What I bring to the international student table.
Beyond the basics, the value we provide is perspective.
At our house we have an international student. In fact, for this month only, we have two international students (this I shall explain further*).
There’s a program here in our community that is integrated with the local school district that brings in around a hundred international students every autumn. They spend 10 months (usually) in our small city or one of the orbiting towns, attending high school and experiencing the local culture while staying with people like us.
They come from families where English is not the first language but there seems to be an appreciation for the value that comes with testing oneself in an environment that is comfortable but different. They are all in Canadian grades 9, 10 or 11 while here.
To be clear, the ‘test’ is not particularly grueling in physical terms. Our role is to provide a stable and safe home base under circumstances that are as ‘normal’ as we would create for ourselves. That part is easy. They have to have their own room, take part in household life and have guidelines for daily behaviours. It’s the emotional and cognitive life that is the riddle that needs solving
.
Things were probably much more different before the digital age and the instant exchange of information.
The current crop of students all arrive with credit and debit cards fully functional as well as the ubiquitous smart phone. Aside from time zones, there’s little to prevent any student from having daily contact with their family at home.
This has fundamentally changed the experience and presents an every day demonstration of “it’s a small world and getting smaller by the moment” theory.
We spend a generous portion of our time explaining the ridiculous constructs of the English language.
No matter what stage of fluency they arrive with, there are always bits of vernacular and idiom that we are attempting to describe. To be truthful, some of the phrases are best left unexplained. They defy logic. Today the word was ‘grub’. It’s not always an insect stage of development but sometimes slang for food and sometimes both are correct at the same moment. But one of the pillars of the program is for the student to become more proficient in English. So we soldier on.
We’ve had a few different students through the last couple years and we’re quickly learning just how varied these visitors are despite having to qualify using the same criteria. They have quite a bit of free time as they are not permitted to work at all and some sports/activities are restricted by the organization due to safety policy.
Most of the host families already have a teen or two attending high school which has the potential for some valuable bonding and guidance, especially in early days. So our situation is more unique. We’re an active older couple whose own children are adults and moved away. We offer a slightly more sedate set of surroundings than most of the visiting students would be accustomed to considering they usually come from burgeoning families themselves. For some, it’s a break from the cacophony of siblings. For others, it’s a bit of a monastic sentencing.
The homesickness can be real.
Once the introductory period is over and everyone settles in to schedules and starts to get familiar with how it all works, then the more interesting era begins.
We know this experience will stick with them for the balance of their lives. It will shape them and inform their growth as individuals, some more than others. It’s at this point where we have our most significant impact. Along with the different influences of school, we offer a view of the world and its workings from a completely unique perspective. As time has passed, I’ve come to understand that concept more than I did initially. I have a growing sense of responsibility for the manner in which I shape my conversations with our charges.
One of the greatest compliments I’ve received in this role is the simple gesture of expressed curiosity as represented by our student initiating conversation. My relationship with the current student is now at the point where he asks me for more complex interpretations of ideas and situations rather than literal translations of English. He brings problems and queries full of nuance and depth. In return I offer balance and a framework for discovery. No teenager wants a lecture from a dictator. So I take pains to build these exchanges in a way that fosters both critical thinking and open-ended resolution. I want to answer the question but not in finite terms. I’ll present options, considerations and perhaps offer a lens not immediately apparent.
I want the student to value the process as well as the product. I believe in the end this means a richer, more valuable stay in our outpost of the world.
Epilogue:
*The best laid plans go screwy. No matter how much planning one does, circumstances change. We have a second student for the final month of June because his host family was suddenly no longer is able to accommodate him. At times like this, the contingency plans of the program are activated and our file says we’re available for temporary respite. So here we are with two!
If you’re curious about the program and have some questions, drop me a comment.