Member Voices

The solution to the severe shortage of educators in Michigan is as familiar as Aretha Franklin's anthem: R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Educators deserve not only words of respect for the job they do, but actions to prove that respect is real. Through our Michigan Educator Project, MEA has asked teachers and other school employees what is driving decisions to leave the profession.  Consistently…

Like many teachers in Michigan and across the country, I have followed recent news coverage of the alarming educator shortage from the perspective of an insider pushing through the hardest year of my career. Angela Perez However, I also occupy a unique perch from which to view the dire scene unfolding in the realms of educator recruitment and retention. Angela…

Richard Mui by Richard Mui As a second generation Chinese American, I am proud to live in a country that has provided me and my family so many opportunities for a better life. As a veteran U.S. history teacher, I have the unique opportunity to teach students about the historical context of many of the issues they encounter today. In…

by Tavia Redmond Since being inspired by my first-grade teacher, I have always wanted to follow in her footsteps. It’s one reason I became a teacher 28 years ago. Tavia Redmond Since then, I’ve worked hard with students to overcome tough situations, first in Kalamazoo and then my hometown of Romulus. This year’s challenges are unlike any other, but all…

by Brittany Perreault Teaching is a calling. Teachers can change the world. To be a teacher is to touch a life forever. Brittany Perreault These lofty proclamations sound great with their implied respect for educators, but as a college student preparing to become a teacher, I’ve discovered that they actually serve to trivialize the profession to martyrdom. One minute teachers…

Cara Lougheed by Cara Lougheed The first day of school this year was the most nerve wracking I’ve experienced in my 22 years as a teacher. Rather than the pandemic, my nerves had everything to do with starting the school year teaching to a computer screen. My anxiety didn’t lie in mastering the technology; rather, it was that I wouldn’t…

Amid our life-and-death fight against COVID-19, we must prepare to wage another high-stakes battle against a dire crisis that is worsening in its wake: the educator shortage. Ask school administrators and they’ll share their struggles to find enough teachers for every classroom. Similarly, there are fewer applicants for counselors, bus drivers, paraprofessionals and other education staff. A complete return to in-person learning — something…

April 14, 2021 By PAULA HERBART/President – Michigan Education Association The return to in-person learning in most districts means increased vigilance around safety measures is imperative. Michigan’s recent surge in COVID-19 cases is a danger to our students, families and communities.   Case numbers for kids 10-19 years old have skyrocketed. School outbreaks rose 47% over the last week of March and first week…

March 10, 2021 By Paula Herbart/President - Michigan Education Association In sports, teamwork is valued by coaches, players and fans because we are stronger working together than alone. The same is true in education. During the pandemic, a strong team bond has formed between educators, students and families. Working together like never before, that team has created new ways of…

By Justine Galbraith In the timeless movie “Almost Famous,” main character William Miller loses his temper. “Who am I to you?” he shouts. “WHO AM I TO YOU?” Jill Galbraith He is yelling at a groupie – er, Band-Aid – with whom he had just spent the night, who was now tossing him her laundry on his way out the…