Click to view online. In this issue: Letter to Members: health and safety Above and Beyond: Grosse Pointe Flamingle Nominations sought for ESP Caucus Board ICYMI: Legislative action expected THE FUTURE IS NOW: New MEA affiliation brings secondary-level Educators Rising opportunities Member Voices: Despite book bans and smear campaigns, I count my blessings Cover story […]
By Chandra Madafferi and Terrence Martin From small farm towns to the inner city and the suburbs, every student in Michigan deserves an opportunity to succeed, and that’s why education leaders are excited about Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s new initiative designed to keep kids and their parents from falling through the cracks. This summer, Whitmer announced […]
Political, social, economic and environmental issues and events confront us daily. The question is how do we meet these moments? We can either face these moments as impenetrable obstacles (walls) or as challenges we can solve and move through (doors). I choose to find doors. The sessions in this series present us topics and techniques […]
The 23-24 school year is officially underway, and the leaders of the Aspiring Educators of Michigan are hard at work in both their college studies and as statewide leaders of AEM. Abriana White, President, attends Wayne State University. Aryana Jharia, Vice President, attends Eastern Michigan University, and Mamoona Chaudhry, Secretary-Treasurer, attends Wayne State University.
After interviewing the candidates and learning about their stances on education and labor issues, MEA’s Statewide Screening & Recommendation Committee has voted to support Elissa Slotkin in her bid to become Michigan’s next U.S. Senator. MEA’s backing marks the 17th labor union – and largest public employee union to date – to support Slotkin in [...]
Track bills with ease using MEA’s new legislative tracker MEA has launched a new legislative tracking system designed to make it easier for you to follow the latest happenings at the state Capitol, particularly when it comes to legislation affecting our schools, our students and our families. Visit mea.org/legislation to stay up-to-date on the latest […]
Ask legislators to support bill fixing teacher evaluations Teacher evaluations are broken — and it’s time to fix them. The state Legislature is expected to take up legislation this fall to do just that by making teacher evaluations more fair and constructive. Senate Bill 395, introduced by state Sen. Dayna Polehanki (an MEA member and […]
By Chandra Madafferi From planning a holiday feast or sharing Instagram-worthy photos of an amazing meal, food invokes powerful feelings. But for some families that struggle with food insecurity, those strong feelings aren’t necessarily positive. A student once asked me, “Mrs. M., can you just go to a grocery store and get whatever you want, […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor NEA President Becky Pringle and MEA President Chandra Madafferi serve free breakfast to students at Dublin Elementary in Walled Lake, the first stop of a two-day, four-district tour. NEA President Becky Pringle visited four school districts in Michigan last week to see what change looks like when a governor [...]
EAST LANSING – Veteran educator Arminda Westra has been hired by the Michigan Education Association to be the new Executive Director of the Center for Leadership & Learning, the union’s division devoted to driving education innovation and ensuring every Michigan student gets the quality public education they deserve. “As a product of Michigan’s public schools, […]
