Public Schools Work
MEA is committed to serving our members and sharing their triumphs and stories of dedication to their students and communities. Amazing educators are doing extraordinary things in the classroom and beyond – and we want to ensure communities know it!
Have a positive story about Michigan public education to share? Let us know at publicaffairs@mea.org (include any pictures or links when you email us).
Learn more about MEA’s efforts to spread the good news about public education at WeLovePublicEd.org.
Updates
Public Schools Work
Longtime Lansing leader in higher education wins national award
Lansing Community College faculty advisor Eva Menefee (right) received the James Davenport Memorial Award, a national honor for outstanding leadership in higher education. Pictured with Marcia Mackey, a Central Michigan University professor and president of MEA’s Michigan Association for Higher Education. By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor It seemed fitting that Eva Menefee was texting a student when she was…
Aspiring Educators of Michigan: Ensuring all are IncludED
AEM leaders assemble toolkits tosupport students with disabilities, aproject organized by Lindsey Springer(GVSU) and Maddie Glocksine (SVSU). Attendees at the MEA Aspiring Educators Conference next month will receive a special take-away: teaching and learning toolkits to support students with disabilities made by two leaders from MEA’s Aspiring Educators of Michigan (AEM). The two leaders, Lindsey Springer of Grand Valley State…
Educator joins ‘Art of Democracy’ exhibition
Sarah Ellis For MEA member Sarah Ellis, making art is essential to being alive and human — like breathing. “For as long as we’ve been able to recognize that humans have existed, we’ve found art alongside them,” she says. In a time of deep societal divisions, Ellis wants art to be a source of hope and empowerment. The high school…
Teacher uses TikTok to raise money for students’ Costa Rica trip
From WOOD-TV: A Spanish teacher at Ionia Middle School is using social media in a way that’s changing his students’ lives. Craig Gurnee, better known to his students as Señor Gurnee, has raised enough money to help 16 students travel abroad, demonstrating the power of culture and community. Read more.
Educator joins ‘Art of Democracy’ exhibition
Sarah Ellis For MEA member Sarah Ellis, making art is essential to being alive and human — like breathing. “For as long as we’ve been able to recognize that humans have existed, we’ve found art alongside them,” she says. In a time of deep societal divisions, Ellis wants art to be a source of hope and empowerment — and she…
Senior leader wins Brunner Award
Percy Brown By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Over a 45-year career as a paraeducator in Ann Arbor Public Schools and a union leader in Michigan, MEA member Percy Brown has traveled the country teaching others in his role how to build strength and respect for school support staff and the important work they do. An early advocate of union…