Inspiring Conversations with N’kengé Robertson of Accountability Counts LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to N’kengé Robertson

Hi N’Kengé , thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Born and raised in Detroit by my activist dad started me off on my journey to being interested in education, social justice, and the overall care for people. Growing up I was always the sweet kid, did well in school, and wanted to help wherever I could as I watched my daddy do the same. I have often saw my dad make space for youth, strangers, the elderly, and/or people who generally needed resources as he had a goal to help better the community. I always looked at that as my mission which I fell into naturally. During my elementary years, I tutored kids younger than me, worked in the classrooms of teachers, and took any opportunity I could to work with youth to help them along. In the summer of 2014, I attended Michigan State University College of Education’s Urban Education cohort program and had the most rewarding experience as a junior in high school. I spent a few weeks living on campus and taking classes learning about power, privilege, racism, and how it affects Black & Brown people (something most kids did not know was a thing at that level). After completing that program I felt awakened as the next year I was accepted into Michigan State University and had phenomenal professors such as Terry Flennaugh, April Baker-Bell, and Lamar Johnson, to name a few who left a mark on my educational journey that I will forever hold close to my heart and practice. After graduating with my B.A. in English, I soon after received my M.A. in Curriculum & Instruction with a focus in K-12 Admin while starting teaching for Detroit Public Schools Community District where I currently work. During that time, I received the DPSCD Outstanding Educator Award and, the National Council of Teachers of English Early Educator of Color Award, and am a Teach Michigan fellow. During the last 10+ years of my educational endeavor journey, I have really focused on how Black & Brown youth in urban public schools are continuously disenfranchised due to the racial violence that takes place in educational spaces and I have continuously worked to break down the systemic racism through my classroom practices as a educator. As of 2024, I have opened Accountability Counts Learning space, my first brick-and-mortar offering tutoring for youth in grades K-12. Accountability Counts Learning Space is an education service company focused on educating the whole person emotionally, mentally, and academically while using research-based evidence to improve the growth of our youth.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Some of the struggles along the way I have dealt with have been dealing with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). During my college years, I placed a lot on myself to always be “perfect, ” which came at the price of over-exhaustion and people-pleasing as I always wanted to be someone everyone preferred. It wasn’t until after 2020 that I was diagnosed with OCD specifically the sub-type “just-right” OCD. By definition according to NOCD, “it’s characterized by distressing intrusive thoughts, images, urges, or sensations related to imperfection, along with compulsive behaviors done to feel perfect or “just right.” Most people are not aware of OCD outside of wanting things cleaned often as it is more complex than just that. Within the last 2 years through the use of ERP therapy, I have worked tremendously to decrease my constant compulsions and ruminations. Although this is not a quick-fix issue, it can be better handled when you treat yourself with care as you are trying to live life recovering from it. P.S. Sending joy, peace, and, understanding to all those living with OCD and/or any other mental health issues.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Accountability Counts Learning Space is an education service company focused on educating the whole person emotionally, mentally, and academically through a high-impact tutoring program. As a current award-winning educator, I am best known for my “teaching with tenderness practices”, a term coined by Becky Thompson, “teaching with tenderness” makes room for emotion, offers a witness for experiences people have buried, welcomes silence, breath and sees justice as key to our survival. I am focused on working with youth through a strengths-based approach to reach their academic goals that honor their lived experiences. I work predominantly with Black youth and being a Black woman educator, I have lived the majority of the same experiences as my youth so I can relate and create innovative ideas that not only increase their academic levels but also their sense of self and well-being. I am most proud of the fact that all the families I work with are pleased with my services and me as a person, as my passion and purpose come across in a positive light. Working with youth who are at varying levels and usually those who are academically behind, has allowed me to create ways to bridge the academic gap through high-impact tutoring.

Accountability Counts Learning Space is located at 18000 W. Eight Mile Rd. Southfield, MI, 48075 open 7 days a week and we offer K – 12 tutoring for reading/writing and math. We also offer collegiate math tutoring starting at entry-level math to engineering courses. In 2025, we will be beginning our SAT/PSAT cohort which I am excited about.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I am a lover of all things urban fiction! I use to sneak and get all the books from the library back when going to the library was a true staple of young peoples’ lives’

I have a red semi-colon tattoo in honor of mental health awareness and my late friend Billy Watts.

I have a podcast called, “The Things We Don’t Want To Talk About”, it is an unfiltered podcast that dives into all the topics we have been taught not to openly discuss ranging from debunking societal norms, excerpts from life’s crazy experiences, and the conversations we are scared to have within ourselves. This podcast is a voice for the silenced, an outlet for those who need to feel, and the key to getting a better sense of self through vulnerability and transparency.

Pricing:

• Tutoring starts at $45/hour and $85 for 2 hours per week

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @theeducatornkenge @aclearningspace
• Facebook: Nkenge Robertson
• Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-things-we-dont-want-to-talk-about/id1592718821