With districts across the state at – or well beyond – the allowed number of snow days, lawmakers are beginning to debate allowing additional days, especially given the historic “polar vortex” that hit the Lower Peninsula last month. Rep. Ben Frederick (R-Owosso) has introduced HB 4206, which aims to permanently waive days when schools are closed […]
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 […]
In the light of current national events, retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor recently made a call for strengthening civics education. She made the statement as she announced her struggle with Alzheimer’s disease and planned withdrawal from public life. “It is my great hope that our nation will commit to educating our youth […]
“We don’t have to wait any longer. We know what we’re doing isn’t working.” That’s a quote from David Arsen, MSU education policy professor and lead author of a new report on education funding in Michigan. This research drives the point home: “Michigan schools face nation’s worst decline in state education funding,” read the headline […]
In this issue: SPECIAL REPORT: Putting a Spotlight on Student Mental Health Above and Beyond Members Bring Mindfulness to Schools Breaking the Silence Delta College Faculty Unionize How to Build School Funding A Clarion Call Retirees Lead on National Level Member Spotlight: Chad Downs
MEA member Chad Downs almost left the field of education before he started. During his pre-student teaching at Eastern Michigan University, Downs said he couldn’t find a school or program that fit with his beliefs about education and creativity. Then an EMU advisor intervened and introduced him to Ann Arbor Open School, and the rest […]
Every other Wednesday a group of silver-haired men sit around some pushed-together tables in a Brighton diner for breakfast and companionship, and their talk inevitably turns to the state of public education. They can’t help themselves. This gathering of more than a dozen regulars typically includes six former presidents of the Huron Valley Education Association […]
Are there political divisions or tribes at your school? Although our area of Northern Michigan is relatively conservative, divisions do not come through strongly at Cherryland Middle School in a normal election cycle. I’m not sure anyone would call the 2016 Presidential election normal, though. During the summer and fall of 2016, it was the […]
Are there political divisions or tribes at your school? There is definitely a mixture of political views. In the 2016 mock election at Traverse City West Senior High School, Hillary Clinton won by 1 vote out of approximately 500 votes cast. So the school is pretty evenly divided. What does student political involvement look like? […]
What do you do to interest students in how government works? Students at my school—like other Michigan Merit Curriculum schools—are required to pass a government class to graduate. Having a captive audience, however, is not enough. I try to engage students in a variety of ways. I move the desks at least twice a week; […]
