Editor's Note

Birthday Cake

not much of a baker; I call my cookies “homemade” because I took the ingredients out of a pouch, added an egg and baked them in my oven. My boys have always asked for special theme cakes for their birthdays, carefully picking from a picture book of cakes at the supermarket. This has worked for us for 11 years. This year, that didn’t seem safe. Each of my kids has now had a quarantined birthday and each has, unfortunately, been on the baking and design end of their first ever homemade birthday cake. Shockingly, neither kid complained nor got any kind of food-borne illness. We are counting that as a quarantine success. It also, in my mind, counts as one of the positives of the whole mess. While we do all sorts of things with our kids, we baked our first birthday cake together-something new that likely would not have happened if not for COVID-19. We’re grateful every day we are healthy and we’re working hard to count the positives, because thinking of the milestones missed makes me too sad. Focusing, as much as possible, on the positives, the things we know and not guessing what’s next, what we can control, and our amazing teachers and school administrators have all helped our family get through this. Eugenia Fernandez, Portland EA, explains how to write an opinion essay in a multi-part video series. Students received a different video each day, practicing that skill, until they had all the elements necessary to write a complete essay. I think about the work all our kids’ teachers have done over the last few months and am in awe of their dedication to continue to keep their students learning. We’ve seen our teachers in videos cook while teaching new vocabulary and math, read books aloud, drive by students’ homes to wish them happy birthday, record video lessons to teach opinion writing and so much more. While there is no way this emergency, distance learning is anywhere close to being in school, I do feel like my children have had an educational experience that’s been valuable, and that feels like success in this trying time. I also fully understand the experience in our home is by no means what is happening across our

I’d never baked my kids a birthday cake until the quarantine. I’m

state, as some educators work to reach kids with little to no success. Maria Sanchez, Portland EA, recorded a video of how to do a math problem my older son didn’t understand.

If this pandemic has proven anything, it’s that our educators are truly the backbone of our society, with our schools at the heart of each community, and parental involvement in education can truly make or break a child’s experience in school, virtual or not. These are the lessons the MEA and NEA are working to continue to convey to the public as schools face funding shortages. It will be critical for decision-makers to understand the need for additional support for our schools at both the local, state and national level. You can read more about the work MEA has done to support members during this time on page 11. Also included in this issue—MEA’s salary data and some key information about an upcoming change to the wellness program available through the MEABT.

No matter what happens next, there are a few things I do know. We will continue to try new things as a family and we’ll deal with the murder hornets, looming floods and whatever else comes our way together. And if you come across a “murder hornet kind of problem” at work, remember you’re a member and MEA is here for you because in times like these, membership matters!

Be well.

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