At the end of last school year, beloved German teacher, Frau Simpson, retired. As her career ended, Clearfield Area Junior-Senior High School district pondered how it would continue  teaching the German language at the school. 

As promised, German is still being taught at Clearfield, but not as it has been previously. Cyber German is being introduced this year. According to sophomore Elle Brink, who is taking the class: “This class is extremely easy going.” While in this class a student may always go at his or her own pace and work on their own, students are not limited to being completely on their own. Three teachers take turns monitoring students.

This class takes place in one of the high school’s computer labs. Each student is provided with a headset and log in information to log into this course. Additionally, the Cyber German teacher introduces herself through e-mail to each student, says student Emily Shipley.   

Discussing questions with peers is completely allowed. Additionally, e-mailing the German teacher is always welcome and encouraged. Some questions can be unclear and/or not answered so assistance in that area is given by the cyber teacher. 

Because the classes are individualized, students at different levels attend these classes together. As you walk through the computer lab, many complexities of the German language can be seen. One student may be learning names of continents while another may be learning colors. It varies based on level of learning ability for each student.   

Clearly, the German program at our school is completely different now than it has been in the past. Although the dynamics are different, the learning of the German language continues at Clearfield. New students are always welcome and previous students are welcome to return.   

Mrs. Prestash, assistant principal, noted that, in future, there is the possibility of adding other languages based on student interest.