With snakeskin-patterned shoes in hand to donate, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently visited East Jordan Middle/High School to acknowledge the impactful work of the “Shoe Club,” an initiative to empower teens through teamwork and service. The Shoe Club is led by Matt Hamilton, a middle-school teacher and MEA member who strives to help teens become the […]
A middle school social studies teacher from Rochester and one of his former students worked together to research a Michigan man killed during the Allied Forces’ D-Day invasion of Normandy, France 80 years ago. Then they carried the story to Omaha Beach where that history played out. MEA member Matt Cottone, who teaches world history […]
MEA member Chad V. Broughman worked in early morning hours for 12 years to complete his work of historical-fiction, The Fall of Bellwether, and he pushed past challenges to get it published. But he still finds it hard to talk about himself in pitching the book to readers. This spring the 25-year English teacher from […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor In January when seven school board members of Flint Community Schools voted down a settlement agreement between the district and its teachers, their move sparked a crisis which spun into a dramatic three-month showdown culminating in a huge win for United Teachers of Flint. But the historic victory was […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor A few years into his role as president of the Farmington Education Association (FEA), Chris DeYonke was marking member information in a spreadsheet when he stumbled across a finding: New hires who joined the union remained in the district more often than those who didn’t join. DeYonke gathered all […]
Surrounded by over 1,600 students, family members, colleagues, and supporters, Rochester High School teacher Kelley Cusmano was presented with Michigan’s Teacher of the Year award for 2024 by State Superintendent Dr. Michael Rice. Cusmano, a veteran teacher of 19 years, is an English teacher, MEA member and the student council adviser at Rochester High School. […]
In Wyoming Public Schools, union leaders and district officials found a way to spend federal COVID-relief dollars that altogether honors the expertise of local educators, promises dynamic instruction for students, and offers a foothold in the profession to early career educators for years to come. The Kent County district used a portion of its federal […]
MEA member Matt Hamilton believes his willingness to take risks spurs great teaching, so the fact it also generates occasional failures doesn’t stop him. “I’m just a regular teacher who’s trying new things, so it’s not perfect every day by any means,” he says. It was a leap of faith 16 years ago – just […]
MEA member John Kusku has faced extra challenges throughout his 39 years, but he learned a key philosophy from his mother who told him as a little boy: Goals might be harder for you to achieve, but you can still do anything you want. “That’s been kind of the mentality of my life,” Kusku says. […]
By Chandra Madafferi Ever since I could stand, I knew I wanted to be a teacher. My dad bought a few desks and an old chalkboard and put them in our basement. I even have funny memories of creating “lesson plans” for my sister, and yes, she will tell you I gave her homework. I […]
