Gena Engelfried
Gena McGowan Engelfried is an educator who understands that experiences lead to learning and the development of the whole person. A lifelong advocate for hands-on learning for all age groups, Gena has worked as a teacher, administrator, trainer and parent educator in the U.S. and abroad. She is a mother of four, a grandmother and her favorite things include traveling with young people, cooking, and working on the family farm.
Gena did her undergraduate work at the University of Washington where she studied human development with Andrew Meltzoff at the CDMRC. She earned her AMI Primary diploma in 1982 at Sion Hill College in Dublin, Ireland. She holds a Master of Arts in Education from the University of Redlands as well as a Tier II Administrative Credential, a multiple-subject (elementary) teaching credential, and numerous single subject credentials for secondary school. She is a licensed parent educator.
Gena has been a Montessori speaker and international teacher in Sumatra, Indonesia; Astana, Kazakhstan, Sydney, Australia and around the U.S. She was involved in the Orientation to Adolescent Studies hosted by NAMTA for several years and has been a consultant to schools in the U.S. and abroad since 2010.
THE ADOLESCENT BRAIN The child you once knew, who was interested in your descriptions of how the world works and loved your explanations of things past and present, who was courteous, confident, friendly and fascinated by the things you showed them, is gone. Who is this new person who seems distant, different and hard to …
Continue reading “Adolescence – What Parents and Caregivers Need to Know”
When we ask our students, especially upper elementary and middle school students, “Who is your biggest inspiration?” The majority of them answer with one of their parents or their grandparents. You may not know it, but you are most likely, your child’s biggest inspiration. This may be daunting news to you but you are your …
Authentic engagement is something that all teachers strive for with their students. This can be difficult, even with students who are not experiencing significant headwinds (i.e. too tired, worried, or otherwise unable to access their full potential due to circumstances beyond their, or our control). Most of us “got through” our school day and did …
Continue reading “Student Engagement: Motivating Students toward Real World Success”
We recognize that each child is born into the world through nature, a unique bearer of individualism and legacy. We also know that nature benefits from nurture. Nurture can promote each to realize their full and unique potential. As parents, we prepare an environment, a home, and family where our children can grow and thrive. As educators, we prepare schools and classrooms where our children can make discoveries and experiential learning. As a society, we prepare teachers and educational establishments to guide and lead the next generation. Child of Nurture seeks to support all of these institutions to promote our humanity and bring our best nature forward for the benefit of humanity.
Gena’s services fall into three broad categories:
To learn more or to request a consultation, contact Gena!
Gena helped me to understand my daughter as she moved from early to middle childhood. She gave me the insight I needed to provide the best in home and educational environments. My daughter, who was experiencing difficulty is now thriving.
Gena is an amazing leader who inspires the best in people rather than just managing people. I learned much from working directly with Gena, about how students learn, the dignity of adolescence and about myself. Gena works tirelessly and gives generously of her time and of herself to encourage growth in others around her.
I had the privilege of working with Gena in several capacities when I served as Financial Administrator and Governing Board Chair at MIR. Gena exhibited exceptional administrative acumen as she guided the school community through a successful proposal for a Montessori based charter high school and a first-time WASC accreditation. She established a very positive community culture for staff, parents, students, and board members. Gena is an extremely motivated and forward thinking administrator and is quite enthusiastic in her strong commitment to Montessori education.
As a member of the Grand Rapids Public Schools Montessori Taskforce, we chose Gena as a part of a consultant team, to review and provide recommendations to improve the GRPS Montessori Secondary program.
Gena brings a rich history as a Montessori credentialed teacher and an administrator to her work. She was able to very quickly quantify the strengths and weaknesses of our program and also offer robust and realistic solutions. The quality of the final deliverables was exceptional. We are using it today to revitalize our public Montessori secondary program in Grand Rapids, MI.
My husband and I are grateful to Gena for giving us the skills we needed to create safe boundaries for our son who has been diagnosed ASD. She worked with us both in his early childhood and adolescence and now he is a fully functioning college student.