Josh Ault
As a history teacher and former television journalist based in Dallas, Texas, Josh Ault has a passion for Texas history and education. His multi-year career as a Texas educator is enriched by his professional development experiences with the Inspiring Teachers Program in Kathmandu, Nepal, the teacher institute at Colonial Williamsburg in Williamsburg, VA and upcoming volunteer work with the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum. Ault teaches social studies and journalism classes at Dawson Middle School in Southlake, TX. “I think it is so important as a teacher to experience as much as you can, so you can bring that knowledge to the students in the classroom. It makes learning more important and brings a real world perspective to my students. I know the things I will learn in Ghana will be amazing for my students.”
Samuel Delali Awutey
A graduate from the Accra teachers college, Awutey currently teaches Mathematics, Information Communication Technology and Visual Arts in the 7th and 8th grades at Osuwem R/C Basic School, Osuwem in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. He has been accepted as a participant of the WTIG cohort 2021, and will be learning along with his colleagues from different schools in the USA. “I am interested in meeting teachers from different cultures and learning about what motivates them. I have tried to use any experience and event around me to learn. Through failures and challenges, we learn and grow. In experiencing and accepting a more humbling role, the presence of my students has changed my perspectives about teaching, my abilities and life as a whole. My dream is reflected in the lives of my pupils."
Pearl Adiza Babah
Pearl Babahhas been a social studies instructor at the Accra Teachers College for the past 27 years. She has published many research articles in educational publications, including The Philosophical and Sociological Implications Behind the Adinkra Symbol Niamey Nwu Na Mawu, Institutional Perspective of Political Intolerance in the Epoch of Modernism: The Causes and the Way Forward and The Emergence and Spread of COVID-19 Pandemic and Implications on the Economy of Ghana.
David Duane
Dave Duane is a returning WTIG participant, board member and leader for this year’s program. A former Peace Corps Volunteer with a rich experience of international travel and work,Dave currently heads the Science Department at the Fenn School in Concord, MA. “I love working with colleagues and students in developing vibrant and exciting hands-on programs. I love engaging in relevant and meaningful work with students, faculty, and staff in moving schools toward becoming more just and inclusive places of learning.”
Sara Jones
A seasoned educator with over 25 years leading Social Studies learning environments for middle and high school students, Sara Jones is an active member of the PA Alliance for Geographic Education, and has been recognized by National Geographic with a Distin-guished Teacher Award and by the Network of State Teacher of the Year as a 2015 teacher of the year finalist. In addition to her teaching work, Jones has also had the opportunity to travel on a Fulbright trip to Jordan in 2014 and a National Endowment for the Humanities trip to Turkey in 2015. “I am always looking to bring innovative, diverse, and firsthand experiences to my classroom. The WTIG experiential trip will benefit me both personally and professionally”
Rosalie Norris
Working at the intersection of social justice and the arts, Rosalie Norris was most recently a founding faculty member and curriculum designer at Powderhouse Studios, an XQ Super School grant recipient based in Somerville, MA. In addition to her work in education innovation, Rosalie was selected for the NEH Summer teacher institute “The Immigrant Experience through Literature and Theatre” at San Jose State University, and completed facilitator training in Restorative Justice practices at The Center for Restorative Justice at Suffolk University. She is an organizer for the School of Honk, a radically inclusive community brass band parading the streets of the Greater Boston area.
Gershon Cidi Ocloo
A veteran teacher of Music and dance in the department of Performing Arts at the Accra College of Education, Ghana, Gershon has taught music and dance for 26 years, and is a master dancer, drummer and lecturer on Ghanaian culture and traditions. Mr. Ocloo is also involved with traditional Ghanaian church music and groups. Besides his involvement in the arts, Mr. Ocloo has taught courses on HIV/AIDS education, religious and moral education.
“I am enthusiastic about the upcoming experience with the Witness Tree Institute of Ghana, and I hope to learn new things from my American colleagues and our interactions,” Gershon Cidi Ocloo said.
Freda Quao
As an English Literature teacher for 32 years in Accra, Ghana, Freda currently teaches English in Literature at the Accra College of Education. A graduate of the University of Cape Coast, Ms. Quao has the unique experience of having taught in both Secondary and tertiary institutions. Freda, who is currently teaching a course on Gender and Writing, is passionate about the multidimensional quality of selected books. They range from Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre to Ama Ata Aidoo’s Our Sister Killjoy. “ My course currently requires the study of two African novels and other works from other parts of the world,” Freda shares. “ I am an avid reader who appreciates variety. So during my leisure time, I love to read American novels. I am looking forward to meeting American literature teachers, and to share ideas with.”
Julie Siftar
Julie Siftar has served as a visual arts instructor for over two decades at The Carroll School, specializing in working with students with learning disabilities. Creating curricula which draws on inspiration, information and images from other places, peoples and times in history, Siftar brings a deeply felt, creative perspective to the WTIG 2021 cohort. “I learn best by doing and experiencing, as do my students. The learning goes deep. It becomes stories to share that then become legend. It is my most favorite way to learn and teach. Most importantly I feel that teaching and learning this way fosters respect, and dare I say love, for other people and themselves.”
OCTAVIUS DELAH GLOVER
Glover is a graduate from Akatsi College of Education, currently teaching Pre-Technical Skills and Religious and Moral Education in the 7th, 8th and 9th grade respectively at Asutsuare Estate Basic 2. He is delighted to be part of WTIG this year, to learn about culture, history and art; to enhance teaching and learning; and to learn from lovely people from all walks of life. Delah believe there’s freedom in learning new things everyday and that has been a motivation to his students. Encouraging young ones to freely air their views, interactively, makes a learning environment a beautiful place to be. It is my dream to see my students express their feelings through creativity.
Tete & eLizabeth Cobblah
Tete Cobblah is the founder and director of the WTIG. His passion for diversity, equity and inclusion led him to recognize and tap into the wisdom and strength that justice and lifelong learning bring to world peace. He and his wife, Elizabeth Updike Cobblah, an artist, writer, educator and social activist, have lived and taught in both the USA and Ghana. They work as a team exploring, understanding and engaging social justice through education, to raise awareness to the plight of the marginalized and disenfranchised in the world. They will be hosting and leading the WTIG program, 2021 in Ghana.