Successful boarding home parents seem to have two qualities in common: they express their affection for their student openly and often, and they respect their student's desire to be treated as a mature person. Many cultural differences exist between the Indian and Eskimo students, coming from villages without high schools, and the boarding home families they will live with while obtaining a secondary education. Many puzzling and upsetting situations can be avoided if boarding home parents are sensitive to cultural differences, e.g., attitudes toward time, rules, and food, and to the student's style of communication, which is apt to be subtle, indirect, and nonverbal--especially in expressions of gratitude. A student's lateness for dinner may be interpreted as an act of rudeness unless the boarding home parents realize that in the home village people rarely do things by the clock and that teenagers usually fix their own meals whenever they are hungry. Rules are necessary for the students' well being, but Native adolescents are treated as adults in their home villages and are used to independence. Unnecessary conflict can be avoided by limiting rules to major issues and by explaining the reasons behind the rules. With understanding and acceptance of cultural and individual differences, the boarding home program can benefit both the student and the boarding home family. (JH)