Mrs. Cohen hosted her first foreign exchange student back in 2015. Since then, there have been three more students she has taken in. Each of them has made an impact on her life.
Mrs. Cohen has been a math teacher at Potosi High School since 2019. This will be her 31st year of teaching. In 2015 she hosted her first student, Moritz, from Germany; she took him in halfway through the school year due to a placement that wasn't a good fit. Then in 2022, she applied to house a student again and chose Emma, also from Germany. After hosting Emma, Mrs. Cohen didn’t plan on applying to host again until, in 2024, two exchange students joined Potosi High School, but they were living in a home that wasn't working out. Mrs.Cohen had both of the girls, Morena, from Italy, and Marla, from Mongolia, in her classes. When it came to rehoming the girls, Mrs.Cohen was quick to jump into action and provide the girls a home so they were able to stay in the district. “Just trying to make the situation better for them.”
Mrs. Cohen was asked how she feels that having an exchange student enrolled in school impacts the school. She replied, “ I think it obviously brings diversity in a really small school. Kids are allowed to see a different aspect of life.” It was also discussed how important the connections you make are. Other students, seeing the exchange students travel here and have the experiences, might open some eyes to realize it's not so scary.
I also asked Mrs. Cohen how being a teacher in the school impacts the students she hosts. “Theres no escaping us.” But with being in the school, Mrs.Cohen was right in the action to know what was going on at all times and help get the students involved.
Lastly, the big question was “would you recommend hosting?”
“To anybody that has a high school kid, I would highly recommend, if you have the space, to host because it really opens your eyes.” Mrs. Cohen learned a lot about the students she hosted, but also about herself.