For the first time in four years, Lake Highlands finally has AP Japanese students.
Only 3 students have managed to stay in the language course and advance to the highest level.
“Since there are only 3 AP students in the class, we are combined with Japanese 3 advance students since we don’t have enough people to be in a separate class,” states Josiah Henderson (12).
Although the group is small and they’re not the only ones sharing the same curriculum, their class routines are still effective.
“I actually enjoy having only two other people in the class because we are always helping each other learn and I think that collaboration is much harder in a bigger class,” says Charlie Davis (12).
Learning another language is never easy, but for these students, they were more than determined to continue.
“Despite the difficulty of the language, I really enjoy learning about the culture and the language itself. The newness of it all draws me in,” adds Claudia Iyere-Okojie (12).
To them, it’s not just getting a language credit, but unlocking a new part of their identity.
Davis learned the first of three alphabets prior to high school.
“This, along with how fun the class is, has kept me in love with the culture and language for so long,” Davis said.
However, just like any other AP class, students are constantly being challenged and preparing themselves for their upcoming exam in the spring.
“The class is definitely harder and requires you to spend more time studying Japanese Language outside of class and remembering what each Japanese symbol means,” Josiah affirms.
But it’s not all work and effort. Just like the other Japanese classes, the students get to have fun in unique ways by connecting with the Japanese culture.
“Outside of our regular assignments, we have done loads of really fun activities from making onigiri, doing calligraphy, and talking on a message board to an English class in Japan,” Davis says.
