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Madeline Freeman: English

Madeline Freeman was destined to be an English teacher.

From a young age, Mrs. Freeman loved to read. In fact, she distinctly remembers looking around her first grade classroom and noting that many students were still reading picture books while she had already progressed to reading chapter books like the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary. She was also so good at grammar that her own mother would have her proofread notes sent to teachers.

Mrs. Freeman’s mother knew where her destiny lay. She told Mrs. Freeman over and over that she would grow up to be an English teacher. And Mrs. Freeman, of course, heartily disagreed.

It wasn’t until her sophomore year at East Detroit High School that Mrs. Freeman realized her mother had been right. While sitting in her history class, she realized that she wanted to be the kind of teacher who loved her job and her subject matter so much that it was contagious.

After graduating as a valedictorian at East Detroit High, Mrs. Freeman went on to earn her teaching degree at University of Detroit Mercy, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. She is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Instructional Technology at Wayne State University.

Mrs. Freeman has been teaching at Arts Academy in the Woods since 2005. She enjoys being at AAW because she feels she is able to see her students in a more three-dimensional way: She does not just see a student through the lens of English; instead, she is also able to see students as artists.