Invitation to Explore the Visits Abroad Idea

     Every year, we host foreign students from European countries at ASMS. Each fall we have Germans and Spaniards on a short international visit. This means, that some of our ASMS students are abroad every fall as well.      Because of the faculty’s considerable experience with these visits, we feel it is important to point out to everyone the great potential of this program.
     Our comments are meant to address not only potential visitors from ASMS (sophomores and juniors) and their families, but seniors or families of sophomores and juniors who will not travel themselves.

The international experience for Americans

     National exams time and again show very clearly that the students who are continuously enrolled in the language of their choice do much better than those taking one or several terms off. Likewise, there is a marked jump in language performance for the returning language students. However, these young people learn not only to listen, understand and speak in a foreign language, but also to observe and interact in a foreign culture, and to see themselves from a different perspective. Some youngsters have made lasting friendships with their adoptive siblings, and some families have continued visits as a family privately, giving also the parents an exciting window on another lifestyle. The younger your children are when they encounter another language and culture, the more natural and substantial their learning and adapting will be. Openness and flexibility are skills that can serve well at any time in life.
     As busy as high schoolers can be, this is still an opportune time in the development of their personality to study abroad. As we all know, time constraints and other problems will only continue to mount as they grow older. At ASMS, the selection of the traveling students depends not only on overall grades and maturity, but on the input of several faculty members, the advice of counselors, the absence of current or past disciplinary matters and the consent of the directors. We help potentially interested students to arrange their schedule so as to accommodate a three-month absence without academic fallout. This has always worked.
     Furthermore, the experience can be considered an academic investment in that returning students have a better chance of doing well on the advanced placement tests (AP) that we administer every year (see course catalog or student achievements). This is your child’s opportunity to collect college credits ahead of time, which can save time and money for the college years, and which in any case enhances any high school diploma.

     If your child and your family are interested in this idea, please let the respective program directors M. Hoequist or L. Gilkey know so we can explore the possibilities further and advise and assist if possible.

The international experience for foreigners and Americans

     While only a few of our students actually travel, all of our students have the opportunity to interact with the foreigners who come to us. Again, this can be very meaningful and the benefits don’t have to be limited to a welcome practice of language skills.      We are trying to open the experience further up by encouraging students and families to consider hosting these foreigners. Our partner schools are not boarding schools, so our ASMS students are hosted in volunteer families for the entire three months. We are trying to give the foreign students a home life experience by strongly encouraging the families of traveling students to “adopt” the foreigners and show them not only the sights, but include them in an American lifestyle.      There is no reason, however, why this experience should be limited to a handful of families. We hope that the classmates of the students whom we sent to Europe will be hospitable and open-minded towards their temporary classmates, and we invite their families, any ASMS families, to consider having them in your homes for a week-end or over break. Again, this is not only a language learning experience for students enrolled in the target language (although the gain could be considerable!), it could be a memorable and valuable experience for siblings and parents alike.      Lastly, your interest would be a lovely gesture of generosity and American hospitality (see actual student reports). If your senior could use some week-end company at home, your younger child is curious about other languages, or if you have benefited from a stay away from home in your youth and would like to pass on the favor, please let us know of your availability.

Interested for the future?

     If any of this sounds enticing, if you have other enriching ideas or contacts for us, if you feel you are almost able to send your child, almost willing to help be a host, but not quite, we are thankful for any communication. There may be ways of pairing up or organizing a group effort. Faculty members have also been known to take the students on sightseeing tours on their private time, or host the foreigners in their private homes. Excitement, interest and openness are what is needed most to make the best of this opportunity for all.      Early notice makes our job of mental or actual preparation much easier. We usually send and receive students in the fall term, and decisions for the following exchange are made in the spring of that year.

     For questions and comments about the German visitors’ program, please contact Muriel Hoequist or explore our website further!
     All questions concerning the Spanish program should be directed to Lydia Gilkey at (251) 441-2115 or explore the corresponding website.