Teachers & K-12 Certified Educators

Stories by Brenda Ortega, MEA Voice Editor This report features MEA members combating Michigan’s educator shortage. Holland High School graduate Liebbe Martinez (left) and teacher Sarah Le Febre graced the August-September MEA Voice cover in a story on high school classes for students interested in teaching careers. Their story is one part of our Special Report on Teacher Recruitment. In…

Associate teacher Jennette Hoffman is pursuing teacher certification at Delta College and Saginaw Valley State University in a Registered Apprenticeship Program in Saginaw schools. By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor From many years of working with children, Elaine Hunt has figured out a lot. For example, she discovered early on that young people do better when parents and educators work…

Jody Hillard By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor When high schooler Rebecca Cox realized she wanted to be an art teacher, she wondered if she had what it takes, so she signed up for the Education Careers program at the Lenawee Intermediate School District (LISD) Tech Center. “I knew I really liked the art part — I just needed to…

Teacher Aric Foster and aspiring educator Melina Accardo of Armada High School share similar career origin stories. By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor MEA member Aric Foster got bitten by the teaching bug as a teenager working as a Taekwondo instructor. Specifically he recalls showing a skinny kid named Tyler a new kick, then watching him deploy it at a…

Holland High School graduate Liebbe Martinez (left) is a college student pursuing a teaching career after completing three semesters in a new HHS class for aspiring educators created and taught by MEA member Sarah Le Febre (right). By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor MEA member Sarah Le Febre realized last spring she didn’t know how many years she’d accumulated in…

By Brenda Ortega and Heather Palo MEA Staff Matt Hamilton started the Shoe Club in 2008 to build students’ empathy, self‑confidence, and leadership skills. It was mid-August, the dog days of last summer, and MEA member Matt Hamilton looked like a mayor on parade walking down Main Street in East Jordan, a small town along the Jordan River in northern…

Nicki Strach A veteran paraeducator in Reed City and vice president of her local union, Nicki Strach has worked to implement innovative literacy programs while making sure everyone — regardless of behavioral or academic challenges — feels understood, valued and nurtured. For the last five years, Strach’s primary focus has been on emerging students at G.T. Norman Elementary School, helping…

Kaitie Paynich Spanish teacher Kaitie Paynich has helped students at Portage Northern High School feel safe and nurtured through her efforts to strengthen the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) club and create a gender-affirming closet and free store open to all. Paynich was chosen to lead the program when it re-started in 2016. “It was super-heartwarming to see our students advocate…

Brenda Massie A 40-year educator, Brenda Massie has worked for 20 years in Ludington schools where she teaches fifth and sixth grade, supervises the Safety Patrol program, and leads after-school math programs — all in addition to serving as the local union’s chief negotiator and grievance chair since 2010. “My first job is to teach and develop the students sitting…

Jamie Hitt A mid-career math teacher at Lakeview High School in St. Clair Shores, Jamie Hitt co-created and leads the school’s peer-to-peer program — an elective course that brings together general education students and students with special needs to build leadership, empathy and collaboration. Winning a statewide award of excellence brought out many feelings, she said in her acceptance speech…