By Brenda Ortega and Heather Palo MEA Staff It was mid-August, the dog days of last summer, and MEA member Matt Hamilton looked like a mayor on parade walking down Main Street in East Jordan, a small town along the Jordan River in northern Michigan’s Charlevoix County where he teaches middle school social studies. The […]
The Aspiring Educators of Michigan (AEM) wrapped up their latest reading/writing competition with an awards ceremony for students who were asked to analyze which voices were missing from their school’s book collections. The “Growing Libraries with Representation” project, funded by a CREATE grant from NEA, asked secondary students in Mason to survey their classroom and […]
“We will use all the tools at our disposal—congressional action, legal action, and collective action—to stop the politicians and billionaires who want to defund our public schools.” —NEA President Becky Pringle, calling on members to get involved in pushing back against the Trump administration’s attacks on public education. NEA is signed on to two federal […]
The MEA awards for Human Rights & Excellence are awarded at the MEA Winter Conference, MEA Summer Conference, and MEA Representative Assembly. Nominations are accepted October 1 – December 31 of the previous year. Nominating individuals or groups must be MEA members in good standing. If the nominee to be considered is an MEA member, the […]
A veteran paraeducator in Reed City and vice president of her local union, Nicki Strach has worked to implement innovative literacy programs while making sure everyone — regardless of behavioral or academic challenges — feels understood, valued and nurtured. For the last five years, Strach’s primary focus has been on emerging students at G.T. Norman […]
Spanish teacher Kaitie Paynich has helped students at Portage Northern High School feel safe and nurtured through her efforts to strengthen the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) club and create a gender-affirming closet and free store open to all. Paynich was chosen to lead the program when it re-started in 2016. “It was super-heartwarming to see […]
A 40-year educator, Brenda Massie has worked for 20 years in Ludington schools where she teaches fifth and sixth grade, supervises the Safety Patrol program, and leads after-school math programs — all in addition to serving as the local union’s chief negotiator and grievance chair since 2010. “My first job is to teach and develop […]
