There are many general reasons to consider becoming a homestay host family, from broadening your cultural understanding to adding a new dimension to your family unit. If you're a teacher, homestay hosting can also help you become better at your job. Here are 3 ways becoming a host will improve your abilities in the classroom.
It'll Help You Work With Disabled Students
Over 8% of children in Australia have a disability that can affect the way they learn. However, many of these disabilities aren't obvious to the eye or ear. When a teacher has a large class of pupil's who all need to be taught, it can be easy to overlook these students, even when they're in need of help. Even when a teacher does engage with a disabled pupil, many find it hard to figure out how to help these children if they haven't had formal training. While your homestay student is unlikely to have a disability, they will have a disadvantage when they first come to stay with you: their language. Homestay students come to English-speaking countries to improve their English abilities, so your student will likely have some degree of difficulty speaking English. Supporting this student through their journey on a daily basis will help to teach you how to work with children who are disadvantaged or struggling in some way--a skill you can carry over to the classroom.
It'll Remind You How Home Life Affects School
When a student comes to class and isn't ready to learn, it's easy to get frustrated. If every other student can do their homework, bring in the right supplies, and be prepared for class, why can't the one who's giving you bother? Many teachers run a tight ship in their own household, and some no longer have children living at home, so they forget how home life can affect school work. Your first few weeks of being a homestay host are likely to make your life a little more hectic than usual. Working through that little bit of chaos will remind you that many students deal with the same level of dysfunction at home on a daily basis, and it'll help you be more patient with students going through problems. You may even learn an organisational tip or two that you can teach to students in need.
It'll Show You How to Educate the Whole Mind
Even though most homestay youths attend school, you're likely to play a part in their education while they're with you--even if you don't realise it. Everything from playing games as a family to going out to restaurants can be an educational experience. When you're a formally trained teacher, you may sometimes feel like you're only job is to teach students the content they need to know to do well in tests and move onto bigger and better things. In reality, the best teachers are the ones who educate the whole mind. Teaching your homestay student new skills, helping them develop new traits and showing them new things can help teach you how to give your class the broadest education possible.
For more information, contact companies like Global Booking Service.
