Engagement * Bargaining * Advocacy * Justice * Empowerment * Support by Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor At the start of her 30th year in public education MEA President Paula Herbart is looking forward, and a newly unveiled MEA Strategic Plan is helping bring the future into focus. Developed over the past year by a committee […]
Engagement * Bargaining * Advocacy * Justice * Empowerment * Support by Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Strength in union takes many forms. It can look like a team of bleary-eyed bargainers negotiating a contract through the wee hours of morning, or a crowd of educators standing in solidarity for what’s right. It’s training and […]
Engagement * Bargaining * Advocacy * Justice * Empowerment * Support by Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor One philosophy of the union bargaining team at Clarkston Community Schools says if it’s a problem for one, it’s a problem for all. For local president Daryl Biallas, that value now extends to a spate of attacks on […]
MEA member Leah Porter knows the power she holds as an early childhood educator to spark a love of learning in students that will stay with them forever. She remembers one who lit hers. She still gets choked up thinking of her second grade teacher at North Elementary School in Lansing, Mrs. Henderson, who simply […]
For MEA member Henry Stallings, systemic racism and bias is nothing new in the U.S. “As a Black man, I live this every day,” he says. But one thing is changing, he believes: public awareness of issues surrounding marginalized communities in America. With the May 25 one-year anniversary of the brutal police killing of George Floyd, which sparked worldwide […]
Utica second grade teacher Casey Joss will start her 18th year in the classroom this fall, but the MEA member hasn’t forgotten the struggles and uncertainties of being brand new to the profession. In fact, it’s become her passion to remember those early days with clarity—so she can develop meaningful ways to directly help today’s […]
by Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Jacob Blanton used to have trouble focusing in school. The soon-to-be Lincoln Park sixth grader remembers a few years ago when he would “get mad and stuff and keep on getting distracted,” but now he knows how to calm his anger and reset his brain so it doesn’t feel impossible […]
Every day and especially during the most challenging times, MEA members step up in unprecedented ways to be champions for public education. You protect safety, promote learning, innovate, improvise, and adapt to a changing and challenging landscape. You remain creative and unstoppable forces for good, always true to our mission of providing students the education […]
Districts should conduct an “equity audit” with broad participation from staff, students and families to develop and implement policies and practices that create a climate of inclusivity and belonging for all, the report said. In addition, students who may not be planning to attend a four-year college need greater awareness of and access to a variety […]
Beyond the concentration on students, schools must also be adept at family engagement, noted MEA member Angela Pérez, a Muskegon elementary ELL teacher. Pérez contributed to the blueprint and took over as chairwoman of the more broadly focused Governor’s Educator Advisory Council in June. Some families are disconnected from school life because of mistrust or language […]
