A Passion for France
Maria Kurt’s passion for France has resonated throughout her life, which ultimately led to her founding the French Institute of the North Shore in 1998. Maria’s goal was to create a haven where people would be inspired to learn the French language, as well as to gain a greater appreciation for the people, geography and cuisine of this rich culture. She created the interactive program used at the French Institute, which has been successfully received by thousands of adults over the years.

Maria earned a Master’s degree in French Language, Literature and Civilization from Middlebury College where she specialized in the teaching of French as a foreign language and evaluated a teaching method for her thesis. She was determined to understand how one acquires a second language and develop the most effective way to teach French. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in French from Miami University.

She spent two years in Paris studying at the Université de Paris and the Institut Catholique. Maria was certified in education at San Francisco State University and continued studying education at Stanford University. She taught high school in Paris, San Francisco and Chicago for more than ten years.

Scott Foreman and Teacher’s Discovery and have both published her works. Maria was a recipient of the National Endowment for the Humanities Foreign Language Fellowship and was awarded the Prix d’Excellence from the Northern Illinois chapter of the American Association of Teachers of French.

Maria shares her enthusiasm and expertise as a speaker at National and State conferences for the American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages.

Frequent trips to France and continual studies keep Maria up to date with Paris and contemporary French culture.