Professional Development
Education is a lifelong endeavor and educators are committed to continually improving their practice, regardless of their role. Learn more how MEA helps with continuous professional development for members of all types, including for teachers and education support professionals.
Professional Development News
Paraeducator trains others on how to de-escalate behaviors
Paraeducator and Pontiac union leader Fred McFadden trained his counterparts in Oak Park at the beginning of this school year. The first time MEA member Fred McFadden attended Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI) training 27 years ago, he was newly employed as a technician at an inpatient mental health facility in Auburn Hills, Havenwyck Hospital, and he didn’t believe the techniques…
Register now for “Open Doors” fall webinars
Political, social, economic and environmental issues and events confront us daily. The question is how do we meet these moments? We can either face these moments as impenetrable obstacles (walls) or as challenges we can solve and move through (doors). I choose to find doors. The sessions in this series present us topics and techniques that provide a chance to…
“How to Be Anti-Racist” Book Study
The Center for Leadership & Learning department is ready to kick-off our next book study series featuring the title, How to Be an Antiracist. The book study will be held Wednesdays from 6:00-8:00 p.m. beginning June 14, 2023. Attendees must be a member in good standing and will need to purchase their own book for this SCECH eligible study. Registration…
Northern MI grant project engages students, families, educators in deeper history
By Glen Young Educators in northern Michigan are utilizing a national grant award to help develop curriculum to address topics of social justice and strengthen reading in local schools. Northern Michigan educators in the year‑long project discussed books and developed lesson plans to enrich students’ reading and understanding of history. “Building A More Perfect Union” funding is supporting 38 groups…
Pontiac paraeducator finds special takeaways at MEA Summer Conference
Gabby Price Pontiac paraeducator Gabby Price attended her first MEA conference last week, caught a front-row seat to a well-attended motivational talk by former NBA player Tim McCormick, responded with a smile to the speaker’s light-hearted banter and left with an autographed basketball. More importantly, she said in an interview after the conference session, she learned so much at the…
MEA Partnerships Create Quality Supports
MEA member Jay Holtvluwer is 29 years into his career and still enjoys learning new ways to improve his practice. A mentor to “anybody who will listen,” the middle school engineering and social studies teacher last year joined a union-sponsored program to strengthen his use of formative assessments. MEA member Carrie Heaney joined MEA’s Assessment Learning Institute to take ideas…
Get ready for the new year with MEA’s Summer Essentials Webinars
MEA’s Center for Leadership and Learning is holding a series of free afternoon webinars this week and next on topics such as classroom management, motivating students, building a basic website for school projects and more. The Summer Essential Webinar series brings you powerful ideas and strategies that will be the most impactful for you as educators and will serve as…
RSVP: Roundtable discussion for otherwise-abled educators
Registration is still open for two roundtable discussions MEA is hosting in May for members who identify as otherwise abled. Each of the following two events is scheduled from 6-7:30 p.m. and will include dinner: Wednesday, May 18 at the MEA office at 17500 W. 11 Mile Road, Suite 100 in Lathrup Village Thursday, May 19 at MEA headquarters, 1350…
Sign up for one-year environmental-education training
MEA-Retired member Dave Chapman, an award-winning former science teacher from Okemos, is leading an extensive new professional development program to enable mid-Michigan teachers to engage students in learning about watersheds, their importance, and how to protect them. The grant-funded project includes numerous environmental partners and features a number of benefits for the 24 teachers who sign up, including a $500…
Upcoming webinar series helps educators integrate arts into their practice
MEA’s upcoming “Informed by the Arts” webinar series will provide tips on how educators of all backgrounds and specialties can integrate the arts into their practice. The series begins Tuesday, April 19 and runs every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday through the end of April. MEA members in good standing can sign up here: https://www.mobilize.us/mea/event/451713/ SCECH credits and certificates of completion…