LOS ALAMITOS, CA – There are several languages that Los Alamitos High School offers for classes. Of course, the most known and largest programs are Spanish and French. However, there are less-populated language classes, such as Japanese, ASL, or as we are focusing on today, German. Unfortunately, the German program, which has been offered at Los Al for a couple decades, will be discontinued after this school year. Mr. Hooper, the current and only German teacher, is disappointed that the program is disappearing. 

This is not the first time the German program has been cut. When Mr. Hooper started teaching at Los Al in 2002, German classes had already been established. There were no problems with enrollment then.

“I really didn’t have to promote German,” he said, “students just signed up from word of mouth.” The class then rebounded in enrollment numbers for a while after that.

That came to a screeching halt in 2010. Due to a massive budget crisis, many programs lost out on funding, including the German program. After the 2012-2013 school year, the program was cut altogether. Consequently, when this happened, several parents and interested students approached Mr. Hooper, wanting the program to return. Mr. Hooper recalls making a presentation to the then Assistant Principal of Instruction. 

The class returned in the 2018-19 school year. When the program returned, it needed to be built up again. This process “was a big effort,” according to Mr. Hooper.

He went to both middle schools to advertise to the incoming freshman. Many other teachers also helped too. Mr. Hooper asked teachers at both the middle schools and here at Los Al to promote the class in their classrooms.

“It took many hours and months of planning,” Mr. Hooper said. All of these efforts were successful. Last year, the AP German class had a perfect pass rate.

Mr. Hooper is aware of how difficult German can seem from a non-native speaker.

“German is not a difficult language,” he assured. Because a lot of the terminology of science comes from German influences, taking German would only be beneficial. 

This year, unfortunately, is the last year that the German program will be offered. The reality of weighing class sizes and cutting programs falls down to the simple fact that there are finite amounted resources to be allocated between all of the programs. 

Mr. Platt, Los Al’s Assistant Principal of Curriculum and Instruction, understands the frustration of a program closing. In fact, he was a German teacher himself, and his own German program was cut. Of course, he does not relish the idea of seeing it happen here too.

This is what is known as on-demand scheduling; this accounts for the fluctuation year-to-year of the class sizes.

“It is the drive between having, say, three sections of AP Lang versus four or five,” he said. “If we have a lot more students interested, we have a lot more to fill the sections.”

As a result of this method, some programs, like the American Sign Language program, grow while declining programs like German are cut. 

What exactly are the measures enacted to ensure consistency between the school years of class sizes?

“That’s part of something that is in the teacher’s contract,” Mr. Platt answered. “It has the suggested size and cap.”

From having taught, he understands that having a large class can be unmanageable for teachers (more about class sizes in this article). Platt said the counselors work hours every semester to achieve balance between the classes.

Regarding scheduling, the worst case scenario is if a class has to collapse in the middle of a school year because too many people have dropped. The counselors plan ahead to make sure that enrollment numbers are drawn up with the expectation that some students will change their mind. 

It is sad to see the German program leave Los Al, especially after such a massive effort from Mr. Hooper. However, as Mr. Platt confirmed, it is simply a matter of meeting the needs of student interest. Hopefully in the future, the school will be able to offer a diverse range of classes that can all flourish and grow.