Organization

    The first thing a school's ISSE Coordinator must do is to communicate with the partner school to decide upon visiting dates and the number of Visitors each school wants to invite. (It is assumed each Visiting Team will consist of six to eight children unless otherwise arranged. See 3rd paragraph this section) After those details have been agreed upon both the Visiting Team and the Host families should be selected. The selection should take place promptly (at least five months prior to the first visit, if possible) to ensure maximum preparation. Correspondence should start as soon as possible between teachers in both schools, between Visiting children and their Host families and between the Visiting Adult and the Host Coordinator.
    The procedures used to select Host families, the 11-year-old Visitors, and the Accompanying Adult must be considered carefully. The Host children and their families most closely represent the host country to their guests, and the members of the Visiting Team do represent the Visiting country to their hosts. The selection procedures must not only seek out the most suitable children and adult for their key roles, but most attempt to give the entire student body the feeling that those selected truly represent the whole school. So the procedures must be as open and fair as possible, and calculated to inspire confidence in those selected.
    The Visiting Team usually consists of six to eight 11-year-olds, (an equal number of boys and girls when possible, accompanied by an Adult. A small close-knit team is advised because the members are selected in order to perform a service for the Host school. A team of four children seems to work well together in carrying out their varied responsibilities. It is assumed that a Team will consist of just four children unless both schools agree to increase the number. Some schools want to send a larger team to allow for more child and family involvement, and large schools may feel comfortable absorbing more than eight Visitors. The Visiting school may request that it be allowed to send more than eight Visitors, but the Host school is the one which decides how many children it wants or is able to receive. The members of a large team are likely to feel less individual responsibility and are likely to socialize more with each other than with Host children. Having more than eight Visitors can put a heavier burden on Hosts: (a) Eight is probably the largest number of Visitors which can be absorbed into two average classrooms. More than that creates an abnormal classroom situation for the class and teacher. (B) Only two family cars would be needed for shopping or sightseeing. (C) A supper party is easier to arrange and more manageable for a small group. No matter how desirable it is to provide a travel/educational experience for a larger group, the criterion in ISSE partnerships must be, "What will work best for the Host school?"
    Eleven-year-olds should be selected as Visitors because they tend to adapt well and are considerably more independent and mature than ten-year-olds. Ten-year-olds can be excellent Hosts and Visitors, if eleven-year-olds are unavailable. (Nine-year-olds or younger are not acceptable). One reason to select eleven-year-olds as Hosts is because the eleven-year-old Visitors will feel most comfortable if their Hosts are the same age as they are. Twelve-year-olds can be selected as Visitors if not enough eleven-year-olds are available(though they will probably have to pay full-fare for travel, etc...).
    There is a tendency in some countries to want to select older children as Visitors because they may feel that their children are less sophisticated and more protected than those in the other culture. However, ISSE is established as a program in which eleven-year-olds are to play lead roles and the Host schools have reported that their 11-year-old Visitors, from every country, have been "just right".
    All eligible students and their parents should be made aware of the ISSE program by sending ISSE information to them or presenting it at an open meeting. Depending on how your school funds the program, the children will be eligible (1) if their parents agree to pay partial or all the transportation cost, or (2) if the school/community is paying the travel expense.
Various ways in which children might be selected: Some schools select Visitors by observing them in fifth grade and finally make the selection when the children are sixth graders. Class trips, parties and classrooms are situations in which teachers can observe attitudes and behavior of the children who have applied to be selected. The teachers will approve a "pool" of the most qualified children and after the principal talks with the parents to see if they can pay travel costs, the final selection is made. Perhaps alternates will be chosen in case a child selected has to withdraw for any reason. Another approach is to allow application by all interested children, regardless of their parents ability to pay travel costs. The application form might consist of three parts: one part filled out by the child, another part by the parents, and a third part completed by teachers. The last part would be completed after the application is returned to the home room teacher and would allow the teacher to express a candid, objective opinion of the applicant (who does not see the application again). The ISSE Committee then invites those applicants whose applications sound most promising, and their parents, to come for interviews. Final selection of Visitors and alternatives would then be made from those interviewed.
    The ideal ISSE ambassadors are eager, positive children who are adaptable, polite, respectful, and well-rounded. Top students can be good delegates, but high grades alone do not make a good delegate. An all-round, friendly and flexible child with a pleasant personality is an asset to any team of young ambassadors. Don't overlook the "at first appearance" quiet child; he or she might have a depth or sensitivity lacking in a more conventional extrovert. Children selected should be eager to be involved in ISSE, for the right reasons. Selecting children who have never visited (or at least not spent much time in) the partner school's country is important and to be borne in mind.
    The individual selected as the Adult should be aware of the role he/she has to play and be prepared to be not only a chaperone for the Team but a useful person at the Host school-an effective teacher-ambassador. The Adult must be able to handle all situations: homesickness, thoughtless behavior, lost luggage, teaching enjoyable and interesting things to host-school classes, etc... Some schools do not pay for the Adult's teacher substitute or his/her salary while visiting the partner school. It is important to have these matters clearly in mind when selecting the Adult.
    The Adult can be chosen by committee, or by the principal. All teachers of young children should be eligible. In a large school situation it is important to have applicants fill in application forms so that members of the ISSE Committee will have all pertinent facts about each applicant background. Enthusiasm about ISSE and knowledge of the Host school's basic language are both important. Love of children and a desire to teach and know persons in other countries also help make a good Adult chaperone. If a teacher is not available for the Adult position, other school personnel (substitutes, librarians, or qualified school parents who know the children and the school routines) should be considered. The Adult should be able to: instruct classes; teach songs, dance, and games in Host school classrooms; relate the group's experiences to the home school and community upon return, etc...
    Families selected to be Hosts should be eager for the experience, and be a good family unit. In order to achieve maximum participation among school families, it is urged that the families selected for Hosting not be the families of children who have been selected as members of the Visiting team. The entire family should be interviewed not only to ascertain their suitability for the responsibility but in order to let them become informed on various aspects of being Hosts. Selection should not be based on monetary and material status alone; willingness, flexibility and a warm interest in international relationships are all important factors. Discuss the working status of parents, who will be with the children if both parents are away from home, etc... It is essential that Host families realize that their role is very important to the success of an ISSE experience.
    Child applicants whose parents are divorced or separated should be given the same fair consideration as other children. Weigh each case independently and select the family which will make the Visitor feel most comfortable. Notification of those selected as Host Families, Visiting Team members and Accompanying Adult should be done as soon as possible. At the same time, thank all applicants for their interest and inform them who has been chosen. Encourage everyone to participate in some way during the current partnership and in the future.

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	III - SELECTION The first thing a school's ISSE Coordinator must do is to communicate with the partner school to decide upon visiting dates and the number of Visitors each school wants to invite. (It is assumed each Visiting Team will consist of six to eight children unless otherwise arranged. See 3rd paragraph this section) After those details have been agreed upon both the Visiting Team and the Host families should be selected. The selection should take place promptly (at least five months prior to the first visit, if possible) to ensure maximum preparation. Correspondence should start as soon as possible between teachers in both schools, between Visiting children and their Host families and between the Visiting Adult and the Host Coordinator. The procedures used to select Host families, the 11-year-old Visitors, and the Accompanying Adult must be considered carefully. The Host children and their families most closely represent the host country to their guests, and the members of the Visiting Team do represent the Visiting country to their hosts. The selection procedures must not only seek out the most suitable children and adult for their key roles, but most attempt to give the entire student body the feeling that those selected truly represent the whole school. So the procedures must be as open and fair as possible, and calculated to inspire confidence in those selected. The Visiting Team usually consists of six to eight 11-year-olds, (an equal number of boys and girls when possible, accompanied by an Adult. A small close-knit team is advised because the members are selected in order to perform a service for the Host school. A team of four children seems to work well together in carrying out their varied responsibilities. It is assumed that a Team will consist of just four children unless both schools agree to increase the number. Some schools want to send a larger team to allow for more child and family involvement, and large schools may feel comfortable absorbing more than eight Visitors. The Visiting school may request that it be allowed to send more than eight Visitors, but the Host school is the one which decides how many children it wants or is able to receive. The members of a large team are likely to feel less individual responsibility and are likely to socialize more with each other than with Host children. Having more than eight Visitors can put a heavier burden on Hosts: (a) Eight is probably the largest number of Visitors which can be absorbed into two average classrooms. More than that creates an abnormal classroom situation for the class and teacher. (B) Only two family cars would be needed for shopping or sightseeing. (C) A supper party is easier to arrange and more manageable for a small group. No matter how desirable it is to provide a travel/educational experience for a larger group, the criterion in ISSE partnerships must be, "What will work best for the Host school?" Eleven-year-olds should be selected as Visitors because they tend to adapt well and are considerably more independent and mature than ten-year-olds. Ten-year-olds can be excellent Hosts and Visitors, if eleven-year-olds are unavailable. (Nine-year-olds or younger are not acceptable). One reason to select eleven-year-olds as Hosts is because the eleven-year-old Visitors will feel most comfortable if their Hosts are the same age as they are. Twelve-year-olds can be selected as Visitors if not enough eleven-year-olds are available(though they will probably have to pay full-fare for travel, etc...). There is a tendency in some countries to want to select older children as Visitors because they may feel that their children are less sophisticated and more protected than those in the other culture. However, ISSE is established as a program in which eleven-year-olds are to play lead roles and the Host schools have reported that their 11-year-old Visitors, from every country, have been "just right". All eligible students and their parents should be made aware of the ISSE program by sending ISSE information to them or presenting it at an open meeting. Depending on how your school funds the program, the children will be eligible (1) if their parents agree to pay partial or all the transportation cost, or (2) if the school/community is paying the travel expense. Various ways in which children might be selected: Some schools select Visitors by observing them in fifth grade and finally make the selection when the children are sixth graders. Class trips, parties and classrooms are situations in which teachers can observe attitudes and behavior of the children who have applied to be selected. The teachers will approve a "pool" of the most qualified children and after the principal talks with the parents to see if they can pay travel costs, the final selection is made. Perhaps alternates will be chosen in case a child selected has to withdraw for any reason. Another approach is to allow application by all interested children, regardless of their parents ability to pay travel costs. The application form might consist of three parts: one part filled out by the child, another part by the parents, and a third part completed by teachers. The last part would be completed after the application is returned to the home room teacher and would allow the teacher to express a candid, objective opinion of the applicant (who does not see the application again). The ISSE Committee then invites those applicants whose applications sound most promising, and their parents, to come for interviews. Final selection of Visitors and alternatives would then be made from those interviewed. The ideal ISSE ambassadors are eager, positive children who are adaptable, polite, respectful, and well-rounded. Top students can be good delegates, but high grades alone do not make a good delegate. An all-round, friendly and flexible child with a pleasant personality is an asset to any team of young ambassadors. Don't overlook the "at first appearance" quiet child; he or she might have a depth or sensitivity lacking in a more conventional extrovert. Children selected should be eager to be involved in ISSE, for the right reasons. Selecting children who have never visited (or at least not spent much time in) the partner school's country is important and to be borne in mind. The individual selected as the Adult should be aware of the role he/she has to play and be prepared to be not only a chaperone for the Team but a useful person at the Host school-an effective teacher-ambassador. The Adult must be able to handle all situations: homesickness, thoughtless behavior, lost luggage, teaching enjoyable and interesting things to host-school classes, etc... Some schools do not pay for the Adult's teacher substitute or his/her salary while visiting the partner school. It is important to have these matters clearly in mind when selecting the Adult. The Adult can be chosen by committee, or by the principal. All teachers of young children should be eligible. In a large school situation it is important to have applicants fill in application forms so that members of the ISSE Committee will have all pertinent facts about each applicant background. Enthusiasm about ISSE and knowledge of the Host school's basic language are both important. Love of children and a desire to teach and know persons in other countries also help make a good Adult chaperone. If a teacher is not available for the Adult position, other school personnel (substitutes, librarians, or qualified school parents who know the children and the school routines) should be considered. The Adult should be able to: instruct classes; teach songs, dance, and games in Host school classrooms; relate the group's experiences to the home school and community upon return, etc... Families selected to be Hosts should be eager for the experience, and be a good family unit. In order to achieve maximum participation among school families, it is urged that the families selected for Hosting not be the families of children who have been selected as members of the Visiting team. The entire family should be interviewed not only to ascertain their suitability for the responsibility but in order to let them become informed on various aspects of being Hosts. Selection should not be based on monetary and material status alone; willingness, flexibility and a warm interest in international relationships are all important factors. Discuss the working status of parents, who will be with the children if both parents are away from home, etc... It is essential that Host families realize that their role is very important to the success of an ISSE experience. Child applicants whose parents are divorced or separated should be given the same fair consideration as other children. Weigh each case independently and select the family which will make the Visitor feel most comfortable. Notification of those selected as Host Families, Visiting Team members and Accompanying Adult should be done as soon as possible. At the same time, thank all applicants for their interest and inform them who has been chosen. Encourage everyone to participate in some way during the current partnership and in the future. >>Next page

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