By Rick Joseph Michigan Teacher of the Year 2015-16 I recently had the honor of presenting at the Teach-In for Freedom in El Paso, Texas. As I gathered with teachers from around the country on President’s Day, I felt an immense sense of gratitude for the opportunity to share the realities of refugee youth who represent the…
By Jason Stidham Livingston County Resident Re-employed Washtenaw County Teacher Last year was set to be extra special for my family. It marked my 20th anniversary teaching at the same district, and after helping more than 1,500 students move toward graduation at my school, it was now MY daughter’s turn to graduate from the neighboring district…
For mandated reporters, it can be difficult to call and make a report of suspected abuse or neglect knowing it could take up to 30 minutes or more to complete the process by phone. Thanks to a new online program, those reports can now be completed online. If you are a mandated reporter, please register…
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer today followed through on her pledge to elevate the voices of educators in her administration with the announcement of a new 15-member Educator Advisory Council, which will begin taking applications immediately. The Educator Advisory Council will be responsible for: Identifying and analyzing issues impacting the effectiveness of Michigan’s public education system; Identifying…
Michigan’s K-12 public schools would receive a $120-180 per-pupil boost in funding, plus additional aid to support the costlier needs of at-risk, special education, and career/technical students, under Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s first state budget proposal released today. The governor’s spending blueprint follows the recommendations of several recent studies which examined Michigan’s school funding system and…
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor MEA member Brian Taylor moved to Michigan with his wife 20 years ago having never visited the state, and he became a teacher in West Ottawa 16 years ago having never graduated from high school nor earned an equivalency degree. As a teenager in Oregon, Taylor was “a non-conformist…
What does political interest/involvement among students look like where you are? I have seen many of our students volunteer time working on local, state, and national political campaigns. Recently, one of my students was on the campaign for newly elected U.S. Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin. Also our students work the voting stations for each election in…
It’s being called a silent epidemic; a crisis. More and more young people from K-12 schools to college campuses are experiencing anxiety and depression, a problem accompanied by a dramatic growth in youth suicide. Rural and urban, large and small, rich and poor. No community is immune, and schools across the state are trying to…
One teacher focuses on student engagement and empowerment through study of history and the U.S. Constitution. The other promotes acceptance of students’ social and cultural identities through multicultural learning and family outreach. Both educators – Ann Arbor’s Renea DiBella and Royal Oak’s Christy Osborne – were honored for their accomplishments during last week’s MEA Winter…
