Air Force Lt. Col. Walt Davis will immerse himself in the history and politics of a country once part of the former Soviet Union when the Edisto High teacher in Orangeburg School District Four visits the Republic of Georgia this March. Last week, he accompanied Dr. Shirlan Jenkins on a visit with the U.S. State Department in Washington D.C., at a global education symposium prior to a planned March 11 departure for Tbilisi, Georgia.

 

Lt. Col. Davis has been awarded a highly competitive annual fellowship with the U.S. Department of State Teachers for Global Classrooms (TGC) program, which selected 80 teachers from around the country out of more than 1,000 applicants. The TGC program provides an opportunity for teachers from the United States to explore ways to bring a global perspective to their classroom curriculum and standards.  The program includes an online professional development course, two Washington, D.C.-based symposiums, and a two to three week professional development exchange to one of the following countries participating this year: Colombia, Senegal, India, the Philippines, Morocco, and the Republic of Georgia. Lt. Col. Davis will be traveling with 11 fellow teachers in the Georgia cohort.  He completed a semester of coursework on globalized education this past fall through George Mason University. Through unit assignments, Davis has written and published global curriculum that was presented and evaluated at last week’s symposium.

 

“This is an opportunity to learn about education in a different society and inspire our students to reach out beyond limited cultural conceptions,” Davis explained.  “I will be able to collaborate with Georgian teachers and share with their students about our district and my home school (Edisto High) in South Carolina.” The trip will include visits to the U.S. Embassy and Georgia’s Ministry of Education.

 

“I look forward to representing Orangeburg School District Four in this amazing opportunity,” Davis said. “Through my participation in this program, our district is eligible for significant grants and additional funding opportunities via the U.S. Department of State, so it can touch many of our students.”  

 

Lt. Col. Davis teaches the Air Force JROTC at Edisto High. The Edisto AFJROTC program has been named a 2015 national distinguished unit with merit – now recognized 10 times. You can view his travel blog and global education guide at tinyurl.com/edistoglobal.