On January 29th, 2024 students enrolled in Japanese received notice that the course would be eliminated. The combination of Nakamura-sensei’s passing and the large responsibility placed onto Kumano-sensei made the program impossible to sustain. Any new students would not have the option to enroll. Current students were given the option to take an online asynchronous course by an outside provider. Unfortunately, this course proved to be both inconvenient and ineffective in its teaching. LM’s current asynchronous Japanese 2 program is not acceptable.
The online program decided upon was Educere. Students received notice about this program one week prior to the start of the school year. The asynchronous, fully digital Japanese 2 curriculum has been met with overwhelmingly negative feedback. According to current Japanese 2 students, the course does not follow what Japanese 1 students learned. Additionally, some materials are more advanced than what was taught in prior years of Japanese 2. While finding a course that aligns perfectly with Nakamura-sensei’s curriculum was not expected, the gap between courses is unreasonably large. Not only is the curriculum disjointed, but the actual interface of the program is poorly designed as well. Educere’s “interactive” features simply lack interactive input. Ultimately, Educere’s Japanese curriculum is, fundamentally, an underdeveloped slideshow.
In addition to issues with the online program, Japanese students did not have access to a productive work environment. In the first week of school, students were assigned to a section of the library to work in. Many students appreciated this offer, but the location came with difficulties regarding communication. The environment did not encourage studying, and made it hard for the few that were able to focus. This resulted in the loss of any sense of classroom learning. As a student, I will admit to not using my time in the library for Japanese related studies 100% of the time. Having a “free” period senior year can be a breath of fresh air, but it is detrimental to learning Japanese.
As a result of these difficulties, students reached out to administration for support. As a result of student communication, the LGI was opened to the class. This provided a private space with room to write, talk, and share ideas. However, this is a band-aid on the larger issues of an asynchronous Japanese course. While the teamwork aspect of Japanese has improved, the actual curriculum remains ineffectual at best.
To discuss these issues further, I met with Dr. Johnson and World Language department chair Mrs. Mellet. Both listened with the intent to act on the issues I raised. The Lower Merion community has been of great aid in advocating for the Japanese classes at both LM and Harriton. Meetings with administration have been frequent and productive to help students as much as possible. While the situation of the Japanese program is not ideal, it is by no means hopeless. Students will continue to be able to learn Japanese and experience the culture at LM. To any student interested in Japanese culture, do not be afraid to speak up. The Japanese curriculum is an integral part of LM’s world language department, and it’s important that every participating student gets the best possible learning experience.