After the Host families
and Visiting children and Adult have been selected, a basic orientation
meeting should be held for these children, their parents, and the most
involved teachers. The key message to each; the ISSE program is organized
as part of the school curriculum, for the benefit of the entire student
body in both partner schools, so each Visitor and Host has the responsibility
to help make the partnership as meaningful as possible. The Visitors'
goal is to have friendly relationships with as many as possible of the
children in the partner school. The challenge to the Hosts is to make
the "home life" of their guests as warm and supportive as
they can so that their guests can be able to do their ambassadorial
job as easily and happily as possible. Of course, both Visitors and
Hosts will have wonderful experience as they perform their ISSE duties;
these are enviable rewards for doing an important job! And, it must
be pointed out, because human nature is not always what we hope it will
be, that "important job" may not always be easy.
At this first meeting there are various basic
things to be done: (1) Each Visitor's parents should be given ISSE forms
#5, 8, 9 & 10 (see Forms page), and requested
to fill them out and return them by a given date. (2) The Adult should
arrange to meet with each of the Visiting Team separately to fill out
form #6, and a teacher or parent should do the same with the Host children.
(3) Each family should receive an address list of all Visitors and Hosts,
with parents' names and phone numbers. Also on this list will be the
address and phone number of the Adult and the Coordinator, or the partner
school, the Visiting and Hosting dates, etc... The importance of this
meeting is to acquaint the delegates and their parents with the Adult
and the Coordinator, perhaps have pictures taken, and talk about ISSE
and the program.
Further orientation meetings will be held separately
for the Hosts and the Visitors. The Hosts need to learn what they can
about their prospective guests, about the customs of their country,
how to make them feel comfortable. The Visitors will have a great deal
of planning, learning and practicing to do.
The Visiting Team will meet with the Adult,
who sets up the meeting schedule to plan assembly programs (a very important
part of a Visit), decide whether or not to have any sort of a uniform
for special occasions, discuss what gifts to take to the partner school
and to their Host families, etc... Hosting children and their families
will meet to plan the airport welcome, make "Welcome!" signs
to post at school, decide on group outings and trips for the Visitors
coming from the partner school. Hosts must also discuss the challenges
of thoughtful and sensitive hosting, how to make their guests feel comfortable.
It should be mentioned at this time that perhaps the guest and the Host
family may not be a good match, no matter how hard both may try. In
that case, the Visiting Adult and the Host Coordinator may decide that
it would be wise to place the Visitor with another Host family. If this
happens it would be wrong to assign "blame"; instead it should
be pointed out that the interpersonal chemistry wasn't working out and
in order to give the Visitor the best chance to be happy and do a good
job, a change of Host family is the right thing to do. If this is discussed
before the Visiting Team arrives, then, if a move seems called for,
it won't be too uncomfortable a matter for the Host family involved.
The
Host Coordinator, working with the teachers and the Host parents, should
draw up a schedule showing when the Visiting team will visit each classroom,
when the assemblies will be, when group trips will take place, and when
there will be group get-togethers in out-of-school time (evenings, afternoons,
week-ends). All of this will have to be reviewed with the Visiting Adult
when the Visiting Team arrives, to see if any changes need to be made.
It is important not to schedule too much, so that the Host families
will be able to have time for family-only experiences for their young
guests: meeting relatives, joining neighborhood activities, perhaps
attending a wedding, etc...
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