Addressing students’ academic and mental health needs, while lightening the load for overstretched educators, are among the most urgent uses of federal school rescue funds prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to one local union leader in west Michigan. Theresann Pyrett, president of the West Ottawa Education Association, took that message to the White House […]
EAST LANSING — Michigan Education Association President Paula Herbart and Ferris State University Faculty Association President Charles Bacon issued the following statement Thursday in response to the Michigan Senate’s unfair rejection of Michael Ryan, Ph.D., to the FSU Board of Trustees: “It is unconscionable that Senate Republicans would reject Gov. Whitmer’s appointment of Dr. Michael […]
EAST LANSING — Michigan Education Association President Paula Herbart issued the following statement Thursday regarding the killing of Patrick Lyoya and the critical role educators play in fostering community conversations about social justice and equity: “Like so many others, I was saddened and angered to watch the horrific video of Patrick Lyoya’s senseless death. These […]
Do you have questions about the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program? MEA is hosting monthly virtual events to help you learn more and find out if you’re eligible for student loan forgiveness. The webinars will be held via Zoom. Here’s a schedule of upcoming sessions: Wednesday, April 20 at 4 p.m. Thursday, May 19 at […]
When MEA member Scott Buckmaster entered the MEA/MAEA Art Acquisitions Purchase Exhibition – now on display at MEA headquarters – he figured it was a chance to have a provocative work of art seen and understood by its intended audience: educators. It came as a shock when he learned his electronic, mixed media creation – […]
As a parent in Livingston County’s Hartland Consolidated Schools, Laura Moore publicly addressed the school board in February to say that a small group of vocal people who have been lobbing insults and criticism at every board meeting for months do not speak for everyone. “I addressed the board as a parent of three students […]
A lot has changed with teaching in the three decades since I began as a student teacher in Oak Park Schools — much of it to the detriment of Michigan children, educators and families. If policymakers don’t take immediate action to support aspiring and early career educators, Michigan students will face irreparable harm. I remember […]
Despite what some far-right politicians and cable news talking heads might want you to believe, the public trusts educators more than just about anyone else — and that’s why educators should stand up and make their voices heard. According to Gallup’s annual Honesty and Ethics of Professions survey, educators rank No. 3 on the list […]
Every school should have a Julie Tolfree, a veteran teacher-turned-behavior-specialist who supports both students and staff at Bridgeport-Spaulding Middle School in Saginaw, her colleagues say. Tolfree extends a safe space to talk, help with physical needs – food or clothing, for example – and time to regroup from a difficult moment. She operates whole-school systems […]
MEA member Joe Ligaj has a blunt message for school administrators and state-level policymakers concerned about educator shortages: If you pay them, they will come. “This is just basic economics—Econ 101,” the president of the Lincoln Park Education Association (LPEA) said. “There’s a labor shortage, and the way to address that is through the contract: […]
