Rooted in Oakland, Called to Teach
AJ Adams’ journey to the classroom began far from Detroit in the heart of West Oakland, California. What started as volunteer tutoring at Lafayette Elementary quickly became a calling. Guided by Black educator-leaders Ty-Licia and Tim, the executive director and program manager at Boost! West Oakland, AJ saw for the first time what it looked like for a school community to be led by people who reflected the students they served, built deep trust with families, and wove the school into the fabric of the neighborhood.
While managing the Boost! West Oakland after-school program, pairing students with mentors and reviewing school-level data, he was confronted with the stark disparities in educational outcomes. HIs experience in Oakland showed him what was true – that systemic failures were undermining the promise of what kids deserved.
“I began to question whether my own academic success was the result of talent and hard work, or simply luck and circumstance,” AJ recalls. Ty-Licia’s challenge was direct: if he wanted to truly understand education and be in a position to help, he needed to step into the classroom. That challenge became the turning point. AJ joined Teach For America in Detroit in 2020, seeking work that was relevant, urgent, and in service of students who deserved the very best.
A Career Defined by Growth
AJ describes his career in one word: dynamic. His first year teaching during a pandemic pushed him to the brink, but staying was one of the best decisions of his life.
Two moments stand out in his journey. The first came at the end of his third year, while earning his standard teaching certification at the University of Michigan. Presenting his capstone project, he reflected to a veteran professor that sharper vision in education only seemed to reveal a noisier, more complex landscape. The professor affirmed that contradictions would always exist, and that commitment and belief in addressing them was the only way forward.
The second moment came at his Master’s graduation in 2025. Sitting in his cap and gown, AJ thought back to the depths of his first year and the heights of that day. “I enjoyed a rare moment of pride,” he says, recognizing how far he had come from that simple decision in January 2020 to teach in Detroit.
Mentorship and Leadership at DSLI
For the past three summers, AJ has served as a Mentor Teacher of Record with the Detroit Summer Learning Institute (DSLI), an experiential-based program that prepares new Teach For America corps members for their first year in the classroom while providing students with rigorous academics and enrichment. In this role, he coaches and develops 2–4 incoming corps members, models instruction, and helps build schoolwide systems that foster positive learning environments.
This year, one moment at DSLI stood out: the send-off ceremony. “Corps members received certificates of achievement and words of encouragement, admiration, and affirmation from their mentor teachers—a tradition I love,” AJ says. “It’s rewarding to see a supportive community form from a group of strangers in just five weeks.” He also looked around at his fellow mentors, some of whom had been corps members alongside him, and realized how far they had all come. “We were all investing in the future of education in Detroit. It felt like a perfect snapshot of what makes DSLI so valuable.”
“AJ has been a Mentor Teacher at DSLI twice. He has been an excellent model in the habits and mindsets of strong teaching: reflecting, adjusting, keeping students first; as well as the habits and mindsets of strong mentoring—modeling both the art and science of teaching, building a trusting relationship with his mentees, being available to both support and provide feedback. This year, he also stepped up as a leader of Mentor Teachers, offering to hold space for MTs to come together, modeling being part of a full school community by being active in all school spaces (breakfast, lunch, dismissal), and providing ideas and feedback to our team to make the program stronger.”
A Big Brother in the Classroom
AJ is intentional about being more than just an instructor to his students. “Teachers, especially Black male teachers, have a special opportunity to help students learn about themselves, process success and failure, and manage emotions,” he says.
He recalls looping from fifth to sixth grade with a student named Jaden, a talented athlete and natural leader, but also a perfectionist who could be hard on himself. Over two years, they shared everything from data chats to paper-basketball games at lunch, from hard conversations about leadership to trash talk on the court. “When I remind J that games are for fun, that mistakes are part of learning, and that breathing will make his heart and brain feel better when he’s emotional, I remind myself, too. That’s one of the beautiful things about teaching kids.”
From the Classroom to Policy Change
In his upcoming role as a Michigan Educational Policy Fellow, AJ hopes to connect classroom realities with policy priorities. “Our scholars need reading support, help processing heavy emotions—often related to trauma—and educators willing to co-create learning spaces rather than impose them,” he says. He plans to advocate for greater access to training in the science of reading, trauma-informed practices, and culturally relevant pedagogy, approaches he’s seen work but feels haven’t been elevated enough.
“Professional development on curriculum has value, but teachers deserve tools and understanding to cultivate healthy learning environments and communities. I want to help make that happen.”
AJ Adams
AJ Adams is a 2020 Teach For America Detroit corps member and 2022 Early Career Educator Fellow who teaches at Brenda Scott Academy in Detroit. He earned his Master’s in Education from the University of Michigan and has served as a Mentor Teacher with the Detroit Summer Learning Institute for two summers. In 2025–26, he will serve as a Michigan Educational Policy Fellow and return for his fourth year of leadership at DSLI.
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