My World

My world is a mix of The Boggs Educational Center and Detroit Summer.  I am more passionate about rethinking education than anything else.  With complete devotion, I work with the Boggs Ed team to build a place-based charter school determined to open as soon as possible.  The mission of the BEC is to nurture creative, critical thinkers who contribute to their community.  What does that mean?  It means caring for and valuing our youth.  It means providing and creating environments where residents can live out their dreams!  It means creating safe, engaging environments that extend from deep within our hearts into local communities and beyond. It means knowing our neighbors by first name.  It means celebrating reading and developing a love and a comfortability level with print all around us. It means building relationships and partnerships with local organizations and individuals. It means engaging our seven year olds by allowing groups of kids to use math and science skills to design and build benches from piles of wood from old Detroit buildings, so that our grandmothers have a place to sit when they walk down the street.  Because in my dream vision-grandmothers are walking down the street!  Do you know why?  They are walking down the street because kids who attend The Boggs Educational Center, kids who are 6 year old, have prepared a luncheon for our families and elders in the community who have taught us so much.  We love them, and we want to prepare the food we have grown.  Science is taught every moment and our children are discussing real problems in our lives and finding solutions that work.  I believe in our youth and I know that our children are desperate to find refuge in a school like this.  Why will this school be so successful?  Because its rooted in love.  Because we collaboratively problem solve.  Because we have fun.  Because we practice critical analysis and inquiry.  They have built strong relationships and developed a solid plan rooted in loving, righteous ideologies and philosophies that are committed to educating Detroit’s children in meaningful ways that will follow and support our young people from very, very young to very, very old.  We care about making our communities better.  Detroit Summer and the BEC share values.  Jimmy and Grace Lee Boggs planted the seeds that have sprouted from both gardens. Detroit has a story to tell and I am happy to be a part of it.