William Ringer, an English Teacher at Viera High School, is one of 110 exceptional teachers from around the United States who has been selected by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State and IREX (International Research and Exchanges Board) to participate in a two-way exchange program that provides professional development opportunities to secondary school teachers from around the world. Ringer will be traveling to Morocco for two weeks in March, 2011.

Ringer says of his upcoming exchange, “My most exciting consideration for this international learning experience is the opportunity to visit and collaborate with educators from other cultures; through collaboration and communication, we might better prepare our students for a dynamic, robust and challenging world.”

During his two-week trip, Ringer and his international counterpart will discuss best teaching practices and related educational issues in Morocco with the host school teachers and with the wider community of educators. Other U.S. teachers will visit 27 countries in the Caucasus, South and Central Asia, Southeast Asia, South and Central America, Middle East, North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Participants in the exchange will also visit local schools, parents’ committees and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), serve as guest speakers on U.S. education and culture, team-teach at their host schools, and conduct workshops for the teaching community on teaching methods and curriculum design.