Stories by Brenda Ortega, MEA Voice Editor This report features MEA members combating Michigan’s educator shortage. Holland High School graduate Liebbe Martinez (left) and teacher Sarah Le Febre graced the August-September MEA Voice cover in a story on high school classes for students interested in teaching careers. Their story is one part of our Special [...]
Landen Robinson is a rising sophomore in the College of Education at Wayne State University, but he first fell in love with teaching in high school. Robinson spent two years in a Teacher Cadet program at Lakeview High School in St. Clair Shores, part of the district’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) offerings. “It was […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Like its name, the MiCAREER Resource Hub offers simplicity on the surface and complexity underneath. For current and prospective educators who want to teach or change roles to fill a vacancy in rural schools, it’s simple: The resource hub promises a personalized pathway to no-cost credentialing with individual supports […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor From many years of working with children, Elaine Hunt has figured out a lot. For example, she discovered early on that young people do better when parents and educators work together. “I believe that if you can build a relationship with the parents, then the relationship you have with […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor In June of 2021, MEA member Justin Harper and two co-founders formally launched a free program for youth in the Ypsilanti-Ann Arbor area, focusing on sports as a tool for teaching kids about health and nutrition along with problem-solving and leadership. Back then Harper was working as a 15-year […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor When high schooler Rebecca Cox realized she wanted to be an art teacher, she wondered if she had what it takes, so she signed up for the Education Careers program at the Lenawee Intermediate School District (LISD) Tech Center. “I knew I really liked the art part — I […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor MEA member Aric Foster got bitten by the teaching bug as a teenager working as a Taekwondo instructor. Specifically he recalls showing a skinny kid named Tyler a new kick, then watching him deploy it at a tournament to win an award. Foster remembers the confidence on Tyler’s face, […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor MEA member Sarah Le Febre realized last spring she didn’t know how many years she’d accumulated in her teaching career or what time counted toward retirement from her early experience as a long-term substitute or years of coaching soccer and cheerleading. “I had to call the 1-800 number to […]
From the federal level down to local districts, schools, and classrooms, more issues than ever are competing for educators’ attention and advocacy. The specific concerns facing early-career educators do not always make it to the top of the priorities list. This should change — and is changing — as veteran educators and union leaders leave […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor A new MEA task force will examine ways to address increasing violence against educators in the workplace and advocate for policies, legislation and resources to ensure classroom safety for school employees and students alike in Michigan. Formation of the task force was approved on Saturday by the MEA Representative […]
