We’d seen a photo and a bio describing interests and family background, but we had no idea 15 years ago that the girl we’d gone to the airport to meet would soon become a treasure in our lives.
A dark-haired 17-year-old rushed up to us – thanks to our “Bess family” sign – and kissed me on both cheeks in greeting, a big smile plastered on her face.
Later on, Evelyn (pronounced Ev-a-leen) told me she had never been so nervous in her life. She didn’t know what to expect, either.
Our first – and to date, only – foreign exchange student turned out to be whip-smart, insightful and caring.
Evelyn had taken years of English in her hometown school in San Luis, Mexico, but had little command of the language when we tried to converse on the ride from the airport back to Jefferson County.
She knew our daughter was active in musical theater and attempted to describe her own recent performance in the musical “Grease.”
We had trouble understanding her, but by the minute, Evelyn comprehended more and spoke better. Weeks after that ride home, I laughed and said, “So funny. I thought you were trying to tell us that you acted a part in ‘Grease’ in front of the curtain, while someone else sang the songs behind the curtain.”
“Well, that’s what happened,” she said, surprised that I was surprised. “I can’t sing at all!”
Evelyn came to us in early August and went home the next June. By then, she was fluent in English.
That was the goal. Her father wept sad tears when she left home and glad tears on her return, but he believed she’d benefit from being bilingual.
Evelyn went on to become a dental prosthodontist (specializing in dental implants and tooth and jaw repair) in a practice right on the border between Mexico and Arizona. Dad had been wise.
On our end, we learned about Latino culture, Mexican cuisine (her favorite was tamales verdes, smothered in hot sauce and sour cream), and Catholicism. This Baptist went to Mass with Evelyn several times, and she visited our church, too.
I fantasized I’d polish my Spanish skills (four years in high school, one in college). But Evelyn was a truth-teller.
“I’m sorry,” she said with a giggle. “You’re just SO bad.”
Evelyn came to mind because of the Leader’s story on the Windsor school board’s decision to set a limit on how many foreign exchange students can enroll each school year.
The new policy, effective next school year, allows one exchange student for every 150 students enrolled at the high school, and will tally to five international students for 2019-2020.
That’s down from “double digits” of exchange students who started the current school year at Windsor.
Windsor principal Jason Naucke said this year set a record, and was illustrative of the problems that can occur when the exchange program grows a little too big. He said teachers are struggling to overcome language barriers while still providing quality instruction to other students.
And even though incoming exchange students are tested to ensure they have sufficient English skills to thrive, it doesn’t always turn out that way, Naucke said, and the inability to communicate sometimes sends students home early.
He said his own family has hosted a foreign exchange student and they found the experience enriching. He supports the concept and the program. But too much of a good thing becomes a not-good thing.
Evelyn graduated early at home before her year in America, so she didn’t have to worry about grades or a diploma while she was here. She still studied and did her best, excelling in classes that relied on memorization – like anatomy – and not so well in classes that required written English. If something was hard for Evelyn, it’s easy to see why the challenges might be insurmountable for others.
My own experience speaks to Naucke’s point. I taught a journalism class at Jefferson College for several years, with students dividing their time between my lectures and hands-on work to put out a student newspaper.
One of my students was a Japanese exchange student who, like Evelyn, had years of English instruction in her background. To put together a usable story, I had to spend twice as long with my international student than any of the others. And even though we put her byline on it, it really was my work.
But just like with Evelyn, the experience was rewarding for all, as we learned about Japanese culture and she learned about ours.
I’m glad Windsor has no plans to do away with its foreign exchange program. Naucke was just asking for a common-sense limit, and his board complied with a 6-0 vote.
When Evelyn left, we were just like her dad – we cried. The next summer she came back to join us on a vacation to New York, and our daughter spent a week with Evelyn in Mexico. We still try to keep up with her life.
I told her she would always, always have a place with us, if she ever wanted it.
That hasn’t changed.
