Kimberly Hall | April 5, 2020
Had I not had the privilege of traveling with World View, this would have not happened for my students. I don’t know that I would have this drive to have global awareness.
Ashley Knowles is a fourth-year teacher at Union Middle School in rural Sampson County. Union Middle School is a Title 1, 6-8 school. 55% of the school’s population is Hispanic, 22% African American, 22% Caucasian, and 1% other. The Sampson County community is largely a farming community with many migrant children that are limited in English proficiency.
Ashley participated in World View’s 2018 China Study Visit. Simple Gifts, a local grant organization, provided funding for her to participate. When discussing the China Study Visit Ashley said, “Traveling to China with World View was the first time I ever traveled internationally as an educator and it totally shifted my perspective of travel, global competence and the importance of “boots-on-the-ground” learning. While in China, I felt an urgency to somehow provide travel opportunities for my students.” However, due to her community’s socio-economic status, it would be very difficult to provide an opportunity for all her students to travel, especially when families of Sampson County have very limited disposable income. One of the questions Ashley had to address was “How can I facilitate global learning first-hand? The very week I got home, I found an educational travel company for student learners. I wrote a grant through Simple Gifts and they agreed to fund half of all travel expenses for six students to travel to Costa Rica on a STEM trip.” In 2019, six students were able to see first-hand how coffee and chocolate drive Costa Rica’s economy. They were also able to be submerged in a culture that values natural resources and green energy. “The experiences they had and the things they learned during their time in Costa Rica could never be matched within the confines of our building – just like the things that I learned and the experiences I had as a World View participant.”
Being a Visual Art teacher at Union Middle School, Ashley makes it a priority to make sure her students get involved with art and culture from various parts of the world because of her experience as an educator in China. “Immediately returning from the World View study visit, I wrote a grant to the North Carolina Arts Council asking for sponsorship to have a Chinese brush artist, Jinxiu Zhao, come to our school and teach about Chinese culture and art. In 2018, we were able to get hands on experience with an ancient Chinese form. Not only that, we learned how Ms. Zhao worked diligently to learn English when she emigrated from China in the 1990s. This was very applicable to our ESL students; they were able to see that with work and dedication; they too can be successful.”
With half the population in their school being Hispanic, Ashley believes it is important for these students to know that the school’s faculty and staff value their cultures. She also wants the non-Hispanic students to experience and better understand Latinx culture. “I worked with the North Carolina Museum of Art to have Mr. Peter Marin come to our school for a three-day residency. He talked to our students about his native country and how he used to preserve and honor his heritage, while sharing it with others. During his residency, our students created art that was a part of an installation put together by Mr. Marin at the NC Museum of Art. This opportunity was very prestigious for our students because the installation was on display during the Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera exhibition!” The NC Museum of Art sponsored their community as they were able to attend a Latinx family day. Union Middle School students and families went to the art museum to see their artworks on display and visit the Frida Kahlo/Diego Rivera exhibit. “Had I not had the privilege of traveling with World View, this would have not happened for my students. I don’t know that I would have this drive to have global awareness. How many professional and practicing artists do you know that have had artwork displayed at a national art museum during an exhibit as honored as a Kahlo and Rivera exhibit? 150 of our students did!”
Going forward Ashley plans to continue her efforts bringing global awareness to her students through the arts. “I am attending a professional development opportunity this summer that will allow me to bring familiarity of our Native American population to our students and community. I have been in contact with several local Native American artists that have agreed to come to our school to provide students an opportunity to learn about Native American culture through traditional craft making. Also, I have planned a student trip to Italy for the summer of 2022 to experience the wonders and global relevance of Venice, Florence, Assisi and Rome. I cannot wait to see my students’ faces when they are standing underneath the fresco’s in the Sistine Chapel, and when they stand in the Roman Colosseum imagining the gladiators, kings, courts and spectators.”