By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor From the get-go, Jim McCloughan was competitive “with a capital C,” he says. Small and athletic, he excelled at every sport he tried. At Bangor High School in the early 1960s McCloughan earned 11 varsity letters and all-conference honors in football, basketball, baseball and track, despite standing just 5-foot-2 […]
MEA Presidents’ Academy forum brainstorms policy changes to meet student needs on high school requirements, literacy By Chandra Madafferi MEA President & CEO In October, more than sixty teachers and academic leaders from across Michigan — representing every grade level and region — gathered for a dynamic discussion led by local presidents committed to reimagining […]
By Justin Harper Ann Arbor Education Association Readers of the MEA Voice may remember me from the August–September issue, where part of my story was featured in an article about addressing educator shortages. I was celebrated for completing my degree and certification after three years of night classes, all while working full-time as a paraeducator […]
An annual project run by the Copper Country Education Association has become a holiday tradition, giving student artists from all grade levels the chance to see their artwork displayed and sold at an art fair alongside professionals. For more than 30 years, the Public Relations Committee of MEA Region 18-A in the western Upper Peninsula […]
Michigan educators’ dedication to students and families often goes beyond the school walls, as shown by actions of MEA members this holiday season. Livonia At Churchill High School, the holidays begin with an unmistakable sound: the steady clatter of cans piling higher and higher by students and educators. Each year, Churchill’s annual canned food drive […]
The Detroit Lions won an overtime thriller against the New York Giants on Sunday, thanks in part to nine catches for 149 yards and a touchdown by star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. Clearly, it must have been the shoes! For Sunday’s game, St. Brown wore a special pair of student-designed cleats from East Jordan’s [...]
It seemed fitting that Eva Menefee was texting a student when she was named this year’s winner of MEA’s James A. Davenport Award of Merit, which recognizes a member for significant service to higher education statewide and nationally. An academic advisor at Lansing Community College (LCC) for 31 years, Menefee is passionate about guiding young […]
Attendees at the MEA Aspiring Educators Conference next month will receive a special take-away: teaching and learning toolkits to support students with disabilities made by two leaders from MEA’s Aspiring Educators of Michigan (AEM). The two leaders, Lindsey Springer of Grand Valley State University and Madolyn (Maddie) Glocksine of Saginaw Valley State University, secured an […]
For MEA member Sarah Ellis, making art is essential to being alive and human — like breathing. “For as long as we’ve been able to recognize that humans have existed, we’ve found art alongside them,” she says. In a time of deep societal divisions, Ellis wants art to be a source of hope and empowerment. […]
From WOOD-TV: A Spanish teacher at Ionia Middle School is using social media in a way that’s changing his students’ lives. Craig Gurnee, better known to his students as Señor Gurnee, has raised enough money to help 16 students travel abroad, demonstrating the power of culture and community. Read more.
