By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor MEA members were joined by parents, students and other community allies in conducting Walk-Ins to Protect Public Schools across the state on Wednesday as part of a nationwide collective action organized by NEA and AFT to spotlight a powerful—and empowering—sense of unity. The morning events held outside school buildings […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Over a long career—first in the U.S. Army and now as a teacher in the career and technical education (CTE) field—MEA member Mike Cook has always used education and training to reinvent himself and build a resume of marketable skills. This year Cook began creating a new CTE program […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Regina Bluemlein In a time of heightened anxieties across the country, the Lansing Schools Education Association has launched a campaign to routinely remind young people of one core message: educators can be relied upon to protect, nurture and teach them. The “LSEA Safe” campaign followed on the heels of [...]
MEA member Lindsey Wilson holds a position in Lowell Area Schools that rarely existed in Michigan school districts just five years ago. Wilson is a behavior coach, assigned to address needs of students exhibiting the most challenging classroom behaviors. She doesn’t work directly with children most of the time. Like an instructional coach, she brings [...]
In her three decades as an educator, Hayes Elementary art teacher Christine Lakatos never considered herself an environmentalist. Yet Lakatos and her students at the Westland school for years created art using egg cartons, paper towel tubes and other household items that otherwise get tossed. Under Lakatos’ leadership, Hayes Elementary, part of Livonia Public Schools, [...]
MEA member Kossi Komlassan has led soldiers in combat and teenagers in math class. Both of those identities recently came together in one room at Beaverton Junior/Senior High School (BJSHS) when the third-year educator received a promotion in the Michigan Army National Guard in a ceremony before his family, school community, and the sophomores he […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Big themes recur throughout the story of Grand Rapids art teacher Stephen Smith. Trauma. Grief. Hopelessness. Then creation, connection, community. Images and ideas return like motifs in Smith’s remarkable personal narrative. A 37-year-old San Francisco native, Smith is a multi-faceted and award-winning artist, innovative entrepreneur, emerging community leader—and a […]
MEA member Matt Hamilton added a brilliant new chapter to his inspiring story on Friday when he was chosen from among five finalists for one of education’s highest honors: the 2025 NEA Member Benefits Award for Teaching Excellence. A 23-year middle school teacher in East Jordan, Hamilton was nationally honored for his work teaching history […]
At MEA’s Winter Conference in February, four 2025 MEA Awards for Human Rights and Excellence were presented to exemplary MEA members. Instructional Excellence Award: Nicki Strach A 10-year paraeducator in Reed City and vice president of her local union, Nicki Strach has worked to implement innovative literacy programs while making sure every one—regardless of behavioral […]
MEA members across Michigan are finding new and innovative ways to address the pressing mental health needs of Michigan’s public school educators and their students. Two MEA members — one in West Bloomfield and another in the Upper Peninsula — are taking bold action to help address mental health concerns in the classroom and beyond. […]
