Fraser special education paraeducator Melanie Motto figured she didn’t have much of a shot at winning a $2,500 classroom grant from a competitive award program, but her students’ needs outweighed her doubts. Motto completed and sent off an application, describing the resource room where she works with teacher Samantha Bartkowicz to support 20 K-6 students […]
The concept of social justice – and addressing injustice – has always been essential in public education. In the past year, it’s taken on new weight for students, however, as the global pandemic both exposed and exacerbated the injustices faced for decades by many low-income and students of color. Educators have an obligation to fight […]
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. 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 […]
by Brittany Perreault Teaching is a calling. Teachers can change the world. To be a teacher is to touch a life forever. 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. […]
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 […]
EAST LANSING — The following statement can be attributed to MEA President Paula Herbart in response to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s proposals for how to use additional state revenue to fund public education: “Gov. Whitmer’s recommendations are in line with the new MI Blueprint for Comprehensive Student Recovery, which heeded the voices of frontline educators about what’s […]
State economic experts agreed last Friday that tax revenue is stronger now than previously anticipated – to the tune of $2 billion more for this year and $1.5 billion next year. That’s in addition to federal pandemic relief funding from the American Rescue Plan, which totals more than $4 billion for public education alone. This […]
On Monday, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel led a coalition of 23 attorneys general from across the country urging the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice to reinstate and expand 2014 guidance designed to help public schools meet their obligations under federal law to administer student discipline equitably. In a letter to U.S. Secretary of […]
Educators on our Legislation Commission and Board of Directors work every two years to ensure our Legislative Priorities reflect MEA’s values. Among the values embraced in this guiding document, amended and adopted this spring, is language advocating for the rights of ALL students and educators – and opposing bills like SB 218 that attack transgender […]
Every Wednesday for the past several weeks, Republicans in the state Senate Elections Committee have held hearings on parts of a 39-bill package to restrict voters’ access to the ballot box in line with similar GOP moves across the country. Ever since, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has been ringing the alarm bell. Partisan attempts […]
