In March of 2018, the rural community of Paw Paw west of Kalamazoo was shaken by terrifying news of tragedy narrowly averted: a 15-year-old student had been arrested just hours before he planned to commit a mass shooting at the local high school the next day. The teen was found to have a hit list […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor As a third-year school psychologist in the Eastern Upper Peninsula Intermediate School District (EUPISD), MEA member Cinthia Mendoza-Medina most certainly has not seen it all. But so far one thing has surprised the early-career educator in her role leading multi-disciplinary teams conducting risk assessments for students feared to be […]
The first time MEA member Fred McFadden attended Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI) training 27 years ago, he was newly employed as a technician at an inpatient mental health facility in Auburn Hills, Havenwyck Hospital, and he didn’t believe the techniques would work. Nearly three decades later McFadden still works nights at Havenwyck, plus he’s a […]
Save the Date for our first annual Educators Rising Competition and Conference to be held on March 13, 2024 from 9 a.m.–2 p.m. at Wayne State University. MEA is newly affiliated with Educators Rising, a program for middle and high school students interested in education careers to learn about building content knowledge, responsive planning, implementing […]
Just two years ago, the MEA unit representing 11 office clerical workers in Grosse Ile Township Schools consisted of one member. The group was working without a contract, and the unit faced decertification for low membership numbers. In the winter of 2021, that one member recruited two others and the trio did their best to […]
By Debbie Carew In my wildest imagination I never expected to be harassed and defamed for being an educator, especially one who defends literature and intellectual freedom. But that is what I’m facing for standing up to protect students’ access to a variety of reading and educational materials. In Brandywine Community Schools where I teach […]
Watch for action this fall on some key education priorities in the Michigan Legislature, including: Senate Bill 395 to amend Michigan’s teacher evaluation system to remove student growth from educator scores, eliminate punitive aspects of the system to focus on teacher development, and get rid of mandates to test kindergarten students in the first 30 […]
Nominations are being accepted for several positions on the MEA ESP Caucus Executive Board. Open positions are as follows beginning Sept. 1, 2024: PRESIDENT: 1 Position — Sept. 1, 2024 to Aug. 31, 2027 VICE-PRESIDENT: 1 Position — Sept. 1, 2024 to Aug. 31, 2027 SECRETARY: 1 Position — Sept. 1, 2024 to Aug. 31, […]
The Grosse Pointe Education Association’s Family Flamingle Event was a wonderful opportunity for GPEA members and their families to have fun together at a beautiful local park to kick off a new school year. The free event included a wild bubble-making machine, face-painting, free coney dogs and more. The event came at a perfect time […]
Concerns about school safety and student mental health have been forefront in the minds of MEA members for several years. Educators return to these related topics again and again, in surveys, trainings, conversations, and calls for resources from leaders and policymakers. The tragic shootings at Oxford High School and Michigan State University provided stark and […]
