CHARLESTOWN, Mass. -- The U.S. State Department considers Arabic one of the most difficult languages to learn, but that did not stop a group of Charlestown High School students from signing up for a class, Boston television news station WCVB reported.

Mass. High School Students Learn Arabic

"First thing you see (in class) is squiggly lines and a whole bunch of dots on the board, and you're like, 'What?'" one student said.

Teacher Steven Berbeco said being able to speak Arabic will pay off for students in the global marketplace.

"There are a lot of very high paying jobs right now for people who are conversant -- not only in the language but the culture," he said.

Not many high schools are teaching Arabic because of the lack of qualified teachers, Berbeco said.

"There is no curriculum in America to teach high school Arabic, so it's difficult to teach," Berbeco said.

In the past five years, there's been a 200 percent increase in the number of U.S. colleges that offer Arabic, he said.