This fall two MEA-member state Teachers of the Year were honored at the White House together to make up for two canceled ceremonies last spring and the year before due to COVID. Cara Lougheed and Owen Bondono, Michigan’s top teachers from 2019-2021, made the trek in October along with other state TOYs. “It was very surreal to be in the White House both as somebody who is a patriot and proud of the country that I come from, and also as a political activist,” said Bondono, an Oak Park English teacher. “The core of what I do—both in my activism and in my classroom—is trying to fundamentally improve the world we live in, including our country.” With a teacher in the White House—the first lady—the trip was extra spe- cial, said Lougheed, an English and history teacher in Rochester. “This is my 24th year as a teacher, so having Dr. Jill Biden still actively teaching while she’s in the White House just means a lot to me.” Bondono and Lougheed discussed education policy with key congressional leaders from Michigan. Read the full story at mea.org/mtoy-visit-white-house.