A native French teacher with a European, cultural and interdisciplinary background

I am Virginie Lacomme, a native French teacher based in Haarlem, in the Netherlands, where I created Rosa Carmon Academy in 2017.

I was born in the South of France and have lived in several European contexts: Spain, Paris and the Paris region, and now the Netherlands. These experiences have deeply shaped my approach to teaching languages. For me, a language is never only a set of grammar rules or vocabulary lists. It is also a way of entering a culture, understanding references, reading texts, expressing nuance and connecting ideas.

I have been teaching since 1995. I first worked as a Spanish teacher in the French education system, teaching language, literature and culture, including advanced classes, European sections and literature in a foreign language. I am a certified and agrégée teacher of Spanish in France.

Alongside Spanish, I developed a strong specialization in French as a Foreign Language. I taught French in Spain for two years, and since 2017 I have been teaching French in the Netherlands and online to adult learners, professionals, exam candidates and independent learners. I am certified for TEF, TCF, DELF and DALF preparation.

My academic background includes three Master’s degrees: Hispanic Studies, French as a Foreign Language, and Religious Studies. My university research focused on the Spanish Golden Age and Hispanic Judaism, including the study of a 17th-century Spanish manuscript from the Portuguese Jewish community of Amsterdam.
My academic and personal interests also include the history of religious minorities in Europe, especially Huguenot and Protestant heritage and the Jewish history and culture. These histories raise questions that are central to my work: exile, migration, memory, cultural transmission, identity, language and faith. Living in the Netherlands makes this connection especially meaningful. 

Languages are not only my profession; they are also part of my personal life. I speak several languages and continue to study new ones. This gives me a very concrete understanding of what it means to learn a language as an adult: the effort, the hesitation, the frustration, but also the pleasure of making progress and gaining access to another culture.

I have always been a self-directed learner. Alongside formal academic training, I have learned a great deal through reading, research, observation and personal curiosity. This influences my teaching: I help learners become more autonomous, active and intellectually engaged in their own progress.

This background explains the way I teach today. I like to connect languages, texts, cultures, history and ideas. I pay attention not only to correctness, but also to precision, structure, register, argumentation and cultural context.

My teaching method combines global comprehension and close analysis. We may begin with a text, an audio document, an exam task or a topic that interests the learner, then work progressively on vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, structure and expression.

I also use elements of the flipped classroom approach. This means that learners may prepare part of the work before the lesson — for example by reading a short text, listening to an audio document, preparing vocabulary or answering a few questions. Lesson time can then be used more effectively for interaction, correction, explanation, speaking practice and deeper analysis.

I pay close attention to methodology. Many learners know more French than they are able to use under pressure. My role is to help them understand what blocks them, identify recurring errors, organize their learning and become more autonomous.

One of the distinctive aspects of my teaching is its eclectic and interdisciplinary spirit. I enjoy building lessons around a wide range of subjects: literature, history, religion, philosophy, archaeology, astronomy, genealogy, cycling, tourism, art, travel and current affairs. This variety allows learners to study French through topics that are intellectually stimulating, personally meaningful and culturally rich.

At Rosa Carmon Academy, I now focus mainly on French exam preparation, advanced French through culture and critical thinking, and personalized lessons built around the learner’s interests.

The main language of instruction is French. When clarification is useful, I can also use Spanish, Italian, Dutch or English. 

If you are looking for structured, demanding and meaningful French lessons, you can contact me or book a free 15-minute consultation.