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alking through West’s hall- what you’ll need them for in ing flashcards and using it with ways, it is not uncommon to every situation? No, but it’s a French speakers. I’m not saying hear a variety of languages fill really great starting point.” [Duolingo] is bad, it’s just not the air. Aside from studying Solomon Shaffer ’26 is one of the many stuhow I learn,” Juhl said. a certain language solely in dents at West who uses Duolingo daily to learn However, she notes language learning is beschool, many students and staff practice other Spanish. He finds that the interactive programs coming increasingly more accessible because of languages independently by going on foreign within the app are most helpful in his language the many new opportunities to learn languages trips or using apps, such as Duolingo. learning journey. online. Language teachers have incorporated Duolin“It’s a very easy app to navigate around, and it’s “I am continually fascinated with language go into their daily curriculum to enhance the also good for keeping the user engaged,” Shaffer changes as time goes on. Now that we have learning experience. Megan Boehme, a Spanish said. streaming services, where I can watch things in teacher at West, believes having a curated lesson Because of its ease and engagement, Shaffer French. The internet has changed [everything]; for each student greatly benefits their learning emphasizes how Duolingo can become addic- I used to really have to travel and avidly seek experience. tive. different immersive types of situations to use “For my students, I do a [Duolingo] XP assign“It’s very addictive because of my streak. I have French or to think about French,” Juhl said. “Bement every two weeks, and they can do whatev- a 500-something-day streak, and if I break it, or cause I have more access, I don’t have to travel er lessons they need to or want to, and it’s at their level,” “WHEN YOU LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE, YOU OPEN UP A LOT Boehme said. MORE DOORS TO OTHER CULTURES, FOODS AND JUST EVShe notes that ERYTHING THAT SURROUNDS ITSELF AROUND A LANGUAGE.” Duolingo can be helpful for students because of the repetition the app provides. if I’m about to break it, I feel very anxious, so “I really like Duolingo for I need to complete [a level] and fulfill my a reason that a lot of stu- streak,” Shaffer said. dents maybe don’t like it, and However, not all teachers believe that’s the repetitiveness of it,” Duolingo is useful for supplementing Boehme said. “Yes, it might get foreign language classes. Theresa Juhl, a a little boring but you’re never French teacher at West, explains why she choosto a French-speaking country to get going to forget the words or es not to incorporate Duolingo into her curricthat.” the grammar topics that are ulum. Despite having these apps and being repeated so many “It’s not something I know how to use to learn. methods to supplement learning, West times. Are they al- Back in the olden days before the internet, I had language teachers also express overall struggles of ways exactly to learn [French] by making lists, repeating it, fully immersing students in foreign languages. mak“It’s only my class that [students have] in Spanish, so the rest of the day is in English. They’re only hearing and seeing anything [Spanish] usually in my classroom. It is pretty impossible to become fluent in a language without immersing yourself; it takes a lot of self-motivation to really fully grasp another language,” Boehme said. Juhl agrees that it takes a lot of effort it takes to learn an-
MEGAN BOEHME, SPANISH TEACHER
LANGUAGE L VERS BY MADDY COOK & CELIA SADEWASSER
DESIGN BY ANNA SONG
West High language enthusiasts share their experiences and learning processes with language.
08 FEATURE
MAY 30, 2024