What do you do to interest students in how government works? Students at my school—like other Michigan Merit Curriculum schools—are required to pass a government class to graduate. Having a captive audience, however, is not enough. I try to engage students in a variety of ways. I move the desks at least twice a week; […]
What current events/arguments/court cases have you used to draw students into deeper learning and debate? I try to spend about 20 minutes per hour of AP Government every day to discuss current events to interest students in government. Students need to answer daily written warmup questions to show their opinions and knowledge about different topics. […]
What does political interest/involvement among students look like where you are? I have seen many of our students volunteer time working on local, state, and national political campaigns. Recently, one of my students was on the campaign for newly elected U.S. Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin. Also our students work the voting stations for each election in […]
An appeal for your activism What would it mean to have smaller class sizes in your school? Or to have additional counselors and social workers in your district to address students’ social-emotional and mental health needs? What about returning a certified librarian to every building? Equipping students with books, supplies and technology? Committing to the […]
New programs help schools address mental health, suicide crisis By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Right down to the buzz haircut, MEA member Keith Garrison looks every bit the part he plays at West Bloomfield High School. A 25-year physical education and health teacher in the district, Garrison tries to list all of the sports […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor MEA member Tamara Reaume asked the fourth graders lying flat on exercise mats in front of her to sit on their hands with feet in the air. “Remember, your legs do not have to be straight, friends,” the Rockford paraeducator told about two dozen youngsters whose legs weaved skyward […]
Academic autonomy and professional respect were driving factors in a recent vote to unionize by faculty at Delta College near Bay City, which had been the only remaining non-union community college in the state. The win brings nearly 200 potential new members into the MEA family. After months of organizing work, 86 percent of participating […]
Because he’s a well-trained therapy dog for Brighton Area Schools, Duncan knows to go to his carpet or pillow when he enters a classroom. But one day the three-year-old yellow Labrador walked into the junior kindergarten class, spotted a little boy struggling with his emotions, and quietly settled next to the child who began petting […]
It’s being called a silent epidemic; a crisis. More and more young people from K-12 schools to college campuses are experiencing anxiety and depression, a problem accompanied by a dramatic growth in youth suicide. Rural and urban, large and small, rich and poor. No community is immune, and schools across the state are trying to […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Gov. Gretchen Whitmer listed education funding along with fixing roads and other infrastructure as the top two priorities facing Michigan policymakers during her first State of the State address on Tuesday night. Everyone can see the terrible condition of the state’s roads, and the average motorist spends $562 per […]
