Category: Home-Sidebar

As Artemis II heads to moon, a small town Michigan teacher is headed to NASA

From the Lansing State Journal: https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/education/2026/04/06/as-artemis-ii-heads-to-moon-a-small-town-michigan-teacher-is-headed-to-nasa/89401671007/ In a few months, Dee Smith will make her way from Ashley – a small village of about 500 people located north of Lansing, traveling some 1,300 miles south to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Texas. Smith will be part of NASA’s LiftOff Summer institute, which provides teachers with […]

by Elena Helmer

Q&A with Whitmer literacy advisor: “These aren’t miracles, they’re marathons”

To help members better understand Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s “Every Child Reads” proposals to address student literacy – and the essential role educators play at every grade level in that work – MEA gathered answers to some key questions from Michelle Richard, the governor’s senior literacy advisor. Part of the governor’s team since 2019, Richard has […]

by Elena Helmer

Rural educator wins elite award

By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor It wasn’t until her last year of high school that MEA member Stephanie Johnson figured out what career to pursue. She found her path in senior English class. Johnson always loved school, and that ye ar she especially enjoyed breaking down phrasing and vocabulary from Shakespeare and Chaucer to […]

by Elena Helmer

Chemistry Teacher By Day, Olympic Hockey Referee at Night

From NEA: https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/chemistry-teacher-day-olympic-hockey-referee-night When Jake Davis stepped onto Olympic ice in Milan, he was not just a chemistry teacher from Michigan anymore. Davis was now one of the few officials in the world who would referee the 2026 Olympic men’s hockey. “Stepping on the ice was surreal,” said Davis. “Just being on the ice with the best hockey players in the world and […]

by Elena Helmer

Vote NO on Proposal 1, Con-Con

The MEA Board of Directors has unanimously voted to oppose the calling of a new Constitutional Convention, or Con-Con, which will appear as Proposal 1 on the Nov. 3, 2026, ballot. We strongly urge MEA members to vote NO on a Con-Con, which would open up Michigan’s Constitution to a total and complete rewrite and […]

by Elena Helmer

Michigan Educator Honored with “Oscar of Teaching” for Creativity in the Classroom

From Michigan Department of Education: https://www.michigan.gov/mde/news-and-information/press-releases/2026/02/26/mi-teacher-honored-with-milken-educator-award What started with a special visit from Michigan Chief Deputy Superintendent Dr. Sue Carnell turned into an exciting announcement Pine River Middle School teacher Stephanie Johnson will never forget: she is Michigan’s Milken Educator Award recipient for 2025-26! Johnson, a seventh grade ELA teacher at PRMS, is Michigan’s 93rd recipient since The Great […]

by Elena Helmer

MEA Higher Ed leaders share ideas at summit

Last Friday, MEA member Jamin Villarreal found himself among other higher education leaders at a summit organized by MEA’s Michigan Association of Higher Education (MAHE) to discuss common issues and challenges across the state’s colleges and universities. Villarreal’s participation in Friday’s MAHE Town Hall was remarkable, given he hadn’t been active in his support staff […]

by Elena Helmer