Boggs Educational Center

Alfred DeFreece, father of two children (ages 4 and 9), is a middle school administrator of five years, and a doctoral candidate in sociology at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor. Originally from New York, Alfred saw the vitality in various youth movements in the city that helped inspire him to make Detroit his home in 2004.

Alfred has personal, professional, and political interest in the way institutions practice inclusion and exclusion, stemming from his own experiences as a resident of an independent living facility, reaching forward to his concern with the role of education in the socialization of his own children.

Upon moving to Detroit, Alfred was able to join a community of parents, teachers, activists, artists, and scholars, all committed to supporting youth involvement in the struggles shaping their existences, and all convinced that fundamental changes in how education is popularly conceived is a necessary step in the evolution of American society.

Frank Donner has taught in Detroit since 2002. He worked for Detroit Public Schools for four years, and for public school academies in Detroit for the last three years. Frank has taught both kindergarten and first grade. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Classical Greek from Creighton University, and is a certified teacher in the state of Michigan. Frank completed educational coursework for his teacher certification at Wayne State University where he is presently completing work on his Master of Arts in Teaching.

As a young teacher, Frank experienced the weaknesses and strengths of the schools he worked in. He also began to see education’s essential role as preparing young people for an active, healthy, and productive life in the community. To this end, Frank began working with local organizations like the Detroit Agriculture Network, which is committed to the sustainable, productive use of urban space and resources. Frank’s classroom incorporates resources related to urban agriculture, sustainability, and environmental stewardship. Frank is an active member of Detroit’s Garden Resource Program Collective, and a garden leader at Birdtown Community Garden in the Cass Corridor.

Julia Putnam was born and raised in Detroit and exclusively attended Detroit Public Schools. She believes her real education began at sixteen when she was the first person to join Detroit Summer, a program designed for youth to help revitalize, rebuild, and respirit Detroit from the ground up. Three years later, she was hired as the Youth Coordinator and has been working with young people ever since.

She completed a Masters Degree in Liberal Studies from University of Detroit Mercy before she realized what she really wanted to do―teach. She went to Wayne State for a Master of Arts in Teaching and taught poetry to middle and high school students with the Inside Out program. In her career, Julia has taught sixth through twelfth grade in both the Detroit public and charter school systems.

Her teaching philosophy has been shaped by both her experiences with young people (including her two small children, Henry and Lucie), as well as her mentorship with the adults who started Detroit Summer, especially Grace Lee Boggs. She believes that Detroit is in the unique and exciting position to prove that preparing children to make a positive impact on their community is the most important thing a school can do, and that this endeavor is central to the revitalization of a city.

Amanda Rosman is a proud mother who has lived and taught in Detroit since 1999. She worked for the Detroit Archdiocese for one year, Detroit Public Schools for three years, and has taught at University Preparatory Academy, a public school academy, for the past five years. She has taught third through seventh grade. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from Cornell University, a Master of Arts in Teaching and K-8 teaching certification from the University of Michigan, and a J.D. from Wayne State University Law School. She is also a member of the Sate Bar of Michigan

While working in the Detroit Public Schools, Amanda was impressed by the determination of parents to provide opportunities for their children and the strength of the children persevering in struggling schools within a failing economy. She was also inspired by the tenacity of teachers and administrators who showed up day after day to work with students and their families. In addition to these observations, networking with other educators at The Freedom Schooling Discussions at the Boggs Center in Detroit led Amanda to want to work for education reform on a broader level. Amanda hopes to combine her experiences in the classroom with her law degree to serve the students of the city of Detroit in pursuit of purposeful and empowering educational experiences.

Nate Walker moved to Detroit in 2002 as part of Detroit’s only Teach For America corps. When Teach For America left Detroit, he stayed and worked for the Detroit Public Schools for five years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Gettysburg College and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Wayne State University, where he also received his teacher certification. In 2007, he attended Brown University and earned a Masters degree in Urban Education Policy. In 2008 he returned to Detroit and the classroom. During his time as an educator, Nate has taught pre-kindergarten, and fifth through eighth grade; he currently teaches seventh grade.

In 2003, Nate met Grace Lee Boggs and began attending The Freedom Schooling Discussions at her house in Detroit’s east side. These discussions, combined with his experiences as a student and teacher, helped to challenge Nate’s assumptions about the purpose of education and its role in transforming life in Detroit. It was at the Boggs Center where Nate met others with the shared vision of rethinking educational experiences so that they are humanizing and purposeful. Nate has helped to design programming for several youth organizations in Detroit including Detroit Summer, The Legal Education Advocacy Program, and The Student Conservation Leadership Corps.