De Montfort University and its social action theories seem to have had a profound influence on you and this project. Can you explain them?
It’s really about facilitating. It’s not about going into a community to do what you think needs to be done. It’s about engaging the voice of the community to figure out what the issues are and how to solve them — taking action, and then reflecting on the results. It’s a cyclical process.
And when you applied this principle in your Community Action class, were you pleased with the results?
When my kids started talking about what they wanted to change, a lot of it surprised me. The project has changed my life completely.
It changed my teaching. I’ve always tried to bring the real world into the classroom, but there’s nothing like being in the real world through the curriculum. So it’s truly made me a facilitator versus a teacher.
How did your recent volunteer days go at the clubhouse?
Over 200 people showed up Oct. 11 for the James W. Rouse community service day [named after the developer of Columbia, Md., and father of Ted Rouse, formerly of Stuever Bros., Eccles & Rouse, a major backer of Youth Dreamers]. It was really inspiring. The kids were so excited.
What will you do as an encore when the clubhouse opens?
I might go to sleep for a couple of years. The scariest thing is making this project sustainable and making a position that would exist for me or someone else. That’s what I’m a little terrified about right now. What we need are big funders, willing to fund this for many years, not just one year. But I can’t really think past getting this thing open, because it’s been so long.
What is the gravest challenge facing America’s youth today?
I see a lot of challenges. The kids are under a lot of pressure from many different places. They don’t have opportunities for meaningful jobs …. and they perceive what relationships should be according to the media. It’s all violence and naked women — and such lack of respect. However, Stephen, one of my ninth-graders, says the greatest challenge is lack of adult mentorship — that most problems could be solved with proper adult-child mentorship.
You danced professionally with the Dayton Ballet Company. Why did you leave ballet for teaching?
When I was growing up that’s all I wanted to do. But once it became my career, I was bored. I wanted more. I had an identity crisis at 19, so I took a year off. I waited tables and went to college. I ended up going to grad school at Towson University for teaching, and that’s when I knew that’s what I was supposed to do. I just love teaching.
Still bored?
I’m no longer bored. That’s for sure.
