“Before this workshop I thought my communities lacked/were deficient, but now I think opportunities are all around us, we just have to connect and take action and make things hidden more visible and to be aware of our surrounding culture.” –2024 Teacher Evaluation
“It was inspiring to learn more about taking a collaborative approach (rather than a purely instructive or lecture-based one) in the classroom. I feel like it makes me better able to connect with more and different kinds of students.” –2024 Teacher Evaluation
Musician and square dance caller, Elise Kelly, shares her love of Eastern Square dancing and its connection to her family and community history. She worked with teachers Sydney Wiseman and Guy Macaluso on a CCC school residency in Western NY in 2023.
On January 23 and February 4, 2026, educators and teaching artists came together for an inspiring, interactive Professional Development Institute, presented in partnership with GLOW Traditions, and hosted by the Genesee Valley BOCES.
Culture, Community, and the Classroom is available FREE to all teachers in New York, although registration is limited.
Funded, in part, by Rochester Area Community Foundation, this two-day workshop offered educators tools to build culturally responsive lesson plans that actively engage learners and their cultural communities. Teachers learned alongside specialized folk and traditional teaching artists and earned 12 CTLE hours, acquiring ideas for lessons that foster inquiry and belonging within their classrooms.
Participating teachers also had an opportunity to opt-in for hosting a guest artist in their classrooms for no cost to them and their school!
The Culture, Community, and the Classroom workshop series explores culturally responsive, engaged learning through local traditional arts and knowledge.
- Access a toolkit of activities and resources that will provide a fresh, innovative start to your school year.
- Engage the diverse communities of your students through lessons that center cultural awareness and knowledge building through inquiry.
- Experience the study and practice of material culture in both museum and community contexts.
- …and Remember why you fell in love with teaching in the first place!
Institute Dates: January 23 and February 4, 2026, Genesee Valley BOCES, 80 Munson Street, Le Roy, NY 14482
Showcase Date: June 6, 2026, 10am-12pm, Stafford Town Hall Courtroom 8903 NY-237, Stafford, NY 14143
