Newsroom

Matt Hamilton East Jordan teacher Matt Hamilton has been selected as one of only five teachers nationwide to receive this year’s Horace Mann Award for Teaching Excellence, one of the highest honors in public education. Hamilton, a teacher at East Jordan Middle/High School in Charlevoix County, is the founder and leader of the school’s renowned “Shoe Club." The club collects…

By Chandra Madafferi, Michigan Education Association President and CEO I began my teaching career as a special education teacher, a deeply rewarding experience filled with joys and profound connections hard to match in any other profession. One of the most heartwarming aspects of my job was witnessing academic and personal growth among my students, many of whom faced significant challenges.…

MEA members gathered this week to boost their energy and resolve for doing what’s necessary to win in the final five weeks before the Nov. 5 election – with some special guests and prize drawings as extra enticements adding to the fun. Participants at the virtual “Game On For Our Students” rally bid on silent auction items—including Harris-Walz swag from…

By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor MEA’s recommended candidate for U.S. Senate, Elissa Slotkin speaks to members at the MEA Summer Conference. Democracy relies on active-duty armed forces to be guided by a non-partisan ethos. For that reason Elissa Slotkin remained apolitical across her high-level career in national security and three tours of duty in Iraq alongside the U.S. military.…

By Jessyca Mathews Carman-Ainsworth High School This fall Carman-Ainsworth High School became first in Genesee County to offer the new AP African American Studies class which was piloted nationally over the past two years. “Ms. Mathews, why don't we have Black History courses here?” I've heard this question often over two decades of teaching. In fact I asked the same…

".. I want to open doors for others to have the chance to lead and be role models for all of our students."– Jessyca Mathews, teacher at Carman-Ainsworth High School in Flint and president of the Michigan Council of Teachers of English. MEA member Jessyca Mathews teaches her students to find their passions and bring individual strengths to bear in…

Whether we like it or not, every decision about education—from school funding and academic standards to educator pay and certification requirements—is a political decision made by elected officials. It’s challenging to think of many other professions in which who’s elected to office matters more. We cannot watch from the sidelines — we need every educator to climb down from the…

Christine Beachler Daniel Vosovic is a Lowell High School grad and winner of the reality TV show Project Runway who went on to found The Kit – a New York City company focused on sustainably made fast fashion. Vosovic and others at The Kit honored their favorite educators with new clothing to start off the new year in style! Vosovic…

By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Energy is high, and work is happening to elect great candidates up and down the ballot, say Robin Smith and Amy Scrima, MEA members and delegates to the August Democratic National Convention who are helping lead local efforts to get out the vote. As a professor of organizational psychology, MEA member Amy Scrima knows…

Laura Shattuck, a custodian at Grant Middle School in Newaygo County, received the Brunner Award for her union leadership and support she offers students and staff.   Laura Shattuck has come to be known fondly as “Grandma” by some students at Grant Middle School in Newaygo County where she’s worked as a custodian for 28 years. The name has stuck…