Why it’s not “typical” French teaching.

I'm Richie 👋 founder of FoCo French. I'm from Houston, Texas. Not really a place you'd expect a French teacher to come from.

I moved to Fort Collins in 2016 to study Apparel and Merchandising at Colorado State, with a minor in Spanish. After graduating in 2021, and after a couple of years stuck inside during COVID, I had one dream: move to Europe.

I applied to master's programs across the continent. The only one that accepted me was in France.

The program was taught in English, and I figured I'd pick up French along the way. My Spanish was strong, so I thought “Oh the two languages share a lot of DNA!” and I was (overly) confident. What I didn't account for was how hard it would be to actually connect with people when you can't speak their language. The French was coming along, but I was isolated in a way I hadn't expected.

Things started clicking when I began my master's program in design and met classmates who became real friends. Those were the people who helped me with the language and with building a life in France. That first program wasn't the right fit for me, and I made the decision to switch universities, staying in Nantes but moving to one of the grandes écoles, one of France's elite business schools, to pursue a degree in Business Management. It was the right call. A more practical program, a better environment, and a better education.

By this point French wasn't just something I was studying, it was how I lived. I was immersed in the culture, dating the woman who would become my wife, and building a real life in French. By the time I reached my final semester (a specialization in Marketing and Communications) I completed it entirely in French. Presentations, papers, exams. Everything!

When I finished, my wife was ready for her own adventure abroad. She'd fallen in love with Fort Collins on a family visit, so that's where we headed. Getting there took time with immigration paperwork, finances, logistics. Then, we spent seven months in Houston with my family while she completed an English certificate at the University of Houston. During that time I started teaching French on the side and I found I loved it.

Teaching a language I'd just acquired myself, as an adult, without a classroom, through immersion and real conversation, meant I could explain it from the inside. I knew what it felt like to not understand, to be frustrated, to suddenly have things click. I could meet students where they were because I'd been there.

I've been teaching since I moved back to the US in 2023, working with students in Fort Collins and remotely on the East Coast.