Got room to be a host, in a way that will affect lives far beyond that of the person you play host to? Chief Sealth International High School principal John Boyd says they’re still looking for a place for their new visiting teacher from China to stay:

As you may know, Chief Sealth and Denny have hosted Chinese Guest Teachers through an exchange program with the College Board for the last three and a half years. This has been a great experience for both of our schools, led to the creation of a K-12 Mandarin Chinese program in SPS, and helped us make the connections that resulted in our schools hosting the Confucius Institute for the State of Washington.

Our current Guest Teacher, Mr. Yang Dawei, is returning to China this year after two years of service to us. We are very excited to be welcoming Ms. Xilong Zeng, who also uses the English name of Celine. Ms. Zeng has been teaching English to Chinese secondary students since 1998.

We are in need of a host family for Ms. Zeng to stay with starting on July 28. Ms. Zeng would stay with the host family for all of the 2011-2012 school year. This is a great opportunity to learn about Chinese culture and pick up some Mandarin Chinese, while doing a great service for our schools. Hosting the Guest Teacher is much like hosting an exchange student, families are responsible for providing the teachers with a room of their own, including the teachers in family meals, and providing them access to things like a washer and dryer. The teacher will receive a modest salary through the Chinese Ministry of Education and the Confucius Institute, and will be provided a insured car from the schools as transportation.

If you are interested in serving as a host family, or know of someone in West Seattle who would be interested, please have them contact principal John Boyd or Marta Sanchez at the Chief Sealth Main Office at 252-8550.