Blog | Creativity | Mentorship | My Thoughts | Posted on April 16, 2018 at 7:27 am by geneinletford

The knees quiver. The heart quickly beats. The hands palpitate. All of those symptoms can arise when you’re about to ask. Whether it’s approaching that beautiful girl for a first date, petitioning your boss for a raise or, in this case, requesting funds on behalf of thousands of teachers, asking takes courage. It’s exactly this […]

Arts Integration | Creativity | Posted on January 21, 2017 at 6:05 pm by geneinletford

Creativity | Mentorship | My Thoughts | Personal Development | Posted on December 30, 2016 at 9:50 am by geneinletford

What is asset framing? Good question! Following a Donorschoose board meeting, I sat down with Trabian Shorters, a fellow board member, to discuss what asset framing is and why educators and community members need to be aware of this concept. Continue reading below but also watch the video above for the one on one interview! […]

Creativity | Educational Travel | My Thoughts | Posted on June 12, 2015 at 7:34 pm by geneinletford

I don’t know what started it but while I was in Japan and South Korea last summer, I just started taking pictures of random flowers that caught my eye. Since my focus of the trip was to see these cultures through the arts, I guess these beautiful creations didn’t want to be left out. My […]

Arts Integration | Creativity | Posted on May 25, 2015 at 9:47 am by geneinletford

  One of my educational mentors, Scott Bedley, once told me, “Genein, you can’t expect your students to do something you’re not willing to do yourself.” That struck a cord with me and I now make sure that I’m doing what I expect them to do, if not more. ‘Be life long learners – Read […]

Arts Integration | Blog | Creativity | Educational Travel | Posted on March 5, 2015 at 3:26 pm by geneinletford

Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker once said, “If you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn.”   Award-winning educator, Cassie Cox, cleverly connected this statement to the importance of educators “experiencing for ourselves what we hope to inspire.” As Cassie headed to New York to study Duke Ellignton’s contribution to pop culture, other educators […]

Blog | Creativity | Educational Travel | My Thoughts | Posted on July 5, 2014 at 7:45 am by geneinletford

DING! I turned my head to see the email pop up. Heart quickened, eyes focused. My first response letter from the NEH Summer Fellowship is in. I quickly scanned it just to see, ‘We regret to inform you that we cannot offer you a place for this year’s program.’ As my heart sank as the […]

Creativity | My Thoughts | Posted on May 6, 2014 at 12:00 am by geneinletford

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! Mr. Steven Miller was my 6th grade general studies teacher and he made me realize that it was ok to be me. It’s ok to be crazy and think out of the box. It’s ok to go above and beyond other people’s expectations of you (though they might think that you’re odd). […]

Blog | Creativity | My Thoughts | Posted on February 25, 2014 at 12:00 am by geneinletford

In college I was repeatedly asked the question, “Genein, how did you become so creative?”  This question was often prompted from my elaborate project submissions throughout the years, which always went above and beyond the minimum requirements. It wasn’t until I won various awards for my creative interdisciplinary lessons, that I stopped to really think about […]

Arts Integration | Creativity | Posted on September 25, 2013 at 10:36 am by geneinletford

I was excited to be featured on the Bedley Bros (@bedleybros) talk show to share some ideas on arts integration. From book tracks to classifying the instruments of the orchestra, there are many fun lesson activities in this video that can be implemented right away for your students. Enjoy!