1. Do you have any questions for us? I usually start out communications with a quick summary of us, the school, and our area. And then open it for questions, some students need the invitation to ask. And don’t be surprised if they don’t have any questions right away, do not worry they will come.
2. How do I pronounce your name? Because it isn’t always what you think it will be. We had an IEC student that we found out that we had been saying her name wrong for six months, she decided that she liked our “American” pronunciation of it. So now I always ask.
3. Any dietary things or other allergies? This should be in the application but sometimes something comes up or the student forgot to put something in. I want to have some food on hand when they arrive that they can eat if they have allergy issues and then they can help with the shopping and cooking to keep me on track.
4. Favorite foods/types of foods? This is good for preparing your home for their arrival. You and/or your student may not have time or energy to go on a grocery trip right after they arrive. So having a few things you know they will eat (particularly if you won’t be home during the day) will help a lot. I generally also ask if there is something they absolutely hate, I do NOT promise that they will never find it on their plate but I can try to avoid or adjust how it is served. For example we had a student that hates cucumbers, but we like them, so when we made salads I just put some in a little bowl for us to add to our personal salads. One student said she hated Brussel sprouts but it turns out she just hated how it had been made for her in the past, so encourage trying everything (unless there is an allergy of course).
5. Sports. Do they want to do them? Anything in particular? Have they played X sport before? And then if they do want to try a fall sport get in contact with the coach towards the end of summer break to discuss the possibility of your student trying out. If your school is like ours, sports generally start a few weeks before school, which means tryouts are even earlier. We have had really good luck with our school’s coaches, they have all been very welcoming.
6. Does this year count back home? And if it does, are there classes you need to take? Our exchange company requires the students to take an American history and English but the rest are up to the students. I’ve had three students who’s year counted and only one needed very specific classes.
7. Do you need anything extra, like contacts/glasses or an orthodontist? It is a good idea to know ahead of time if you will need to schedule trips to the eye doctor or an orthodontist or any other specialist.
8.Ask about their culture. I know they are coming to learn about American culture and the English language but they also are very excited to share their culture with their host families and American friends. Plus it is fun to learn about the different things we all do, and even more exciting to find things that we do the same. One of my favorite cultural subjects is superstitions, there are a lot that we share (especially with European cultures) and there are a lot that will be new to both your student and you.
9. Ask if there is any little things they want you to know or anything they concerned about? For example one student expressed that in their culture they come off as blunt when talking with people and she was really concerned about offending us or other people here. Which is a totally normal concern. So we just explained to her that 1) I can come off pretty blunt too, I am not one for sugar coating; and 2) not to worry too much about it, people here will figure it out and some will actually probably benefit from it.
10. My last thought is not really a question to ask but just a piece of advice when communicating with your students. Be understanding and do not push. When they share personal information (which is a lot for a teenager to share private stuff with an adult stranger), just let them flow with it, let them decide how much to share and when. You can ask a follow up question or give a small bit of advice but don’t press for more than they want to give. We have had a few students with difficult family relationships and even though we were curious we let them decide when to share information, this is something I can relate to so I understand that they need to want to talk and to trust you with this information. And when they share I feel honored that they do trust me, and I try to keep that trust. Some students will share a lot more a lot faster but with some just give them time and they will start talking (we had one very shy girl that would barely talk to us in the beginning and by the end we couldn’t get her to be quiet haha—she is one of best success stories of growth).
