The school launched in 2018 with the goal of reaching metro area residents who want their children to develop fluency in Japanese.
“We have a lot of students whose families came from Japan to take jobs here, and they wanted a place for their students to learn the language,” said Tucker-Jones. “Oftentimes, their kids join our school but then go back to Japan. But we also have people whose students travel from five area counties and nearby neighborhoods because they want to learn Japanese.”
Accomplishing that goal takes dedication, said Tucker-Jones. “It’s not an easy language; nothing is similar to what we do in English. We’re very upfront with families who want to come to our school that they have to be involved and invested in their child’s education. But when parents buy in, the students excel.”
Families get an additional boost from the academy’s partnership with the Japan-America Society of Georgia that gives parents free memberships, hosts adult classes, holds events to foster conversation and stages social events such as movie nights featuring Japanese language films.
“The students and parents are very engaged,” said Howard. “And learning Japanese I believe will be an asset for my son. I have a military background, and if he wants to have that, too, knowing Japanese will be a big help.”
Information about the International Charter Academy of Georgia is online at internationalcharteracademy.org.
SEND US YOUR STORIES. Each week we look at programs, projects and successful endeavors at area schools, from pre-K to grad school. To suggest a story, contact H.M. Cauley at [email protected] or 770-744-3042.
