Program Format: The participants meet with their teacher (in the teacher's home or in a nearby facility) Monday through Friday for three of the four-week stay. Evenings and weekends are spent with the host family. Four days of the week are devoted to language classes in the morning (9:00 - 12:00) which emphasize oral English. The teacher and students have lunch together and then spend the afternoon on field trips and activities. The students' lunches will be provided by the host families. The field trips are advantageous for the student to use the English they are learning and increase their understanding of American culture thorugh doing things like visiting a museum, a courthouse, a zoo, or a baseball game. An all-day excursion is planned on day a week to a point of interest in the area. In some cases, small groups join together for this excursion.
Students: The students who apply for this program are 13 - 18 years old and will have studied some English. They are especially interested in making specific progress in their English skills, but still want the opportunity to live with a family. In many cases their parents encourage this type of program because they hope their child will achieve more concrete progress in a structured program than in a family stay. The scheduled field trips and excursions are also attractive!
Teachers: The teachers are chosen for their competence in teaching English, for their rapport with young people, and their enthusiasm for sharing American culture. The teachers follow a curriculum outline provided by Nacel Open Door, and are encouraged to be creative in adapting the curriculum to the needs of their individual student's language levels.
Each teacher is responsible for finding host families in the neighborhood for the students he/she will have in class, for teaching the morning classes, and for arranging field trips and excursions. In some instances, roles are separated where the teacher instructs and cooperates with another individual who leads the activities.
Host Families: Host families are interested in experiencing another culture with a student from abroad. Families are very enthusiastic about sharing their home with a foreign student. Host families welcome the student as a part of their family, but do not need to be responsible for them Monday through Friday from 9:00 - 5:00 for three weeks of the stay. If the student is not able to walk or ride to the teacher's home, transportation will be provided. Host families are expected to provide room and board for their student, including a sack lunch on tutorial days.
Nacel Open Door Support: Nacel Open Door's coordinators select the teachers and assist in handling any student/host family concerns during the program. Most Nacel Open Door participants come with a group that is escorted by a chaperone, who is also ready to help with any questions or concerns.
Please contact Lonnie George at 1-800-493-1972, E-mail:loony2u@aol.com for more information!