ziesche

I spent one week studying French with Maryse in Semur-en-Auxois and can highly recommend it. The little town is charming and was the perfect place to study, relax and enjoy French culture, history and food. Maryse prepared a tailored schedule that focussed on those areas (grammar, pronunciation) where I needed to improve. Apart from providing an excellent teaching and learning experience, she is also an extremely interesting interlocutor and an excellent cook and organized wonderful excursions to sights in the vicinity.

Luci Lima

A cidade medieval de Semur-en-Auxois é linda, bastante tranquila e tudo é bastante conservado. A casa de Maryse é parte de um antigo convento e conserva seu charme de imóvel histórico, além de ser confortável, sem frescuras.
Maryse é uma mulher muito culta, com milhares de histórias para contar, como bônus, também é uma ótima cozinheira.
Ela é uma pessoa peculiar, e de modo geral, é amável e acolhedora. Como professora, no entanto, é bem tradicional no relacionamento professor-aluno, ou seja, ela espera um aluno obediente. Ela é direta e não hesita em falar se você estiver pronunciando errado ou fazendo mal uso da gramática. Ela é enérgica, e isso pode ser estressante dependendo do tipo de pessoa que você é.
Recomendo estudar com ela se seu nível de francês for avançado, se você buscar aperfeiçoar a pronúncia. Esse não foi o meu caso, pois ainda preciso sistematizar estruturas gramaticais e conjugação verbal, logo não foi tão produtivo.

Ann Breen

I have always loved the French language, but was anxious to improve my knowledge and accent! How fortunate I was, to arrive in the pretty medieval town of Semur en Auxois and to take classes at La Petite Classe with Maryse! Maryse is a superb teacher with endless patience and a charming sense of humour!
Totally dedicated to her profession, she imparts her love of her native language, the culture and history of France in a most interesting, easy and fun way!
Semur en Auxois, for those who visit, offers a calmer pace of life. A safe and tranquil setting to totally immerse one’s self in the French language and lifestyle.

V Ho

A unique French immersion experience in a small, very safe medieval town awaits you! Maryse is a dynamic and very experienced teacher, providing challenging lessons, fascinating experiences exploring the surrounding area, and cultural and historical insights that will enrich your knowledge of French and France and it’s people. And in addition, she is a wonderful cook! During your free time, you will find Semur a walkable town, with a city center of shops, bistros, restaurants, even a small museum and library. Cultural events in the summer are so numerous, it’s hard to find time to fit in all your choices. Walking paths around the town and the new Parc Joly provide outdoor fun. It’s hard not to leave a little bit of your heart in Semur, grâce à Maryse et La Petite Classe!

Sandra Dombro

I have just spent an incredible two weeks with Maryse and her trusty dog Vulcan at her beautiful home (in an ancient convent) in the charming and serene city of Semur-en-Auxois. Before my stay I spoke reasonable French, but unfortunately with more than my share of bad habits accumulated over the years. I needed some help to move to a more profound level of proficiency. Maryse is a terrific teacher, and helped to focus on my own areas of weakness including grammar, vocabulary, and especially pronounciation, and offered insightful guidance about how I can continue to learn and improve. Her enthusiasm for the French language, history, and culture, were contageous. Did I mention the food?! Maryses is a wonderful cook, and she cheerful prepared two weeks-worth of delicious meatless meals to meet my needs. She also introduced me to vin de noix and a lovely apéritif à la feuille de cerise (my name for the delicious liqueur). I encourage anyone seeking a true immersion into French language and cuture in a calm, safe, and historic city to consider a stay in Semur-en-Auxois with Maryse. My time here exceeded all of my expectations.

Brenda ware jones

It was the summer of 2016, late August, when I arrived at the Montbard train station, and was met by Maryse Planel. She opened the boot of her little car, I hoisted in my suitcase, and off we spun. She lost no time immersing me in rapid-fire French conversation, as we sped our way through the winding roads back to Semur-en-Auxois. (Truth here: her native French was rapid; but mine was more of the stammering, “oui,” monosyllabic variety!)

The next two weeks were a whirlwind of utter, complete stimulation. Morning classes with drills in grammar, pronunciation, culture, history—intense!—followed by a delightful lunch, then perhaps a little road trip with Maryse to a historic site nearby. Fontenay Abbey and the old castle of le Comte Bussy-Rabutin were especially memorable. And all the while, becoming more and more comfortable chatting in French.

Fast-forward to this past March, 2022. I had been longing to return to magical Semur, and finally did so. I spent three days with Maryse, as a guest and friend instead of a student this time, and found her even more splendid and informative than I recalled. It was as if I had never left Semur, although more than five years had elapsed. That is the way one feels about Maryse, and about Semur…time seems to be fluid, malleable, and past and present meld.

Academic French? Drills, lessons? Oh, yes. But the real treasure of La Petite Classe avec Maryse is getting to know someone who is *sui generis*—a rare find in an ever-more-homogenized world! I cannot recommend her program highly enough, for anyone who wants to up their level of spoken French.

Be prepared to study hard, but expect a lovely, unforgettable experience in the loveliest old village in Bourgogne, with a truly inspired teacher.