Maria Conte Programs

“As a student of Maria’s in Italian I and Italian II, I would recommend her courses to anyone. Classes were held weekly and were very organized, very productive and featured a great deal of speaking and reading in the foreign language. She is a caring teacher–very patient but also of course very knowledgeable. The curriculum stresses basic syntactic structures of the language, and by the end of it, you come away with a pretty strong foundation in the language and the ability to start conversing with native speakers.”

“My wife and I took two conversation classes with Maria Conte. Both were very helpful for improving our pronunciation, listening and speaking skills. The classes were well organized. Professoressa Maria listened carefully, spoke slowly, and gave us personalized suggestions and help. We also enjoyed ourselves which helped us relax and speak more freely. I recommend the conversation classes as a supplement for students who are studying Italian in more academic settings, or as a review for those who know some Italian and want to informally review and practice speaking. I also took a private tutorial, “Spanish for Travelers” from Professoressa Maria. It was intense, and very helpful. Maria Conte is an excellent teacher with loads of experience and a warm, personal approach.”

Pamela M., Boston, Fall 2022

I have just had the good fortune to complete another Italian class with Maria Conte.
While my Italian studies by my own standards require much more study and practice, I want to
take a moment to commend Maria and state unequivocally what an outstanding teacher she is.
As a teacher myself of over 30 years, and one who instructed many student teachers, I believe I
know an excellent teacher when I see one, and Maria is such a teacher. Maria is not only a native
speaker but holds advanced degrees in the process of language-learning. One can know a
language but not be equipped to teach it to others. Maria has all of the qualities of an outstanding
teacher ~ knowledge of the subject matter, the ability to break down into manageable segments
the foundations of the Italian language for those beginning and intermediate learners as well as
more advanced students who are competent in their conversational abilities and those who able
to study various aspects of the art, culture and cuisine of Italy.
Additionally, Maria is always prepared, organized and willing to answer questions. Maria has a
welcoming and pleasant demeanor and always exudes an infectious enthusiasm for her subject
matter. While teaching various age groups and in various settings, she is acutely aware of
teaching the adult learner who has many other responsibilities and is generally a self-motivated
learner. Her personality and expertise come across in-person and on-line as well.
Maria’s unique combination of the mechanics of grammar and the nuances of language, the
ability to share that knowledge in manageable segments, an enthusiasm for her subject and a
warm, welcoming demeanor make her an exemplar in her field, and in my opinion, the best
language teacher I’ve encountered. Kudos to her for her wonderful work! And for making the
learning of a foreign language accessible to all.