While school is starting for Carroll ISD soon, one educator has already been teaching for several weeks now. In fact, Josh Ault just finished teaching his new students in Africa last week.
A history teacher at Dawson Middle School, Josh was one of five U.S. teachers selected by the Witness Tree Institute of Ghana to travel to Africa and learn about its culture and impact on the world. Josh spent two weeks experiencing dance, art and history lectures at the University of Ghana, went to the Cocoa Research Institute in New Tafo and visited the home and burial site of W.E.B. Dubois, according to a media release. He even got to meet a Ghanaian king.
But one of the most special experiences to Josh was teaching a 45-minute lesson to seventh graders at a demonstration school. He says the Ghanaian seventh graders were similar to his seventh graders at Dawson, and he encouraged connection between the two schools.
“I got the students to write letters to my students at Dawson Middle School,” Josh says. “I plan for my social studies students in Southlake to become pen pals.”
Josh’s trip lasted from July 23 to August 5. He says he’s grateful for the experience and will carry it with him into the new semester at Dawson Middle School.
“It will be a great opportunity for us to grow and learn from each other,” Josh says. “Our world is too small not to stay connected.”