MEA Voice Magazine - February 2019 Issue

SPECIAL REPORT:

STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH Page 9

A CLARION CALL FOR CIVICS ED Page 20

The Mindfulness Movement

February 2019 | Vol. 96 | Issue 3 | mea.org

LETTER TO MEMBERS

What You Do and Should Know It’s hard to teach a child who does not have enough to eat.

You know this. It’s a concept taught in high school psychology class: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Human beings first require essentials— food, water, safety, love, and belonging—before they can fully attune to higher needs such as learning and being creative.

Many students come to us from families without adequate health care or heat for their homes. Every day youngsters walk through our school doors burdened by worries about mom losing her job or dad doing drugs. For some a lack of stable housing means a life constantly on the move.

As with hunger, it’s hard to teach a child who is consumed by sadness, self-doubt, and worry.

Educators are there through it all.

We are the ones who laugh and cry and wipe noses and give hugs and grieve losses. We buy school supplies to make our classrooms a welcoming refuge and slip personal items—clothing and food—to children with nowhere else to turn.

In this issue of MEA Voice, read about MEA members working at

Paula J. Herbart President 2 FEBRUARY 2019

schools that are trying to address increasing emotional and mental health struggles of students.

other priorities, according to a study released last month by a researcher at Michigan State University.

The student mental health crisis—including rising youth suicide rates—is another pressing issue that citizens can agree on but policymakers have not prioritized. Our class sizes are too large, and our corps of counselors, social workers, and psychologists has been slashed.

This latest study found Michigan falls dead last among all 50 states in education spending increases since 1994. That was the year our state’s voters passed Proposal A to restructure the education funding system.

You know this, too. Our schools, our educators, our students need adequate resources to thrive, but stresses on our schools have been allowed to stack up like weights on one side of a teeter-totter without counter-balancing supports.

We need less data, more autonomy, greater literacy support, fewer bubble tests, and better valuing of teachers, substitutes, bus drivers, and other school personnel if we hope to staunch worsening staffing shortages.

Too many politicians have spent the past decade and more scapegoating educators while simultaneously raising academic standards and cutting school funding.

For 25 years Michigan has starved education to buy tax cuts and raided the School Aid Fund to pay for

Chandra A. Madafferi Vice President

Since then, only two states decreased inflation-adjusted spending per student—West Virginia and Michigan. The other 48 states increased allocations per-pupil by an average of $1,400.

The November midterm election brought us hope with hard-fought wins by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and more public education supporters in the state Legislature. But they need us to stay engaged on the ground to give them leverage in the fight.

It’s time to join with other activists and community leaders to build a coalition to pressure lawmakers for change. Learn what you need to start on page 18 of this issue, and get involved.

Because if you didn’t already know— you are the strength in our union, and the public is with us. ■

Brett R. Smith Secretary-Treasurer

CONTENTS

4 Editor’s Notebook Our common good 6 MEA Calendar ESP conference 8 Strength in Union Faculty join MEA 9 Special Report Student mental health 25 Strength in Union Retirees take the lead 27 Region Elections Board/delegate candidates On the cover: Tamara Reaume is a Rockford paraeducator and MEA member helping students learn strategies for coping with stress and anxiety. Read more about Reaume starting on page 10.

Executive Director ��������������������� Michael Shoudy Director of Public Affairs ������������������� Doug Pratt Editor ������������������������������������������������Brenda Ortega Staff Photographer ������������������������ Miriam Garcia Publications Specialist ���������������Shantell Crispin The MEA Voice ISSN 1077-4564 is an official publication of the Michigan Education Association, 1216 Kendale Blvd., East Lansing, MI 48823. Opinions stated in the MEA Voice do not necessarily reflect the official position of the MEA unless so identified. Published by Michigan Education Association, Box 2573, East Lansing, MI 48826-2573. Periodicals postage paid at East Lansing and additional mailing offices. Payment of the active membership fee entitles a member to receive the MEA Voice. Of each annual fee whether for active or affiliate membership, $12.93 is for a year’s subscription. Frequency of issue is September, December, February, April and August. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the MEA Voice, Box 2573, East Lansing, MI 48826-2573 or via email at webmaster@mea.org. Allow at least three weeks for change of address to take effect.

MEA Voice telephone: 517-332-6551 or 800-292-1934. Circulation this issue: 112,737

5—NEWS & NOTES: Duncan is part of a first-in-the-nation program from a member in Brighton schools.

20—MEMBERS AT WORK: Government and history teachers discuss how they work in volatile times.

14—SPECIAL REPORT: Schools across Michigan face an alarming rise in student mental health issues, and increasing rates of youth suicide. In West Bloomfield, a new health curriculum seems to be helping.

18—ISSUES & ADVOCACY: Here is the first step for you to get active in pushing for more state funding.

34—MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Chad Downs won a national award, but he almost didn’t become a teacher.

MEA VOICE 3

NEWS & NOTES

Editor’s Notebook One of my favorite teachers from my youth, Mr. Madison, taught ninthgrade civics.

In part I liked him for his caring connection with students. But mostly I enjoyed the way he taught us things we needed to know to understand the way our government and politics work, then asked us to use the information to sort through important questions.

I remember being 14 and sensing a door opening to the adult world in that class. His explanations of the two major political parties, along with the historical context he related to current events, helped me to engage more fully in the world.

That year I got interested enough to begin picking up and reading the three daily newspapers that my dad always left scattered across couches, tables, and floors at home.

Recently I found myself thinking of Mr. Madison, now long retired, and that daydream inspired the feature about civics, history, and government teachers starting on page 20 of this issue.

The impetus was a statement by retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who announced her diagnosis with early stage dementia and withdrawal from public life in October.

O’Connor was appointed to the court by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, when I was a sophomore in high school. Since her retirement in 2005, she founded iCivics, a website offering teachers free lesson plans, resources, and games to promote civic learning.

[Check it out at icivics.org; it’s great stuff—you can even do a standards search by state and break it down by grade level and course!]

O’Connor used the opportunity of her final public farewell to make an inspiring pitch for civics education to promote citizen understanding of our Constitution and system of government.

“It is through this shared understanding of who we are that we can follow the approaches that have served us best over time—working collaboratively together in communities and in government to solve problems, putting country and the common good above party and self-interest, and holding our key governmental institutions accountable.”

That very full sentence covers a lot of ground. Read it again. Perhaps you’ll agree with me that O’Connor was directly addressing the current state of our national political scene. She went on to state educators’ vital role in pulling our democracy through troubled times: “We must reach all our youth, and we need to find ways to get people— young and old—more involved in their communities and in their government. As my three sons are tired of hearing me say, ‘It’s not enough to understand, you’ve got to do something.’ There is no more important work than deepening young people’s engagement in our nation.”

I was moved by her words and further inspired by MEA member educators who forthrightly answer O’Connor’s challenge every day in these most turbulent and significant times to teach.

4 FEBRUARY 2019

—Brenda Ortega, editor

$140M

Amount diverted from the School Aid Fund (SAF) by Michigan’s lame duck Legislature in December to fix roads and finance environmental cleanup, an amount that will grow to nearly $180 million annually in coming years. When added to more than $900 million taken this year from K-12 funding to finance higher education, the latest raid on the SAF brings the total K-12 loss to more than $1 billion this year.

Related story: “How to Build School Funding,” page 18.

QUOTABLES “As a teacher who is a mandated reporter, I recoil at the thought that we’re warehousing children in situations that put them in harm’s way.”

Rick Joseph, 2016 Michigan Teacher of the Year, who will join other state teachers of the year at a teach-in on Feb. 17 in El Paso, Texas, to protest the separation of migrant children from their families and their prolonged detention in tent cities in remote desert areas. Read the full story at mea.org/joseph-teach-in.

NEWS & NOTES

ICYMI New MEA Member Discount through Staples In just the first two weeks of MEA’s new members-only Staples discount program, 19 enrolled members who made purchases saved more than $1,100. Those members saw an average price reduction of 30 percent—which means the typical educator who spends more than $500 out of pocket for classroom supplies could save $150 annually by taking advantage of the new MEA member benefit.

You can sign up for the Staples Business Advantage program at tinyurl.com/mea-staples. Once you sign up for program, if you want to get the discount in-person at your local Staples, you need to register the credit card you will use there at tinyurl.com/MEA-staplescard.

Duncan will soon be one of 11 service dogs working in Brighton schools through a program started by MEA member Karen Storey.

Above and Beyond Because he’s a well-trained therapy dog for Brighton Area Schools, Duncan knows to go to his carpet or pillow when he enters a classroom. But one day the three-year-old yellow Labrador walked into the junior kindergarten class, spotted a little boy struggling with his emotions, and quietly settled next to the child who began petting the dog. “That child’s sadness melted away, and Duncan was able to get him back on track,” said MEA member Karen Storey, who has spent 10 years building a program in Brighton considered to be a first in the nation. By this spring, every school in the district will have a trained therapy dog in service—and the high school will have three—completely funded by the community. The “Pack of Dogs” program is one component of the district’s efforts to address increasing mental health needs of students, a problem reported by districts of all types and sizes across Michigan.

View our story and photos on Brighton’s therapy dogs at mea.org/therapydogs-build-special-bonds. And read our Special Report on student mental health, starting on page 9 of this issue.

QUOTABLES “It will be confusing, exasperating, and frustrating for superintendents.”

Interim State Superintendent Sheila Alles, speaking with Michigan Radio after Gov. Rick Snyder signed legislation passed by a rushed lame duck Legislature in December to create a new A-F grading system for schools—the third accountability system approved in three years.

MEA VOICE 5

NEWS & NOTES

UPCOMING EVENTS MARCH 1 Read Across America Nationwide Educators across the country will be “Celebrating a Nation of Diverse Readers.” Visit nea.org/ readacross to order a free classroom calendar and access activities for all year long.

MARCH 2 MEA/MAEA Art Acquisitions Purchase Exhibition MEA Headquarters, East Lansing Members in good standing of MEA and MEA-Retired can submit artwork for an annual art exhibition and sale. Works will be accepted Feb. 18-March 2, from 8-5 weekdays and 10noon on Saturday, March 2. For information, go to mea.org/art.

MARCH 15-16 ESP Statewide Conference Blue Water Convention Center, Port Huron Education support professionals will gather to network and train on topics such as legal issues, ESP certification, privatization, school violence, and member outreach and engagement. The winner of the Leon A. Brunner Award will be honored.

MARCH 23 AEM Professional Development Conference MEA Headquarters, East Lansing University student members and early career educators from across the state will gather for training sessions that cover the legal, professional and personal issues affecting education and education employees.

MAY 10-11 Representative Assembly (RA) Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center, East Lansing MEA’s highest governing body will meet for the Representative Assembly to consider the organization’s policy matters for the coming year. Delegates are elected from locals around the state.

6 FEBRUARY 2019

Free Teaching Resources Civil War: Michigan Men in the War, a series of letters authored by Michigan soldiers during the Civil War, is now available online at the Library of Michigan’s digital repository, Governing Michigan at governingmichigan.org.

Compiled by Civil War enthusiast E. Elden Davis, the booklets of letters—with quirky titles such as “Brag is a good dog, but holdfast is better,” and ‘The boys call them Sharpfellers”—contain details about troop movements, camp conditions, and the general health and outlook of the soldiers.

Fifth-Grade Science/Art: Fifth graders statewide are eligible to enter a poster contest sponsored by the Michigan Arbor Day Alliance. This year’s theme is “Trees for Bees.”

Educators can share information about native trees that bees use for nesting and food (see arbordayblog.org/ misc/trees-for-bees). Entries must be received by mail no later than March 4. More information and an entry form is available at miarbordayalliance.org/ poster-contest. Prizes will be awarded.

ELA/STEM/History/Art/Art History: K-12 teachers selected to participate in a one-week professional development workshop at The Henry Ford in Dearborn this summer will receive a $1,200 stipend to cover travel costs.

The workshop, “America’s Industrial Revolution at The Henry Ford,” is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Teachers will spend one week exploring the museum complex and interacting with visiting scholars and staff to study America’s history of social and technological change through an innovation lens. Participants will learn content and skills applicable across disciplines—including methods of inquiry and the Henry Ford’s innovation learning framework.

Workshop 1 will be held June 23-28, and Workshop 2 is July 14-19. Direct questions to neh@thehenryford.org.

Apply by March 1 by completing a coversheet on the NEH website, completing an application essay, and submitting a resume and one professional reference.

Learn more about the workshop at tinyurl.com/ henryfordworkshop. For details on how to apply and to find application materials, go to tinyurl.com/ henryfordapply.

Free diabetes prevention program for qualifying MESSA members Have you made a New Year’s resolution to lose weight, get in shape and get healthy? MESSA is offering a new program to help you not only achieve your goals, but also sustain them.

Qualifying MESSA members and their adult dependents now have access to a free weight-loss and diabetes prevention program through Omada Health. The program is being offered as a covered benefit under all MESSA plans.

The Omada program is different from other weight-loss programs: there are no set meal plans, no calorie counting and no extreme If approved for the Omada program, you will get your own: • Free wireless smart scale • Small-group peer support • Professional health coach • Weekly online lessons • Interactive program To get started, visit messa.org/omada.

workouts. Instead, the program empowers you to make small, sustainable lifestyle changes in the way you eat, sleep and manage stress that can improve your long-term health.

Those who qualify for Omada will receive a free “smart” scale, along with online access to personal health coaches, engaging curriculum, supportive peer groups and more. The program is completely free—with no deductible or copayments—for MESSA members and adult dependents who have prediabetes or are at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

To find out if you qualify and to get started, visit messa.org/omada.

The screener takes about one minute to complete—and it could be the most consequential minute you spend on anything all year.

To help you lose weight and improve your overall health, the Omada program leverages proven strategies that give participants personal support from professional health coaches, access to fun tech, and a supportive online community.

gram adapts to your individual needs and allows you to access content and tools on your smartphone, tablet or computer.

Omada’s program is built on the foundation of the National Institutes of Health’s groundbreaking National Diabetes Prevention Program. Omada recently achieved full recognition by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after meeting rigorous standards for quality and member engagement.

Ten peer-reviewed studies have shown that Omada participants lose and maintain clinically significant amounts of weight over a three-year period, sustainably lowering chronic disease risk.

According to the American Diabetes Association, more than 1.8 million people in Michigan have diabetes.

Another 2.7 million have prediabetes.

The collaboration between MESSA and Omada promises to provide atrisk individuals with the knowledge, tools and social support proven to reduce disease risk. ■

With Omada’s support, you can make sustainable behavioral changes and lower your risk of chronic disease, including diabetes. The proMEA VOICE 7

STRENGTH IN UNION

Delta College Faculty Unionize Academic autonomy and professional respect were driving factors in a recent vote to unionize by faculty at Delta College near Bay City, which had been the only remaining nonunion community college in the state.

The win brings nearly 200 potential new members into the MEA family.

Most recently the Board of Trustees and college administration eliminated department chairpersons in college division leadership and replaced them with management-led supervisors—disrespecting decades of shared governance.

After months of organizing work, 86 percent of participating faculty voted in favor of joining MEA—145 to 24—in a mail ballot election certified by the Michigan Employment Relations Commission on Jan. 4.

“We were seeking to protect our voices in shared governance and seeking to codify our work rules in a contract,” Sociology Professor Donna Guiliani said. “We want to cultivate a successful working relationship, and ground rules are part of that.”

The high turnout and overwhelming number of votes in favor provided a telling statement, said English Professor Karen Randolph.

The faculty also sought representation to access legal advice from an organization interested in protecting their rights.

“Faculty is reinvigorated because of this vote,” she said. “We are not a disgruntled few. We are a unified faculty with a new outlook on our future, and we look forward to working with administration to create the ‘Delta Difference’ with students and with our community.”

“We haven’t had the kind of legal representation that MEA brings with it,” Giuliani said.

The unionization effort grew from faculty frustration over the past few years following administration moves that removed the certainty of work rules, Randolph said.

“We unionized because… we weren’t sure what was next on the chopping block, and we weren’t willing to wait and find out,” Randolph said.

8 FEBRUARY 2019

The movement to unionize at Delta College took a grassroots approach.

The 12-member organizing team was made up of respected faculty members from every division of the college, Giuliani said.

“What we were seeking was grounded in the health of the college, the faculty, and the student learning environment.”

At the first public meeting to discuss reasons for unionizing last summer, nearly 100 faculty members turned out. So many people showed up, “We had to go find more food,” Giuliani added.

MEA Organizer Jake Louks said that moment stood out in his three years as an organizer. “People were clapping and interrupting each other to cheer. That was the moment they won, even if they hadn’t yet secured representation, because it changed the culture forever.”

The next steps will be to develop the Constitution and Bylaws, elect officers, and begin negotiating a contract. “Faculty are very conscious of the fact that there is a lot of work ahead of us,” Guiliani said.

Looking forward, faculty members are renewed, in unison, and hopeful, Randolph said.

“Other colleges that have unionized recently have found that the marriage between shared governance and the union has not only made the decision-making stronger but has also made relationships more respectful and less unsure,” she said.

MEA now represents faculty on 30 college and university campuses across the state, and Delta College faculty brings to 21 the number of community college faculty groups with MEA representation.

In the last few years, MEA has organized faculty at four community colleges, including Delta, Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City, North Central Michigan College in Petoskey, and Southwestern Michigan College in Dowagiac. ■

COVER STORY

SPECIAL REPORT

Putting a Spotlight on Student Mental Health

Depression symptoms among high school students (grades 9-12), 2017

Percent of high school students who report they felt sad or hopeless almost every day for 2 or more weeks in a row so that they stopped doing some usual activities (during the 12 months before the survey)

Michigan

United States

Total

37% 31%

Male

27% 21%

Female

48% 41%

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “National Survey on Drug Use and Health”

It’s being called a silent epidemic; a crisis.

More and more young people from K-12 schools to college campuses are experiencing anxiety and depression, a problem accompanied by a dramatic growth in youth suicide.

Rural and urban, large and small, rich and poor. No community is immune, and schools across the state are trying to address the problem despite shrinking resources.

Causes are difficult to target. Experts point to culprits as varied as bullying, social media isolation, lack of treatment options, stigma, economic insecurity, and performance pressures.

But one thing is certain. This issue demands to be called something new: a priority.

MEA VOICE 9

COVER STORY

SPECIAL REPORT

Members Bring Mindfulness to Schools

By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor

MEA member Tamara Reaume asked the fourth graders lying flat on exercise mats in front of her to sit on their hands with feet in the air.

“Remember, your legs do not have to be straight, friends,” the Rockford paraeducator told about two dozen youngsters whose legs weaved skyward like stalks of wheat in a breeze.

“Ready? Now, your toes are going to point to your face.”

Stockinged feet shifted to form right angles with shins. “Notice where you feel the stretch… in the backs of your legs, right?”

Whispered “ohs” and “ahs” blended with muted chatter in the multi-purpose room.

“Now point your toes to the ceiling, and notice how the stretch changes.”

“Whoa,” one boy said to no one in particular.

“I feel it in my thighs,” a girl noticed.

“Good observation,” Reaume replied.

“Now squeeze your toes and let them happy dance—they’re not stuck in your stinky shoes. Just move.”

Legs wiggled and scissored aloft.

“Make circles with your feet.”

Feet danced and bicycled.

“You can do this at night if you’re having trouble falling asleep,” Reaume reminded them. “It tells your nervous system, It’s OK to settle down. It’s very calming.”

So simple. Equally profound.

Reaume is one of many educators and mental health professionals in the vanguard of a movement bring10 FEBRUARY 2019

ing a practice known as mindfulness to schools across Michigan and the U.S. More than a fun extra, mindfulness initiatives aim to help address growing concerns about youth mental health as teen suicide rates are increasing and studies show more than one-third of American young people suffer from anxiety. (See related story, page 14.)

“We’re giving kids tools and life skills to help navigate stress and issues they’re facing with this fast-paced environment they’re now living in,” Reaume said. “We do a lot of focus on breath work. So many are disengaged from their body, and it just brings them back into themselves.”

Reaume evolved a personal yoga practice she began in 1994 into obtaining certification for teaching it to kids and volunteering sessions in her own child’s classroom—to bringing mindful movement to Kent County schools, now in her third year.

Through a grant from the Parent-Teacher Organization at Meadow Ridge Elementary School, she divides her time between traditional paraeducator duties and mindfulness sessions that rotate her through classes, from developmental kindergarten to fifth grade, every two weeks.

In addition, Reaume runs two fiveweek afterschool sessions for area students and provides one lesson in mindful movement to freshmen taking a stress management class at the high school.

Her regular sessions run 20 minutes and include a variety of movements that couple breathing and attention, meant to ground students and show them how to keep from being captive to negative emotions.

Balancing postures allow students to practice the skill of focusing, and a three-minute period of rest and stillness at the end asks them simply to stop. Stop moving, thinking, stressing.

“At first it was a challenge,” she said.

“It was not easy to ask a child, especially a five-year-old, to be still. But it is amazing, because even those that struggle the most with being still welcome it and want it. It tells me there must be a need.”

Students in her fourth-grade class confirmed their need, volunteering examples of which movements they use in their lives outside of class— and when.

“I use mountain breath when I’m upset and thinking bad on myself, and it makes me feel better,” said Brogan Burns, referring to a move in which a person stands in mountain posture while inhaling, and lowers palms together in front of the chest while exhaling.

Jordan Beerthuis said he uses baby posture—lying on his back and lifting his knees to grasp his feet with both hands—to quiet his mind at night. “Sometimes I try to go to sleep but I can’t, so I think about good things and put all bad things aside, and it helps me calm down.”

A more introverted student said she uses banana posture—hands clasped above the head and tilting

COVER STORY

Students in Rockford learn “mindful movement.” side-to-side in an arch—to feel stronger. “It helps me stay active and feel like I can do more,” said Haley Armock.

Skeptic to Supporter Across the state in Flint, MEA member Jenny Purman is an advocate for mindfulness education, but she wasn’t always. Five years ago, she walked by the classroom of a teacher doing mindful breathing with his students and thought, Look at him.

Doing something hokey. Wasting time.

what I thought about it at first,” she said. “The kids thought it was kind of silly, but I noticed a little bit, too, that they kind of liked it.”

She knew she had to buy in if she wanted kids to engage, so she did— and saw a change within two weeks.

“They started talking about how they felt better and more able to focus on what we were doing because they had 10 minutes to calm down and switch from one class to the next.

“That’s when I finally believed. It works. I saw it with my own eyes,

and I had the most challenging group.”

This year, Purman was reassigned to a fourth-grade classroom, where she does a daily 10-minute mindfulness lesson after lunch when kids are ramped up. The curriculum she uses—Inner Explorer—does not include as much movement as Reaume’s lessons but mainly targets breathing, relaxation, and focus.

The approach is not a cure-all, she said. Sometimes students struggle to stay engaged or complain when a

A year later, she was working with a large and difficult group of 20 students in her role as a pull-out reading interventionist at Durant-Tuuri-Mott Elementary School.

•

“They couldn’t settle down. They couldn’t focus on what we were doing or reading or even what the lesson was about.”

Read an essay and watch a video from the Teaching Channel showing how one fifth grade teacher incorporates mindfulness into her classroom’s daily routine at tinyurl.com/ mindfulexample.

•

Learn two mindfulness techniques recommended by a researcher for educators to try out for combatting stress and burnout at tinyurl.com/trymindful.

•

The Michigan Collaborative for Mindfulness in Education (mc4me.org) is a non-profit organization with resources and trainings for educators.

•

Mindful Schools (mindfulschools.org) is a California-based non-profit offering courses and curricula for educators.

•

Mindful Education (mindfuleducation.com) offers online training for educators.

In desperation, she decided to try mindfulness with that challenging group. Fortunately, Flint’s Crim Fitness Foundation had started a campaign to bring the practice to all of the city’s children.

Purman had been given free access to a plug-and-play curriculum for daily 10-minute mindfulness lessons with video support. “I wasn’t sure

Resources for teaching mindfulness

MEA VOICE 11

COVER STORY

lesson repeats previous instruction.

“They don’t realize they have to continue to practice before it becomes a habit.”

But more often than not, the 10 minutes spent on mindfulness make the afternoon more productive—not only for students but herself. “It benefits all of us, because I’m getting anxious and upset when the kids aren’t listening or they’re angry at each other. When they’re calm and I’m calm, it makes things go so much better.

“Just today, I was giving them directions, and they weren’t listening, and the little boy next to me said, ‘I think you need to shark fin right now.’ That’s a strategy where we just take 10 seconds to reset. So I think it would help a lot of teachers, because it’s very stressful in our job right now.”

tive in the schools. She trained to become certified to teach yoga K-5, and she volunteers to do outreach to others who want to learn.

Without it, Purman believes she would have retired early after returning to the classroom from nine years as an interventionist to find kids in crisis and no tools to help. “Kids cannot check their baggage at the door, and they can’t do math or reading until their first need is met.

“This absolutely has transformed the way I teach. I don’t know what I would do without it.”

Watch a Crim Fitness Foundation video of Purman and her students in a lunchtime mindfulness meetup she ran last school year at tinyurl.com/flintmindfulness.

Tools for ‘toxic stress’

On a recent gray winter afternoon, Purman’s fourth graders did a lesson that asked them to recall emotions— negative and positive—and practice letting them go with each exhale of deep, steady breath. Afterward, they wrote or drew pictures about the experience in journals.

Mindfulness is mental fitness that builds resilience and emotional intelligence in all types of people, but it’s especially beneficial for students in Flint affected by “toxic stress” from the water crisis, said Sarah Sullivan, director for the Mindfulness Initiative at the Crim Fitness Foundation.

Most of the students are in their third year practicing mindfulness in school. Asked about its effectiveness, many said they employ their favorite techniques to combat negative emotions outside of class or to fall asleep at night. Some said they’ve taught family members.

The foundation began its Flint mindfulness program on a small scale in 2012, focused on Crim staff coming into classrooms to offer periodic lessons. In 2014, the Crim was selected as the lead agency in the city’s Community Education initiative to address the needs of the whole child.

“It puts me to sleep at night and makes me calm down and feel good about myself,” said Sandrese Green.

“People can get really mad at simple stuff,” said Egypt Cleveland. “We need mindfulness so we can calm our bodies down before we do something crazy.”

Now in her 26th year of teaching, Purman has stepped up to be one of 20 Mindfulness Ambassadors for the Crim Fitness Foundation’s initia12 FEBRUARY 2019

Meanwhile, state government failures exposed Flint residents to dangerously high lead levels in drinking water from 2014 through 2016, inflicting additional trauma on a city already struggling with widespread poverty from decades of losses to its economic base.

The foundation shifted its approach in 2015 to offer training and curricular support for all 518 teachers and support staff in Flint Community Schools and 215 school employees

in five neighboring districts to encourage large-scale culture change within and across buildings.

“Research suggests that damage to the brain, such as the harm that lead can do to the prefrontal cortex, can be strengthened through mindfulness training,” Sullivan said. “Teachers often find the benefits of student attention, time on task, and fewer discipline issues outweigh the 5-10 minutes a day it takes to do.”

After the program’s first year, 73 percent of fourth graders surveyed said mindfulness helped them focus and make better decisions, according to a study by a researcher at Michigan State University. Sixty percent of surveyed students said mindfulness helped them avoid fights.

Since its inception, the Crim foundation’s initiative has trained more than 1,000 Flint-area school personnel in strategies to deliver evidence-based, secular mindfulness education.

For other educators interested in mindfulness, Sullivan said, “My best advice is to start with their personal practice and develop that, and then connect with other groups to learn curricula or the skills to share it with young people.”

‘It’s a movement’ Personal journeys in mindfulness are exactly what led three MEA members to seek out additional training to bring the practice to school districts in Troy, Mt. Pleasant, and Grand Blanc. All three sought certification from a California-based non-profit, Mindful Schools.

Laura Gourlay, a counselor in Mt. Pleasant Schools for 33 years, began practicing mindfulness several years ago when she was experiencing personal struggles with stress, anxiety, and sleeplessness. The benefits to her mental health were profound, she said.

COVER STORY

L-R Tamara Reaume, Laura Gourlay, Stephanie Snider, Jennifer Casper.

As she grew in her practice, she realized she was spending much of her time at the middle school responding to the same students repeatedly. “I wondered if I could do mindfulness with kids. I thought I was going to revolutionize the world, you know? So I googled mindfulness and kids, and I discovered that it’s a movement. And it was already well established in many places.”

Gourlay developed a plan to deliver mindfulness instruction in various K-5 classrooms, and got school board support. She began combining mindfulness lessons and counseling duties in 2014.

Teachers appreciate the weekly lesson, and some are comfortable to continue on days when Gourlay doesn’t come in, she said. “They’ve got the common vocabulary now.

They can say, ‘Let’s turn the lights down and find our mindful body and just breathe together a little bit.’”

Watch a video featuring interviews with Mt. Pleasant staff and students discussing the mindfulness program, produced by Gourlay and Central Michigan University broadcasting graduate student Laura Shureb, at tinyurl.com/ mindfulmtpleasant.

Stephanie Snider began her personal yoga and mindfulness practice around the same time she started as a social worker in Troy Schools, 17 years ago. But she didn’t realize how powerful it was until her 18-yearold daughter faced—and beat—a life-threatening illness in 2012.

“It hit me that my mindfulness practice helped me get through that time.

It was so impactful; I started looking for ways to bring this to the people I work with and the students I work with.”

A few years ago Snider completed 12 weeks of online training to begin delivering mindfulness curriculum in two classrooms at her elementary school to start. Today that number is 12.

“I teach kids to use their breath as an anchor to refocus and get back to the present moment,” she said.

“They tell me, ‘I was worried, but I used my breath.’ Or they’ll say, ‘My brother and sister were picking on me, so I went to my room and used my mindful breath.’ They get it.”

Last summer she offered an optional introduction to mindfulness class for educators, and 150 people from her district showed up. “It’s been an

amazing journey these past three years.”

Jennifer Casper discovered yoga and meditation helped her combat anxiety triggered by the birth of her first child in 2009. It wasn’t until five years later—during a webinar through Genesee Intermediate School District—she learned about mindfulness in schools.

Advanced in her own practice, Casper completed a year-long training and earned her certification to teach mindfulness in 2017. She had already been trying strategies with her middle school Spanish students in Grand Blanc for two years, and the feedback was positive.

Now she teaches two sections of mindfulness per day, pushing in to 35 teachers’ classrooms who requested it. “When I hear teachers say, ‘We took a mindful minute today; thanks for giving me that tool,’ or ‘I’ve noticed this student using breathing techniques before they reacted; thank you,’ or ‘There’s so much I’m learning about how we react emotionally,’ it’s very humbling.

“There is no magic bullet to solve all of our problems, but it’s getting us talking and we’re headed in the right direction.” ■ MEA VOICE 13

COVER STORY

SPECIAL REPORT

Breaking the Silence New programs help schools address mental health, suicide crisis

By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor

Freshmen Adam Purrenhage and Tyler McCoury discuss a new health curriculum with founder Ryan Beale, a licensed clinical psychotherapist and West Bloomfield High School alum who lost his brother to suicide.

Right down to the buzz haircut, MEA member Keith Garrison looks every bit the part he plays at West Bloomfield High School.

of doing this; I will not lie. It was the hardest thing to sit there and allow uncomfortable silence. But I’m telling you… It. Is. Incredible.”

A 25-year physical education and health teacher in the district, Garrison tries to list all of the sports he has coached, but then gives up: “I’ve been a football coach, wrestling coach, track with shot and disc, and—I’ve pretty much coached everything in my lifetime.”

Garrison is in the second year of teaching Prepare U, an experiential 15-lesson mental health curriculum adopted after the district tragically experienced four student suicides in four years.

Now he has taken on one of the most important assignments of his career, teaching a new freshman health curriculum that asks him to do the opposite of what comes naturally—be quiet at times and let ninth graders sit in discomfort without him giving advice or drawing conclusions.

“As a coach, you always want to direct, ‘This is how we do the play,’” he said. “That was the hardest part 14 FEBRUARY 2019

West Bloomfield High School Principal Patrick Watson is a forceful advocate for the program and speaks bluntly about the need for school districts everywhere to address student mental health as a priority that is “literally a matter of life or death.”

“If you look at the suicide rates, the number of students who have anxiety or depression, it’s off the charts,” he said. “I consider this the most important work I’ve done in my 25 years in education.”

In Michigan, 217 people under the age of 25 died by suicide in 2017, compared to 122 deaths by suicide in the same age group one decade earlier.

Similarly across the U.S., suicide rates jumped 56 percent among children 10-17 between 2007 and 2016, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Suicide is now the second leading cause of death among young people 10-24.

“It’s a national crisis,” Watson said.

Prepare U is not a suicide prevention curriculum. Instead, it focuses on teaching students about mental health and mental illness, including suicide causes and prevention, in addition to giving kids tools to cope with common mental issues that affect most Americans at one time or another.

COVER STORY

Across the U.S., suicide rates among young people aged 10-17 have increased by 56 percent since 2007, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The numbers in Michigan exceed the national average.

“As a society and culture we’re very good at understanding our neck down, but we’ve never been good at understanding the neck up,” said Ryan Beale, the founder of Prepare U, a licensed clinical psychotherapist and West Bloomfield High School alum who lost his older brother to suicide in 2009.

The multi-modal curriculum helps students understand mental and emotional risks ranging from suicide to family systems and grief, bullying, and social media use, and teens learn about and practice using evidence-based strategies for confronting and managing their own perceptions and behaviors, Beale said.

For more information, visit prepareu.live.

Now implemented in 23 schools in five states, Prepare U combines learning about mental and emotional health with facilitated group experiences in which students relate the content to their own lives with open conversations about difficult events and feelings.

No one is required to talk in group circles, and students begin by placing phones in a box and pledging confidentiality. “I’m a facilitator at that point and just kind of guide the way it goes,” Garrison said. “And what I’ve seen is a lot of kids get rid of a lot of baggage in that setting.”

A big goal for him is to build empathy among students at the school, so he focuses on it. “Kids need to get better at that skill on a day-to-day basis. We don’t know what everyone else is going through, but we can surely treat each other as if we do.”

He often shares the analogy that anytime a kid twists his ankle in gym class, people run to help. “But when a kid is sitting at lunch by himself,

there’s nobody running up to him.

When a kid is struggling in the hallway with his head down and clearly distraught, who goes up to him and says, ‘Are you all right?’”

Students say the class was “eye-opening.” Hearing others share experiences, reading anonymous essays from classmates about depression and anxiety, interviewing relatives about family history—all revealed that most people have difficulties they don’t show to the outside world, they said.

Keith Garrison

Suicide Training Bill to be Reintroduced A bill to require school districts to provide suicide prevention training for K-12 teachers never got a hearing in the Republican-dominated state Senate last legislative session, but the measure’s sponsor said he is more hopeful about its chances going forward.

Sen. Curtis Hertel (D-Lansing) said an existing law that encourages school districts to provide professional development on the topic is not enough. He plans to reintroduce Senate Bill 0464, which has bipartisan support.

“Suicide is the second-leading cause of death, and it is the only one going up other than opioids,” he said. “There’s so much stigma around mental health that we don’t talk about it. We need to start talking about it, and schools are a good place to start.”

Stephanie Brookhouse, a member of the Haslett Education Association, offered a suicide prevention training earlier this month at the MEA Winter Conference similar to the type of PD that would be mandated under Hertel’s bill.

Brookhouse delivered a presentation from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, “More Than Sad,” which covers suicide statistics, risk factors, warning signs, and treatments, plus where and how to get help for a student in need.

“We have to learn not to be scared to talk about it,” she said.

“More than Sad” is the same training she provided throughout her district after a student suicide devastated the community.

“It covers different mental health issues and diagnoses that people may have heard of but not be familiar with,” Brookhouse said. “It’s important for school personnel to know, but it can be used in your daily life too.”

MEA VOICE 15

COVER STORY

After the community suffered four student suicides in four years, Garrison (left) says society cannot afford to ignore mental health any longer. West Bloomfield sophomore Logan Lewis (right) says the district’s new health curriculum made her feel less alone.

“It shows we’re not alone,” said sophomore Logan Lewis, who completed the class last year. “It’s not really a comfortable topic, but this class really showed me that I’m not the only one. Everybody goes through this.”

Sophomore Keyaira Wallace said she learned coping strategies—such as writing her thoughts to slow them down—and better understood the importance of talking and checking in with friends and family to make sure they’re OK. “People come to school every day and put smiles on their faces, and you never know what they’re going through behind closed doors,” Wallace said.

Over the course of the 15 lessons, students learn, practice, and reflect on strategies for coping with anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues, using workbooks and journals they keep once the class is over. “It’s about filling their toolbox,” Garrison said.

West Bloomfield is hardly alone in seeking ways to help students cope with daily stressors and mental health issues and disorders.

16 FEBRUARY 2019

Schools across the state report increasing need, especially escalating rates of anxiety and depression among students, at the same time that counselors, social workers, and psychologists have been dramatically scaled back from state education funding cuts over the past 10 years.

Michigan has the third highest student-to-counselor ratio in the nation at 729 to 1, far above the 250 to 1 ratio recommended by the American School Counselor Association.

School psychologists and social workers are listed on the state’s Critical Shortage Disciplines again this year.

“The burden on them is tremendous,” said Dr. Elizabeth Koschmann, program director for the University of Michigan Depression Center’s TRAILS program (Transforming Research Into Action to Improve the Lives of Students).

In late January, Rep. Leslie Love (D-Oak Park) introduced House Bill 4054 to require public schools to employ at least one counselor for every 450 students. The bill has 27 legislators who signed on as co-sponsors.

“I think that no one would be surprised to learn that school social workers, counselors, psychologists, nurses, specialized teachers—not to mention instructional staff—are experiencing huge rates of burnout,” she said.

To help fill the gap, Koschmann’s TRAILS program has been building a statewide system of coaches who will train school staff in strategies that have been shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and mindfulness.

The TRAILS program focuses on teaching evidence-based skills and practices, appropriate for every student, to slow down teenagers’ impulsivity, Koschmann said.

“If we look at what causes suicide and what causes homicide and what causes behavior that results in a disciplinary action among students, it’s impulsivity,” she said. “It is the inability to take something that’s hard in the moment and pause before reacting.”

Through TRAILS students learn about a pattern that drives human reactions, starting with a situation

COVER STORY

which causes thoughts, which trigger feelings, which lead to behaviors. For a teen with depression or anxiety, who hasn’t learned awareness of that pattern or strategies to slow it down, the behavioral consequences can be dire, Koschmann said.

With grants from the National Institutes of Health, local foundations, and Michigan Medicaid, TRAILS has trained community mental health professionals in 66 of 83 Michigan counties over the past two years to work directly with school personnel in area school districts.

For more information about TRAILS and to view the program’s CBT and mindfulness curriculum for at-risk student skills groups, visit trailstowellness.org.

One of the districts benefiting from TRAILS is Chelsea Community Schools. Like so many others, the community has been deeply affected by recent student suicides—two in the summer of 2016 and a third in the winter of 2018.

“We started seeing an increasing number of students struggling with anxiety, depression, and self-injurious behaviors about five years ago, prior to the three student suicides,” said MEA member Ellen Kent, school psychologist at Chelsea High School.

Help for Youth 24-7 Young people in crisis can access trained counselors at any time through several organizations—many of which also offer text, chat, and email options for getting help—and their websites plug youth into a wealth of additional resources.

Suicide Prevention Lifeline (suicidepreventionlifeline.org): 1-800-273-TALK Crisis Text Line (crisistextline.org): Text TALK to 741741 Your Life, Your Voice (yourlifeyourvoice.org): 1-800-448-3000 The Trevor Project—for LGBTQ youth— (thetrevorproject.org): 1-866-488-7386 social workers, and psychologists in the district.

state to work with local schools to provide mental health services.

In addition, the high school was selected last spring to be part of the TRAILS program which offered training and ongoing direct mentoring for staff to deliver CBT and mindfulness education to students through eight-week group sessions and one-on-one interactions.

For West Bloomfield’s Garrison, it’s important to keep shining a spotlight on the issue and to keep asking the question—what more can be done?

“This work can be heartbreaking, exhausting, and is never-ending,” Kent said. “But without a doubt, our students are worth it.”

“It appears that what we were seeing in our school followed state and national trends, which is little comfort when you are working with students who are in pain and need help.”

One in five school-age children will be impacted by mental illness, but only 20 percent will receive help and of those, 8 in 10 will receive services only at school.

The district has launched several initiatives to provide more support for students, Kent said, including implementing a mindfulness curriculum for all freshmen as part of their required fitness and health class.

School mental health advocates have long pushed for additional resources in Michigan, so many cheered in December when Gov. Rick Snyder signed a supplemental spending bill to add more than $30 million for school mental health services.

The school’s most at-risk teens can participate in a Dialectical Behavior Therapy group that runs year-round, and a successful millage increased the number of school counselors,

The money will be designated for hiring additional mental health care providers in existing School-Based Health Centers and for intermediate school districts (ISDs) across the

In just three semesters, the burly football coach has already stepped out of his comfort zone to move 700 freshmen through the Prepare U curriculum—and sparked new fire in his teaching. He’s shown students how to be vulnerable and been willing to scrape off a bit of his shiny teacher veneer in the process, he said.

He’s celebrated when students sat in uncomfortable silence, grappling with a difficult question, until a ripple of talk became a wave of honest conversation. He’s been grateful to see kids more willing to approach him with problems they’re experiencing.

And he’s marveled at the “breakthrough” moments when kids suddenly realize they’re not alone in having troubles that they never knew their classmates were struggling with too.

“Holy mackerel, it’s like scoring the game-winning touchdown,” he said. ■ MEA VOICE 17

ISSUES & ADVOCACY

How to Build School Funding An appeal for your activism What would it mean to have smaller class sizes in your school? Or to have additional counselors and social workers in your district to address students’ social-emotional and mental health needs?

What about returning a certified librarian to every building? Equipping students with books, supplies and technology? Committing to the arts?

Covering rural transportation costs?

Adding reading and math interventionists? Instructional coaches?

Education support professionals?

In short, how would teaching and learning change in the ecosystem where you live if your school had adequate funding?

An effort is under way to get educators talking about school funding, armed with facts from the most comprehensive study ever conducted in Michigan to determine what it actually costs to educate a child.

Released one year ago, the study by the School Finance Research Collaborative (SFRC) concluded the state is drastically underfunding edu18 FEBRUARY 2019

cation and should increase per-pupil spending across the board and add more money for districts with specific challenges.

However, the study accomplishes little if it sits on a shelf collecting dust, no matter how detailed its recommendations or how broad-based its support.

That is why advocates are committing to keep the study alive and relevant by using it as a tool for transformation—hopefully with help from educators who are willing to get involved at the local level.

If we want change, we each must take action and build our strength together from the ground up—which is the nature of unionism, said MEA President Paula Herbart.

“That means staking our position rooted firmly in truth, creating alliances with other leaders in our communities, and building pressure on lawmakers to do what we know is best for the children of our state,” Herbart said.

If you would like to get involved, the first step is to learn what’s in the report—then you’re in a position to share concrete information with colleagues, parents, and civic leaders in your school and community.

To begin with, if you’re nervous about bringing up conversation that might seem political, here are two facts that can begin to build a bridge across the partisan divide: 1) The SFRC report was funded by a diverse and bipartisan group of business leaders, foundations, and education experts; and 2) a poll last June found nearly 70 percent of likely Michigan voters support more funding for schools as outlined in the report.

The study was conducted in fall 2017 by the nation’s top two school finance research firms by determining the costs of school personnel, student support services, and technology for all students to meet state standards. More than 300 Michigan teachers, special education directors, principals, and other educators

ISSUES & ADVOCACY

participated in panels during the research process.

The study found the state had decreased inflation-adjusted per-pupil spending by an average of $663 per student from 2000-2016, compared to the U.S. average which actually increased by more than $1,400 over that period.

At the same time, schools are being held to more rigorous standards, “and our students will continue to fall behind if our school funding system doesn’t address their wide-ranging needs,” the study said.

The report’s authors note the world has changed since the state’s last major overhaul of its school funding system—Proposal A in 1994—including the advent of the internet, expanded global competition, and increased automation.

SFRC Study Recommendations 1. The base per-pupil cost to educate a regular education K-12 student in Michigan is $9,590, which does not include transportation, food service or capital costs.

2. In addition to the base per-pupil amount, a percentage of the base cost should be provided for special education, English Language Learners, and students living in poverty. Ten percent of the base cost should be added for students enrolled in Career and Technical Education.

3. An enrollment size adjustment is needed for smaller districts in addition to the base amount to address absence of economies of scale.

4. It costs $14,155 to educate a preschool student age 3 or 4.

5. Transportation costs should be funded at $731 per rider until further study can be carried out.

6. Charter schools should have the same base funding and adjustments as traditional districts.

Proposal A is a school funding system that provides every school district the same amount regardless of their student population’s needs, unlike higher-performing states which use formulas for giving additional money to districts facing extra challenges—such as high poverty and greater numbers of English Language Learners (ELL).

“A new, fairer school funding system is needed that addresses every student’s unique and individual learning needs because there is no one-sizefits-all approach to educating kids.”

You can find videos, fact sheets, and other easily digestible breakdowns of the report’s findings at fundmischools.org. Click on the “Resources” tab.

Lawmakers are beginning the process now of developing state budget priorities for 2019-2020. Be sure to sign up for MEA’s legislative and political newsletter, Capitol Comments, to stay up on the latest information and ways to get involved. Go to mea.org/signup to join the mailing list. ■

Example Staffing Recommendations Guidance counselors:

200 students to 1

School Psychologists:

400 students to 1

Media library specialists:

1 per school building

Aides:

2 per 450-student elementary/middle school

3 per 600-student high school

Secretary/Clerical:

2 per 450-student elementary/middle school

3 per 600-student high school

Elementary Class Size:

15 for grades K-3

25 for grades 4-5/6

Secondary class size:

25 for core 6-12

Instructional coaches:

1 per 200 students MEA VOICE 19

MEMBERS AT WORK

A Clarion Call

ANTHONY COGGINS AP American Government, American Government, SAT Prep, U.S. History School: Holly High School

Years Teaching: 19 On the first day of every social studies class, Anthony plays a clip from the television series “The West Wing,” in which President Bartlet speaks to a group of college students about how easy it is to complain from the sidelines, concluding with the quote: “Decisions are made by those who show up.”

Student engagement is one of Anthony’s biggest focal points, he says.

20 FEBRUARY 2019

What does political interest/ involvement among students look like where you are? I have seen many of our students volunteer time working on local, state, and national political campaigns.

Recently, one of my students was on the campaign for newly elected U.S. Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin. Also our students work the voting stations for each election in our local areas.

We have 20-30 who are educated in the need and methodology for election workers. One of the best experiences we have had was our RHO KAPPA Society (national Social Studies Honor Society) hosting a forum for candidates at local, state, and national levels this past fall. The students wrote and posed the questions to the candidates. In all, the students realize to make a difference they must be active in society.

What do you do to interest students in how government works? One of the best experiences I am able to provide is a trip to Washington, D.C., every other year for any student who is interested. We spend a week, allowing students to see the activity up close, meet the lawmakers at multiple levels, and learn about the history of our founding and how that shapes who we are today.

Also in class we try to do multiple simulations to bring the education to life. Students have a political debate between federalists and anti-federalists regarding the Constitution, plus we do a Senate simulation on trying to pass multiple bills.

What are some examples of current events/arguments/ court cases you have used to draw students into deeper learning and debate? In recent years, the Supreme Court cases of National Federation of Independent Businesses v. Sebelius (2012), United States v. Windsor (2013), and Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) have brought about great discussions regarding the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. We have also looked at items such as the Asylum Ban (Executive Order 13769) as signed by President Trump in 2017, and the current call for a wall on the U.S. southern border. The discussions have had people on both sides and have led to some contentious times. My job is to get the students to realize they have the power to think for themselves and to come up with good, unbiased sources to support their argument. Sometimes it is easy; most times it isn’t. However, it is always exciting and educational.

Does this add political tension to your job? It can. I have had parents say they don’t like talking politics in school, and I understand.

I respect familial beliefs and would never say they are wrong. I tell parents my job is not to tell students what to think, but my job is to challenge students and get them to think for themselves. I take that charge very seriously, and will continue to push students to see both sides of an issue until the day I retire.

MEMBERS AT WORK

Given our volatile national political scene, retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor recently said: “It is my great hope that our nation will commit to educating our youth about civics, and to helping young people understand their crucial role as informed, active citizens in our nation.”

MEA Voice asked several Michigan government and civics teachers how they approach their vital work with students in this age of division and tribal politics. Here are their stories.

MIKE WEATHERS AP U.S. Government and Politics, AP Macroeconomics, AP Microeconomics, Economics Lincoln High School, Ypsilanti

Years Teaching: 17 Mike took an all-female group of students to visit the Capitol in Lansing during the lame duck legislative session in December, a trip funded by the Women’s Center of Southeast Michigan. The visit, meant to encourage the next generation of female leaders, included a scary moment trapped in an old elevator for some students—which became a moment of inspiration when they discovered who was stuck with them. See the “selfie” that appeared on social media from that moment, and read the full story at mea.org/empoweringthe-next-generation.

What current events/ arguments/court cases have you used to draw students into deeper learning and debate?

I try to spend about 20 minutes per hour of AP Government every day to discuss current events to interest students in government.

Students need to answer daily written warmup questions to show their opinions and knowledge about different topics. The magazine Upfront from Scholastic also is quite helpful and is geared towards high school students. We go through current events each day using the Smart Board using both videos and written articles. We use allsides.com and cnn.com to find articles. We also use a Supreme Court case of the week. I have moved about different chapters this year to make sure I was teaching about the election around the time of the election.

Why do you think it’s important to have these conversations? I think it is important to have well-structured conversations about controversial topics in an AP Government class. With the exception of human rights issues, I try to emphasize that there are not right or

wrong issues, but matters of opinion, and that it is important to know both sides of every issue.

Does this add political tension to your job? It does not add tension to my job but a sense of satisfaction that students in my classes are able to ask good questions and express their views in a safe environment. I am fortunate that my principal is very supportive of teachers taking initiative to have difficult conversations in our classroom, and parents are also supportive in my district as long as these conversations remain safe and respectful. I have seen an increase in student engagement with daily current events discussions. I have seniors who I had for AP Government as juniors who state how much they miss their daily updates on current events.

What do you see as your job in guiding students through political questions? My role as a teacher is to try to create an environment where students can gain knowledge about our government and can develop their own political ideology by learning issues in depth and can hear opposing points of view.

MEA VOICE 21

MEMBERS AT WORK

BRIAN TAYLOR U.S. Government; AP U.S. Government and Politics; I.B. 20th Century World History West Ottawa High School, Holland

Years Teaching: 17 Brian dropped out of high school in the late 80s and drove to California with romantic visions in his head.

He found himself sleeping on the beach and waking soaked by the incoming tide. He survived with a factory job but eventually found his way to college without ever graduating or completing a General Equivalency Diploma (GED).

He worked in television news in New York City and freelance website development before a chance encounter brought him full circle—back to school and a career where he believes he was meant to be. Read the twists and turns in Brian’s life and how they influence his teaching at mea.org/ brian-taylor.

22 FEBRUARY 2019

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; I teach with direct instruction and have group projects. We make movies, draw political cartoons, and create our own memes. We play with gummy bears (to illustrate political party platforms or comparative governments) and hold debates. We sit in circles for modified Socratic scored discussions, and film our own political ads or make movies on the interaction between the three branches of government. We hold mock trials, and mark up bills during Congressional committee simulations. We read plays and write songs. We illustrate the various roles and duties of the president by dressing him up like a paper doll.

What current events/arguments/court cases have you used to draw students into deeper learning and debate?

I have staged debates over seminal—and contemporary—Supreme Court cases like Citizens United and the subsequent rise of Super PACs and social welfare non-profit groups: 501(c)(4). We focus on the new campaign finance landscape and prepare by looking outside the textbook (which was published prior to

the case, in any event) by consulting both articles from The Atlantic and video clips from Stephen Colbert, as well as resources from Street Law and others.

Why do you think it’s important to have these conversations? I am teaching the next generation of citizens (in fact, some are 18 already and vote!). It’s vital for everyone to remain informed and a critical consumer of news and political propaganda—especially young people, as most consume their information online. Democracy, when done right, is not a spectator sport. At times people get offended, whether “justified” or not, but that is not a sufficient reason to avoid important conversations.

Does this add political tension to your job? Yes! I have had students tell me I can’t reference articles from The New York Times or their parents will get upset and that InfoWars is just as credible as any other source (it isn’t). If I criticize a practice like gerrymandering, I emphasize that both major parties are guilty of this, and no one party has a monopoly on truth, wisdom or justice. Some students are quite free with their opinions (“build a wall”) and don’t stop to think how it may affect others in the classroom (on any number of issues from immigration to gay marriage to abortion).

It is important to have norms, and ground-rules, and to allow the expression of thoughtful and informed opinions.

MEMBERS AT WORK

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.

TAK READY AP U.S. Government Traverse City West Senior High School

Years Teaching: 26 Tak tells students he will not share his political opinions while they are in high school.

He tells inquiring minds to ask him at graduation, and some juniors set a reminder on their phones. About 20 or 30 usually ask on graduation day, and more return for in-depth conversations after that, he says.

What does student political involvement look like? I require all students taking my AP U.S. Government class to put in some time working on any campaign of their choice. Some work for Democrats, some for Republicans, some for judicial candidates, etc. Some of the students canvass, some phone bank, some work on mailings or do data entry for a campaign. I have found that many of the students continue to work on campaigns even after they graduate. In fact three of my former students were paid staffers this year for a local Congressional candidate.

What current events/arguments/court cases have you used to draw students into deeper learning and debate?

The Brett Kavanaugh hearing, migrant caravan, Russia investigation, Governor election, Michigan ballot proposals 1, 2, and 3. Both our Republican and Democratic Congressional candidates and state Representative candidates came in to speak.

I do a mock Supreme Court for approximately 3 weeks. Each kid is assigned the role of a lawyer for a major Supreme Court case, and they present oral arguments in front of the class. The rest of the class are given black graduation gowns that serve as judicial robes. The judges pepper the two lawyers with questions. The judges then debate and vote for which side they thought had the better constitutional argument.

Court cases that are argued in class include Roper v. Simmons, Roe v.

Wade, Obergefell v. Hodges, Tinker v.

Des Moines, New Jersey v. T.L.O., and more.

I also do a Mock Senate. Kids write their own bills. I then divide the kids into committees to mark up the bills and either vote for them—and send them on to the full Senate for debate—or vote against the bills so they die in committee. Bills that get to the full Senate are debated, sometimes filibustered, and then either signed or vetoed by a president who the class elected earlier in the year, using a mock electoral college.

What is your job in guiding students through political questions? I never shy away from political conversations. We are debating something controversial pretty much every day. I find that this is how kids become interested in politics. I teach my students how to positively debate, and what to avoid in discussion at the beginning of the year. Then I grade them regularly on participation. They must always avoid personal attacks. They must also support their opinion during class discussions with cited evidence from a reputable source. I never tell my students my political views. I tell them that it is my job to get them to think, NOT tell them what to think.

Why do you think it’s important to have these conversations? These political conversations are so important, because it is my job to help my students become critical thinkers. I tell my students that if I see them 5 or 10 years from now, I will not care if they remember that 3/5 of the Senate is needed to vote to invoke cloture. But I will care that they pay enough attention to current events to vote intelligently.

I won’t care how they vote, just that they are an informed voter trying to make their community a better place.

If they are, then I will feel I did my job well.

MEA VOICE 23

MEMBERS AT WORK

JOE MACALUSO 7th grade World History and 8th grade United States History Cherryland Middle School, Elk Rapids

Years Teaching: 18 Joe was on the eighth-grade U.S. History writing team for the Michigan Book Project, a set of free resources for K-12 teachers and students. These open-source, teacher-developed social studies resources for all grade levels can be downloaded in multiple formats through textbooks.wmisd.org.

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 most engaged I’ve ever seen students in the election process. More students wore the paraphernalia of their candidate of choice than I’d ever seen for an election. Chants of “Trump! Trump!

Trump!” would echo through the halls at times, and the entire cycle did take on a tribal feel with sides being chosen and defended.

What do you do to interest students in how government works? At Cherryland, I’ve taken students to the State YMCA of Michigan’s Youth in Government conference in Lansing for 15 years now. The program allows students to become state legislators at the Capitol for a day and experience the process of how bills become laws from the bill-writing process all the way to the governor’s signature or veto of their bill. Students have access to the chambers and sit in the seats of their Representatives and Senators. The program also includes a debate and political compromise program that has students tackle tough national and state issues. It’s an exceptional program that all schools in the state should make a part of their school year. Educators can learn more about the program at myig.org.

What current events have you used to draw students into deeper learning and debate?

Most recently, we were taking a look at the John Adams Presidency and reviewing his actions as president.

Without any prompting, students made quick connections to Adams’ distrust and banning of certain press outlets that wrote unfavorably about

24 FEBRUARY 2019

his presidency under the Sedition Act. A student said, “Hey! That’s kind of like how Donald Trump feels, too!” It was a great way to compare Presidential actions of the past and the present. It didn’t end there, either. Discussing the Alien Act, which sought to make it harder for immigrants to become citizens prompted connections to President Trump’s travel bans on people from specific nations from entering the United States in addition to his border control policies. This lead to deeper discussions on how leaders make decisions when balancing the notions of the common good while also needing to balance individual rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

Does this add political tension to your job? This certainly does add tension. For starters, I never state my political affiliations and always attempt to have a balanced delivery when modern politics arises.

There were events in 2016 that I avoided due to some of the rancor and tone that it stirred up. That said, I tried to have policy discussion with students, but it was a challenge.

What do you see as your job in guiding students through political questions? I want my students to know and understand that they must always ask questions of our leaders. Stay involved and stay engaged. I tell them that it’s up to them once they turn 18 to buck the trend of youthful disengagement and become active, be it locally, at the state level or nationally. They need to find out the issues in our area and state and become informed and vote. More often, it’s local and state government decisions that will have the biggest impact on their lives, despite the fact that national politics grabs the headlines. It’s their future, and I want them to own it.

STRENGTH IN UNION

Retirees Lead on National Level

L-R Dan Rudd, Barb Schram, Sid Kardon

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 (HVEA), a retired teacher turned school board member, several retirees from various districts—and now, a national-level public education advocate.

Instead of sailing into the sunset, these retirees remain politically engaged and active. Their table talk alternates between good-natured ribbing, catching up on personal events, and trading political com-

mentary—on school funding, union busting, eroding compensation.

“I learned the other day about a student five years out of high school, with a master’s in engineering, making a starting salary of $89,000,” former history teacher Jim Pearson told the group at a recent gathering.

“That’s not on the teachers’ salary schedule at 30 years.”

Beyond low pay and dwindling health and retirement benefits for educators, the retirees share other causes of concern for “actives”— their term for current educators— including over-testing, class sizes, school violence, and politicians’ mandates that ignore and vilify classroom experts.

“No Child Left Behind motivated me to retire,” said Bob Kullberg, who

taught social studies, government, and economics for 30 years in Bay City—referring to the George W. Bush-era law that launched standardized test-based accountability.

“After four years of pedagogical training I was well-prepared to be a teacher, but all of a sudden the state comes in and says we’re going to tell you how to do it because we know better.”

Previous generations believed in “leaving the world better than you found it,” noted Mike MacGregor, a school social worker in Huron Valley for 31 years who served for six years as HVEA president.

MacGregor spent hours canvassing voters’ homes during the 2018 midterm elections to usher in a return to that philosophy of investing in youth MEA VOICE 25

STRENGTH IN UNION

which has been “systematically squeezed,” he said.

education. He also volunteers often to lobby in Lansing.

Pearson—the retired history teacher— agreed. He won a seat on the Huron Valley School Board in 2016 to help students and educators. For example, the board recently added social workers at every elementary school to address students’ growing needs outside of the classroom, he said.

Rudd never imagined he would follow his decades in the classroom with routinely pressing state and federal elected officials one-on-one to do the right thing for public education. He’s naturally a shy person, he said. But he knows he has expertise that matters.

Given the passion and commitment of this boisterous breakfast club, it’s no surprise that one of the group’s members has recently assumed a role of national prominence in education advocacy.

Dan Rudd, who retired in 2005 after teaching elementary school and middle school social studies for 37 years, last year became one of three top elected officers of NEA-Retired, which represents more than 300,000 school retirees across the country.

And he is joined in taking a position in the national organization by two other Michigan retirees, making our state delegation among the best represented of any state chapter.

“In education you retire from your job but not your profession,” Rudd said of his desire to keep advocating for school employees in his golden years. “I still have a heart for my profession, and it’s important—I think—to continue lobbying for our positions.”

Rudd was elected Secretary of NEA-Retired in addition to his roles as secretary-treasurer of the state MEA-Retired organization and treasurer of two local MEA-Retired chapters in West Oakland and Livingston counties.

His election to the national post followed two terms on the NEA Board of Directors, which required him to travel regularly to Washington, D.C., to lobby Michigan’s federal lawmakers on issues related to public 26 FEBRUARY 2019

“I can talk about effects that a certain bill would have on schools from the perspective of all of the changes I’ve seen over my career,” he said.

Rudd couldn’t walk away knowing that others before him had unselfishly raised their voices to fight for the rights, respect, and resources he enjoyed during his active teaching years.

“A lot of the new people coming into the union have very little idea what’s gone on in the past,” he said. “Some of them think that the school board just gives them stuff like benefits and planning time. We have to keep reminding them that—no, we fought for those. If not for the union and our activism, we wouldn’t have those things today.”

Our state’s retirees are known for stepping up. Michigan eclipses much bigger states in sending the largest delegation to the NEA-Retired annual meeting each summer. Perhaps that is why the state is over-represented in elected posts in the national organization.

While Rudd is one of three top officers—outranked only by the president and vice president—retired Grand Ledge educator Barb Schram is one of six retiree members of the NEA Board of Directors, and retired Royal Oak school social worker Sid Kardon is one of six retiree members on the Resolutions Committee of the NEA Representative Assembly.

Schram said she wants to use her position on the NEA Board to keep

educators back home—both active and retired—informed and involved in the political realm, including in fundraising for MEA-PAC to help elect supportive legislators.

“As we all know, money talks—and we need to put our money where our beliefs are and with the people who support our belief in public education,” Schram said.

The 33-year veteran elementary school teacher left the classroom and walked into the halls of power.

She now regularly lobbies in D.C. as an NEA board member.

“By staying involved, I am able to work with amazing teachers and support professionals who feel the same way I do and who are spending their time in local school districts, lobbying their legislators, supporting PAC and continuing the commitment to public education.”

Kardon has a similar motivation for his ongoing involvement since retiring in 2014. Being on the Resolutions Committee means he helps to shape debate over education policy, union positions, and social justice issues.

One of the most exciting moments serving in this role happened last summer when the Resolutions Committee brought forth a statement to acknowledge white privilege in U.S. culture—a position passed resoundingly by the 10,000-member RA. “Millions of students we teach don’t have a fair shot at the benefits enjoyed by others in our society because of their race,” Kardon said.

“This was a statement about social justice that NEA made to the nation.”

He enjoys the process of debating and wordsmithing that brings differing viewpoints to a place where agreement can be found, he said. “To me, standing up for our beliefs is a fundamental part of what NEA is.” ■

REGION ELECTIONS

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Region Election Information Election procedures required to be followed in the regions comply with relevant federal laws.

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ELIGIBLE VOTERS Voter eligibility listings will be created from information received by the MEA Membership Department from the local associations by Dec. 31, 2018

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LOCALS USING PAPER BALLOTS FOR THE REGION ELECTION 1. The region at-large election shall be conducted on March 5, 6 and 7, 2019.

2. If your unit is not scheduled to work during the above days, the election shall be conducted on March 12, 13 and 14, 2019.

3. If inclement weather or another emergency interrupts the election listed above, it shall be on the next consecutive workday (s), but no later than March 24.

ABSENTEE BALLOTING The region at-large election is an on-site election. However, eligible voters who are not able to vote on site during the election period may notify their local association president of their need to vote by

5

absentee ballot. The request must be in writing, include the specific reason necessitating an absentee ballot and be received no later than Feb. 21 by the local association president.

Eligible voters requesting an absentee ballot and complying with the above requirements shall be mailed an absentee ballot by the local association election committee. An absentee ballot must be returned by U.S. Mail and received by the local association no later than the last day of the election. Late absentee ballots

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shall be unopened and set aside as void ballots.

Get Involved by voting for your MEA Board members and your Michigan and National delegates anytime between 8 a.m. Monday, March 4, and 3:59 p.m. Monday, March 18.

Use your home computer, library computer or school computer (if allowed). Sign in at mymea.org/ onlinevoting and follow the prompts. If you have problems, call for help at 517-337-5440 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. After hours, MEA VOICE  27

REGION ELECTIONS

leave a message and someone will get back with you as soon as possible.

ELECTRONIC VOTING Members of regions 2 thru 18 participate in MEA’s Online Region Elections.

The polls for online elections will open at 8 a.m. Monday, March 4 and close at 3:59 p.m. Monday, March 18 at mymea.org/onlinevoting.

Members access the website using the last four digits of their Social Security number. There will be a continuous ballot for ESP members, who will begin with the Statewide Region 50 Ballot and continue on with their region’s ballot.

Positions elected by acclamation at the December Region meeting will be noted on the ballot.

Online election rules and an explanation of the process will be

forwarded to local presidents and Region election chairs the last week of January 2019. This information will include the procedure for members who do not wish to use the online process to request a paper ballot. The request for paper ballots from individuals or locals must be submitted by 4 p.m. on Feb. 16 to Mike Ostertag in the MEA Executive Office. ■

CANDIDATES IN THE MARCH REGION ELECTIONS Key: # NNR *

Elected by acclamation No nominations received Minority 3-1(g) position

REGION 2

Position 1–MEA Board of Director/NEA RA Delegate #1 position, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19; John Heilman, Plymouth-Canton E Position 4–MEA RA At-Large AlternateRepresenting Minority 3-1(g) 2 positions*, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 6–EA NEA RA At-Large AlternateRepresenting Minority 3-1(g) 2 positions*, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 7–EA/ESP NEA RA At-Large Delegate #1 position, immed. thru 8/31/19; Jennifer Lamb, Livonia E Position 8–EA MEA RA Cluster Delegate 1 position, immed. thru 8/31/20; NNR Position 9–EA MEA RA Cluster Alternate 1 position, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 10–ESP MEA RA Cluster Delegate 3 positions, immed. thru 8/31/21; NNR 1 position*, immed. thru 8/31/21; NNR Position 11–ESP MEA RA Cluster Alternate 4 positions, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR 1 position*, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 12–EA NEA RA Cluster Delegate 1 position, immed. thru 8/31/21; NNR Position 13–EA NEA RA Cluster Alternate 1 position, immed. thru 3/31/21; NNR Position 14–ESP NEA RA Cluster Delegate 3 positions, immed. thru 8/31/20; NNR 1 position*, immed. thru 8/31/20; NNR Position 15–ESP NEA RA Cluster Alternate 3 positions, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR 1 position*, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Elections Chair: Tov Pauling, tov0727@gmail.com

28 FEBRUARY 2019

REGION 3

Position 4–MEA RA At-Large AlternateRepresenting Minority 3-1(g) 2 positions*, immed. thru 3/31/20; Charlotte Tillerson, Ypsilanti Community E; Maria Arellano, Adrian E Position 5–EA NEA RA At-Large DelegateRepresenting Minority 3-1(g) 1 position*, immed. thru 8/31/20; Maria Arellano, Adrian E; Rhoshawda Miller, Ypsilanti Community E Position 7–EA/ESP NEA RA At-Large Delegate 1 position, immed. thru 8/31/19; Ann Marie Borders, Ann Arbor E Position 8–EA MEA RA Cluster Delegate 1 position, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19; Wendy Crocker, Napoleon E 1 position, immed. thru 8/31/20; Phil McVay, Blissfield E 1 position*, immed. thru 8/31/20; NNR Position 9–EA MEA RA Cluster Alternate 3 positions, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 10–ESP MEA RA Cluster Delegate 1 position, immed. thru 8/31/20; NNR 1 position, immed. thru 8/31/21; NNR 1 position*, immed. thru 8/31/21; NNR Position 11–ESP MEA RA Cluster Alternate 5 positions, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR 1 position*, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 12–EA NEA RA Cluster Delegate 1 position*, immed. thru 8/31/20; NNR Position 13–EA NEA Cluster Alternate 1 position, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 14–ESP NEA RA Cluster Delegate 1 position*, immed. thru 8/31/21; Lisa Watkins, Ypsilanti Community CFMOP Position 15–ESP NEA RA Cluster Alternate 2 positions, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR

Elections Chair: D’Andra Clark, dandra.clark23@gmail.com

REGION 4

Position 4–MEA RA At-Large AlternateRepresenting Minority 3-1(g) 1 position*, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 6–EA NEA RA At-Large AlternateRepresenting Minority 3-1(g) 1 position*, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 7–EA/ESP NEA RA At-Large Delegate #1 position, immed. thru 8/31/19; Allan Sherwood, Marshall E Position 8–EA MEA RA Cluster Delegate 1 position, immed. thru 8/31/20; Jamie Veld, Tekonsha E; Sarajane Eppley, Bronson E Position 9–EA MEA RA Cluster Alternate 2 positions, immed. thru 3/31/20; Jamie Veld, Tekonsha E; Sarajane Eppley, Bronson E Position 10–ESP MEA RA Cluster Delegate #1 position, immed. thru 8/31/21; John Sullivan, Marshall CFMOP 2 positions, immed. thru 8/31/21; NNR Position 11–ESP MEA RA Cluster Alternate 3 positions, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 12–EA NEA RA Cluster Delegate 1 position*, immed. thru 8/31/20; NNR #1 position, immed. thru 8/31/21; Sarajane Eppley, Bronson E Position 13–EA NEA RA Cluster Alternate 1 position, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 14–ESP NEA RA Cluster Delegate 2 positions, immed. thru 8/31/21; NNR 1 position*, immed. thru 8/31/20; NNR Position 15–ESP NEA RA Cluster Alternate 2 positions, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Elections Chair: Joe Ratti, joeratti3@gmail.com

REGION ELECTIONS

REGION 5

Position 1–MEA Board of Directors/NEA RA Delegate #1 position, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19; Roy Freeman, Dowagiac CMT Position 4–MEA RA At-Large AlternateRepresenting Minority 3-1(g) 1 position*, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 6–EA NEA RA At-Large AlternateRepresenting Minority 3-1(g) 1 position*, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 8–EA MEA RA Cluster Delegate #2 positions, 3 yr. terms begin 9/1/19; Sara Glisson, Coloma E; Suzanne Cramer, New Buffalo E Position 9–EA MEA RA Cluster Alternate #1 position, immed. thru 3/31/20; Sara Glisson, Coloma E 1 position*, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 10–ESP MEA RA Cluster Delegate 1 position, immed. thru 8/31/21; NNR Position 11–ESP MEA RA Cluster Alternate 3 positions, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 12–EA NEA RA Cluster Delegate 1 position*, immed. thru 8/31/19; NNR 1 position*, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19, same seat as above; NNR 2 positions*, immed. thru 8/31/21; NNR 1 position, immed. thru 8/31/21; NNR #3 positions, 3 yr. terms begin 9/1/19; Suzanne Cramer, New Buffalo E; Mary Cooper, New Buffalo E; Rebecca Drayton, Gobles E 3 positions, 3 yr. terms begin 9/1/19; NNR Position 13–EA NEA RA Cluster Alternate 4 positions, 3 yr. terms begin 4/1/19; NNR 1 position*, 3 yr. term begins 4/1/19; NNR Position 14–ESP NEA RA Cluster Delegate #1 position, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19; Roy Freeman, Dowagiac CMT #2 positions, immed. thru 8/31/19; Eursla Moore-Doyle, Kalamazoo OP; Elizabeth Doyle, Kalamazoo OP #2 positions, 3 yr. terms begin 9/1/19, same seats as above; Eursla MooreDoyle, Kalamazoo OP; Elizabeth Doyle, Kalamazoo OP 1 position*, immed. thru 8/31/19; NNR 1 position*, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19, same seat as above; NNR Position 15–ESP NEA RA Cluster Alternate 2 positions, 3 yr. terms begin 4/1/19; NNR 1 position*, 3 yr. term begins 4/1/19; NNR Elections Chair: Mary Cooper, mcooper@mymea.org

REGION 6

Position 1–MEA Board of Directors/NEA RA Delegate #1 position, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19; Cathy Murray, Port Huron E Position 8–EA MEA RA Cluster Delegate #1 position, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19; Heather Belesky, Memphis E Position 9–EA MEA RA Cluster Alternate #1 position, immed. thru 3/31/20; Mary Sokacz, Capac E Position 10–ESP MEA RA Cluster Delegate #2 positions, 3 yr. terms begin 9/1/19; Stacey Gotham, Port Huron O; Lynn Butterworth, Port Huron O

#1 position*, immed. thru 8/31/21; Jacob Reno, Lakeview-St. Clair Shores P Position 12–EA NEA RA Cluster Delegate #1 position*, immed. thru 8/31/20; Lisa Luberto, Algonac E Elections Chair: Heather Schulz, hschulz28@gmail.com

REGION 7

Position 1–MEA Board of Directors/NEA RA Delegate #1 position, immed. thru 8/31/19; Daryl Biallas, Clarkston E #1 position, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19, same seat as above; Daryl Biallas, Clarkston E Position 3–MEA RA At-Large DelegateRepresenting Minority 3-1(g) #1 position*, immed. thru 8/31/21; Steve Sanchez, Clarkston T Position 4–MEA RA At-Large AlternateRepresenting Minority 3-1(g) 4 positions*, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 10–ESP MEA RA Cluster Delegate 1 position*, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19; NNR #1 position, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19; Michael Graves, Southfield MP #2 positions, immed. thru 8/31/21; Suzanne Cox, Clarkston T; Shanette Kidd, Clarkston T Position 11–ESP MEA RA Cluster Alternate 4 positions, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR 1 position*, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 14–ESP NEA RA Cluster Delegate 2 positions, immed. thru 8/31/20; NNR 1 position*, immed. thru 8/31/20; NNR Position 15–ESP NEA RA Cluster Alternate 4 positions, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR 2 positions*, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Elections Chair: Thomas Silak, northvilleea@gmail.com

REGION 8

Position 1–MEA Board of Directors/NEA RA Delegate 1 position, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19; Matt Dufon, Brighton E; Ed Bryant, LCC E; Julie Adolphson, Lansing E Position 6–EA NEA RA At-Large AlternateRepresenting Minority 3-1(g) 1 position*, immed. thru 3/31/20; Sheila Nash, Lansing E Position 7–EA/ESP NEA RA At-Large Delegate #1 position, immed. thru 8/31/19; Dawn Levey, Ovid-Elsie E #1 position, immed. thru 8/31/21; Alfonso Salais, Lansing E Position 8–EA MEA RA Cluster Delegate #2 positions, immed. thru 8/31/21; Dawn Levey, Ovid-Elsie E; Thomas DeLong, Perry E 1 position, immed. thru 8/31/21; NNR Position 9–EA MEA RA Cluster Alternate #1 position, immed. thru 3/31/20; Bryan Wertz, Ovid-Elsie E 1 position, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 10–ESP MEA RA Cluster Delegate 1 position, immed. thru 8/31/19; NNR #1 position, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19, same seat as above; Kelly Davis, Lansing O 2 positions, immed. thru 8/31/21; NNR Position 11–ESP MEA RA Cluster Alternate

5 positions, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR 1 position*, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 12–EA NEA RA Cluster Delegate 1 position*, immed. thru 8/31/19; NNR 1 position*, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19, same seat as above; NNR 4 positions, immed. thru 8/31/21; NNR Position 13–EA NEA RA Cluster Alternate 4 positions, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR 1 position*, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 14–ESP NEA RA Cluster Delegate 1 position, immed. thru 8/31/19; NNR 1 position, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19, same seat as above; NNR 3 positions, immed. thru 8/31/21; NNR 2 positions*, immed. thru 8/31/21; NNR Position 15–ESP NEA RA Cluster Alternate 5 positions, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR 2 positions*, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Elections Chair: Lance Little, llittle@mea.org

REGION 9

Position 1–MEA Board of Directors/NEA RA Delegate 1 position, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19; Richard Vander Klok, Jenison E Position 2–MEA Board of Directors/NEA RA Delegate-Representing Minority 3-1(g) 1 position*, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19; Jennifer Jones, Grand Rapids E Position 4–MEA RA At-Large AlternateRepresenting Minority 3-1(g) 1 position*, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 8–EA MEA RA Cluster Delegate 1 position, immed. thru 8/31/20; NNR 1 position, immed. thru 8/31/21; NNR Position 9–EA MEA RA Cluster Alternate 2 positions, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 10–ESP MEA RA Cluster Delegate 5 positions, immed. thru 8/31/21; NNR 1 position*, immed. thru 8/31/21; NNR Position 11–ESP MEA RA Cluster Alternate 3 positions, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 12–EA NEA RA Cluster Delegate 3 positions, immed. thru 8/31/21; NNR 1 position*, immed. thru 8/31/21; NNR Position 13–EA NEA RA Cluster Alternate 2 positions, immed. thru 3/31/21; NNR Position 14–ESP NEA RA Cluster Delegate 5 positions, immed. thru 8/31/21; NNR 1 position*, immed. thru 8/31/21; NNR 1 position*, immed. thru 8/31/20; NNR Position 15–ESP NEA RA Cluster Alternate 5 positions, immed. thru 3/31/21; NNR 2 positions*, immed. thru 3/31/21; NNR Elections Chair: Joe Guy, josephguy@ymail.com

REGION 10

Position 4–MEA RA At-Large AlternateRepresenting Minority 3-1(g) 1 position*, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 6–EA NEA RA At-Large AlternateRepresenting Minority 3-1(g) #1 position*, immed. thru 3/31/20; David Griffel, Clio E 1 position*, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 8–EA MEA RA Cluster Delegate #1 position, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19; Matt Adams, Beecher E

MEA VOICE 29

REGION ELECTIONS

1 position, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19: NNR Position 9–EA MEA RA Cluster Alternate #1 position, immed. thru 3/31/20; Jerry Tkach, Mt. Morris A 1 position, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 10–ESP MEA RA Cluster Delegate 2 positions, immed. thru 8/31/20; NNR #1 position, immed. thru 8/31/21; Mitzi Thornton, Linden CFMP Position 11–ESP MEA RA Cluster Alternate 3 positions, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 12–EA NEA RA Cluster Delegate 2 positions, immed. thru 8/31/21; NNR 1 position*, immed. thru 8/31/21; NNR Position 13–EA NEA RA Cluster Alternate 2 positions, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 14–ESP NEA RA Cluster Delegate 1 position*, immed thru 8/31/19; NNR 1 position*, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19, same seat as above; NNR 1 position, immed. thru 8/31/20; NNR 2 positions, immed. thru 8/31/21; NNR Position 15–ESP NEA RA Cluster Alternate 2 positions, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR 1 position*, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Elections Chair: Karen Christian, kchristian@mea.org

REGION 11

Position 8–EA MEA RA Cluster Delegate #1 position, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19; Ryan Schian, Vassar E Position 10–ESP MEA RA Cluster Delegate 1 position, immed. thru 8/31/19; NNR 1 position, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19, same seat as above; NNR 1 position, immed. thru 8/31/20; NNR #1 position, immed. thru 8/31/21; Jennifer Shelito, Tuscola COPT Position 11–ESP MEA RA Cluster Alternate 3 positions, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 14–ESP NEA RA Cluster Delegate #1 position, immed. thru 8/31/21; Jennifer Shelito, Tuscola COPT 1 position, immed. thru 8/31/21; NNR 1 position*, immed. thru 8/31/21; NNR Position 15–ESP NEA RA Cluster Alternate 2 positions, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR 1 position*, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Elections Chair: Jason Ostrander, jostrander@mymea.org

REGION 12

Position 4–MEA RA At-Large AlternateRepresenting Minority 3-1(g) #1 position*, immed. thru 3/31/20; Jeff Katt, Standish-Sterling E Position 6–EA NEA RA At-Large AlternateRepresenting Minority 3-1(g) #1 position*, immed. thru 3/31/20; Mark Hackbarth, Midland City E 1 position*, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 7–EA/ESP NEA RA At-Large Delegate #1 position, immed. thru 8/31/19; Wendy Epple, Mt. Pleasant E #1 position, immed. thru 8/31/21; John Pakledinaz, Farwell E Position 8–EA MEA RA Cluster Delegate 1 position, immed. thru 8/31/20; Jenny Oster, Houghton Lake E; Daryl Phillips, Beaverton E

30 FEBRUARY 2019

Position 9–EA MEA RA Cluster Alternate #1 position, immed. thru 3/31/20; Sarah Larges, Meridian E #1 position, immed. thru 3/31/20; Daryl Phillips, Beaverton E Position 10–ESP MEA RA Cluster Delegate #1 position, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19; David Spencer, Bay City CM Position 11–ESP MEA RA Cluster Alternate #1 position, immed. thru 3/31/20; Sherri Rowbottom, Standish-Sterling CFMOPT #1 position, immed. thru 3/31/20; Allison Holley, Harrison CFMOP Position 12–EA NEA RA Cluster Delegate 2 positions, immed. thru 8/31/20; NNR 1 position*, immed. thru 8/31/19; NNR 1 position*, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19, same seat as above; NNR Position 13–EA NEA RA Cluster Alternate 2 positions, immed. thru 3/31/20: NNR Position 14–ESP NEA RA Cluster Delegate 1 position, immed. thru 8/31/19; NNR 1 position, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19, same seat as above; NNR 1 position, immed. thru 8/31/20; NNR 1 position, immed. thru 8/31/21; NNR 1 position*, immed. thru 8/31/21; NNR Position 15–ESP NEA RA Cluster Alternate 3 positions, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR 1 position*, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Elections Chair: Jenny Oster, jjvandui@svsu.edu

REGION 13

Position 1–MEA Board of Directors/NEA RA Delegate #1 position, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19; Tyler Frank, Montague E Position 4–MEA RA At-Large AlternateRepresenting Minority 3-1(g) 1 position*, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 6–EA NEA RA At-Large AlternateRepresenting Minority 3-1(g) #1 position*, 3 yr. term begins 4/1/19; Stacey Andrews-Ramsey, Manistee E #1 position*, immed. thru 3/31/20; Tammy Arbogast, Ravenna E 1 position*, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 8–EA MEA RA Cluster Delegate #1 position*, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19; Andrea Atwood, White Cloud E Position 9–EA MEA RA Cluster Alternate #1 position, immed. thru 3/31/20; Kirsten Amstutz, Kaleva-Norman-Dickson E 2 positions, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR 1 position*, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 10–ESP MEA RA Cluster Delegate #1 position, immed. thru 8/31/21; Karla Wheeler, Oakridge CMFT Position 12–EA NEA RA Cluster Delegate 2 positions, immed. thru 8/31/21; NNR 1 position*, immed. thru 8/31/19; NNR 1 position*, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19, same seat as above; NNR Position 13–EA NEA RA Cluster Alternate 2 positions, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR 1 position*, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 14–ESP NEA RA Cluster Delegate 2 positions, immed. thru 8/31/21; NNR 1 position, immed. thru 8/31/19 ; NNR 1 position, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19, same seat as above; NNR

Position 15–ESP NEA RA Cluster Alternate 3 positions, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR 1 position*, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Elections Chair: Sally Purchase, sally.purchase@gmail.com

REGION 14

Position 1–MEA Board of Directors/NEA RA Delegate #1 position, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19; Greta Brock, Boyne City E Position 4–MEA RA At-Large AlternateRepresenting Minority 3-1(g) 2 positions*, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 6–EA NEA RA At-Large AlternateRepresenting Minority 3-1(g) 2 positions*, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 9–EA MEA RA Cluster Alternate 3 positions, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 11–ESP MEA RA Cluster Alternate 3 positions, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 12–EA NEA RA Cluster Delegate 1 position, immed. thru 8/31/19; NNR 1 position, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19, same seat as above; NNR 1 position, immed. thru 8/31/20; NNR 1 position*, immed. thru 8/31/20; NNR 2 positions, immed. thru 8/31/21; NNR Position 13–EA NEA RA Cluster Alternate 3 positions, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR 1 position*, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 14–ESP NEA RA Cluster Delegate 2 positions, immed. thru 8/31/20; NNR 1 position*, immed. thru 8/31/21; NNR Position 15–ESP NEA RA Cluster Alternate 2 positions, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR 1 position*, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Region 14 MAHE EA RA Cluster Alternate 1 position, immed. thru 3/31/20 Elections Chair: Greta Brock, gbrock@mea.org

REGION 15

Position 1–MEA Board of Directors/NEA RA Delegate #1 position, immed. thru 8/31/20; Allyson McBride-Culver, Traverse City E Position 8–EA MEA RA Cluster Delegate #2 positions, immed. thru 8/31/21; Steve Rubinas, Manton E; Marlene Bailey, Elk Rapids E Position 9–EA MEA RA Cluster Alternate #2 positions, immed. thru 3/31/20; Emily Durkin, Buckley E; Kris Baker-Donnan, Frankfort-Alberta E Position 10–ESP MEA RA Cluster Delegate #1 position, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19; Carrie Wicker, Buckley CFMOPT Position 12–EA NEA RA Cluster Delegate #1 position, immed. thru 8/31/21; Dave Vandeploeg, Elk Rapids E #1 position*, immed. thru 8/31/21; Kris Baker-Donnan, Frankfort-Alberta E Elections Chair: Harvey Miller, hmiller@netonecom.net

REGION 16

No region positions to elect except for Region 50 NEA ESP delegates Elections Chair: Al Beamish, abeamish@mymea.org

REGION ELECTIONS

REGION 17

Position 1–MEA Board of Directors/NEA RA Delegate #1 position, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19; Bob Hanchek, North Central CFMOPT Position 9–EA MEA RA Cluster Alternate #1 position, immed. thru 3/31/20; Chris Lund, Delta-Schoolcraft ISD E Position 12–EA NEA RA Cluster Delegate #1 position, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19; Vicki Snyder, North Central E #1 position*, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19; Cheryl Proksch, North Central E Position 13–EA NEA RA Cluster Alternate 1 position, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR 1 position*, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 15–ESP NEA RA Cluster Alternate #1 position, immed. thru 3/31/20; Kathy Enright, Negaunee OPT Region 17 MAHE Cluster Alternate 1 position, immed. thru 3/31/21; NNR Elections Chair: Lisa Carubini, lcarubini@gmail.com

REGION 18

Position 1–MEA Board of Directors/NEA RA Delegate #1 position, immed. thru 8/31/20; Gail MakiDalbec, Bessemer City E Position 9–EA MEA RA Cluster Alternate #1 position, immed. thru 3/31/20; Heather Skulan, Wakefield-Marenisco E

Position 11–ESP MEA RA Cluster Alternate 2 positions, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 12–EA NEA RA Cluster Delegate 1 position*, immed. thru 8/31/19; NNR 1 position*, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19, same seat as above; NNR #1 position, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19; David Torola, Calumet E 1 position, immed. thru 8/31/20; NNR Position 13–EA NEA RA Cluster Alternate 2 positions, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR 1 position*, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Position 15–ESP NEA RA Cluster Alternate 2 positions, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Region 18 MAHE Cluster Alternate 1 position, immed. thru 3/31/20; NNR Elections Chair: Steve Elenich, selenich@copperisd.org

REGION 50

Region 50–ESP NEA RA At-Large Delegate 1 position, 3 yr. term begins 9/1/19; Theresa Dudley, Reg. 9; Jim Webber, Reg. 13; Jennifer Shelito, Reg. 11; Steve Dickinson, Reg. 8; Debi Rasmussen, Reg. 8; Michele Davis, Reg. 17; Eva Pritchard, Reg. 9; Kelly Davis, Reg. 8; Garrett Marushia-Laurain, Reg. 8; Lisa Watkins, Reg. 3; Barry Mazurek, Reg. 15; Christina Trogan, Reg. 15; Deb Shoultz, Reg. 7; Sue Cox, Reg. 7; Jacob Reno, Reg. 6; William Prince, Reg. 12; Sue Federico, Reg. 13

Region 50–ESP NEA RA At-Large DelegateRepresenting Minority 3-1(g) 3 positions*, 3 yr. terms begin 9/1/19; Theresa Dudley, Reg. 9; Jim Webber, Reg. 13; Debi Rasmussen, Reg. 8; Michele Davis, Reg. 17; Eva Pritchard, Reg. 9; Kelly Davis, Reg. 8; Garrett Marushia-Laurain, Reg. 8; Lisa Watkins, Reg. 3; Odis Haynes, Reg. 5; Elizabeth Dole, Reg. 5; Eursla Moore-Doyle, Reg. 5; Alicea Moll; Reg. 12; Steve Sanchez, Reg. 7; Becky Lesh, Reg. 7; Sue Federico, Reg. 13 Region 50–ESP NEA RA At-Large DelegateRepresenting Minority 3-1(g) 1 position*, immed. thru 8/31/19; Theresa Dudley, Reg. 9; Jim Webber, Reg. 13; Steve Dickinson, Reg. 8; Debi Rasmussen, Reg. 8; Michele Davis, Reg. 17; Eva Pritchard, Reg. 9; Eursla Moore-Doyle, Reg. 5; Elizabeth Doyle, Reg. 5; Garrett Marushia-Laurain, Reg. 8; Lisa Watkins, Reg. 3; Steve Sanchez, Reg. 7; Becky Lesh, Reg. 7; Deb Shoultz, Reg. 7; Antonella Piccirilli, Reg. 6; Jacob Reno, Reg. 6; Sue Federico, Reg. 13 Key: # NNR *

Elected by acclamation No nominations received Minority 3-1(g) position

Reading & Literature Resources from NEA for all ages!

Books can be mirrors so kids of all ages can see themselves reflected in society. They can also be windows that give insight into other people’s experiences, teaching students empathy, tolerance, civility, and acceptance. But finding these books can be a challenge—not to mention creating fun, exciting, meaningful learning experiences around them.

To help, NEA has launched a new Read Across America 2018-19 online calendar. Each month features recommended titles and

links to high-quality free teaching resources for elementary, middle grade, and teen readers. Go to nea.org/readacross to get started.

And if you work at a Title I school, or if you serve primarily low-income students in some capacity, be sure to check out NEA partner First Book, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing books and other school supplies to children in need at discounted cost. Visit First Book Marketplace at fbmarketplace.org. ■ MEA VOICE 31

Schedule your free annual checkup today February is American Heart Month and National Cancer Prevention Month, and now is as good a time as ever to schedule your annual checkup.

MESSA makes it easy to prioritize your health by covering one physical every calendar year for members and their dependents. This preventive checkup comes at no cost to you (no copayment, no deductible) under every MESSA plan, as long as you see an in-network provider.

Heart disease and cancer are the two leading causes of death in the United States, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

Far too often, early signs of these illnesses and others are ignored

Union Dues No Longer Tax Deductible

when a simple screening can literally be a lifesaver.

It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily life and put your health priorities on hold. However, getting a regular checkup is essential to living a full and healthy life. Setting one up is as simple as picking up the phone and scheduling your appointment today.

Staying on top of your health is essential to identifying health concerns early, before they become health scares. Get your annual checkup on your calendar, and get 2019 off to a healthy start. If you need help finding an in-network doctor, call us at 800.336.0013 or use our Find a Doctor tool at www.messa.org. ■

Now is when MEA members typically ask where to find documentation of their 2018 union dues to include as a deductible expense on tax returns.

Unfortunately, that deduction is gone, thanks to the tax overhaul passed by the Republican Congress and signed

By Ross Wilson, MESSA Executive Director

into law by President Donald Trump more than a year ago.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 eliminated the ability of employees to deduct their annual dues amount beginning with the 2018 tax year—yet another example of how elections matter. ■

CLASSIFIEDS Our ad policy, rates and schedule can be found online at mea.org/voice.

The classifieds deadline for the April 2019 issue is March 15.

32 FEBRUARY 2019

TOURS

TRAVEL PLANNING

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We can help you get to anywhere.

We are professional travel planners, we’ll help plan your next trip at no cost to you. Even if you have a trip planned, send us your information to see if we can get you a better price. farfarawaytravels.com or email nichole@farfarawaytravels.com

Strength in numbers.

Take advantage of your group buying power.

As a member of the Michigan Education Association, you have access to exclusive benefits customized for you through your program with Staples Business Advantage®.

With more than 125,000 members, the collective strength of MEA results in corporate discounts and services that work for you.

Real bottom-line impact.

MEA has competitively negotiated low pricing on your behalf.

More of what your classroom or workplace needs.

Office products, cleaning supplies, safety equipment, technology, furniture, coffee, snacks and more.

Flexible shopping options.

Shop online and get fast, free delivery with a $30 order minimum or use your discount in any Staples® retail store.

An expert by your side.

A dedicated Account Manager and product experts who will work to find you efficiencies and savings.

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There are no fees or commitments. MEA has already negotiated the contract so you can start saving!

Learn more or start saving by registering online now at mea.org/members-only.

For more information, contact your Staples® Representative today:

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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Member Wins National Award Now Downs has been selected as one of 40 national winners of the 2018-19 Milken Educator Award, considered “the Oscars of teaching,” bestowed on early- to mid-career educators for their accomplishments and promise.

Asked about why he won, Downs speaks as much about Ann Arbor Open School (AAOS)—its progressive student-driven, child-centered philosophy—as he does about himself.

Admitted by lottery, students at the school are encouraged to embrace their interests and follow their curiosity. Social-emotional learning is woven into the culture, and learning is individualized. Students have freedom to pursue projects and research that interest them.

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 is history.

“I fell in love with this place,” he said of the K-8 magnet school where he’s taught in a 3-4 multi-age classroom for 15 years.

34 FEBRUARY 2019

Student strengths are valued, he said. When his third or fourth graders reach mastery of sixth-grade vocabulary words, they join “Goof Troop”—a purposely silly name for peer helpers who work with others on spelling while completing advanced research projects of their own.

Other students become go-to experts in other subjects or skills.

“When students feel like they’re playing an important role in the classroom or within the school, they feel strong—and it grows.”

Downs has played several leadership roles at the school, including co-curricular director and athletic director. He works on a committee that plans an annual professional development conference, an overnight event held offsite every March for the past 37 years.

The conference by educators for educators offers presentations by experts on topics of interest and provides opportunity for conversation about struggles and successes.

Last year’s topic—youth suicide— led to the AAOS counselor position being bumped up to full-time from part-time.

In addition, from that conference the school is launching a new student program in partnership with the University of Michigan Depression Center—Peer to Peer Leaders— which will train a group of students to recognize students in need of extra help for anxiety or depression.

Downs and counselor Kelly Maveal are co-facilitators of the program which now is training seven peer leaders. “I’ve waited my whole career to get a program like this, so we can really teach those soft skills.”

The Milken Educator Award comes with a $25,000 unrestricted cash prize and the opportunity to connect with a network of other education leaders. The Milken Family Foundation encourages winners to exercise their voices in the public arena.

In addition, Downs said he looks forward to meeting his assigned Milken mentor—a previous winner who will help him learn how to use his new platform, most likely to advocate for the open school concept he loves so much and believes in so deeply.

“I can’t wait to see what other people are doing out there to make an impact for children and what else I can do to help.” ■

As an MEA member, you have access to Long-Term Care (LTC) Insurance – key coverage that protects your financial savings and can help ease your mind.

LTC covers caregiver costs in the event you need assistance from a severe cognitive or physical impairment. MEA Financial Services is committed to providing access to this important financial coverage to help you and your family pay for caregiving services.

LTC costs are NOT covered by health insurance, government programs or long-term disability, so having a long-term care plan in place ensures you receive the quality care you need – without burdening family members or friends.

Choose the Plan that is Right for YOU and Your Family – Fully Customizable Plans and Several Top-Rated Carriers to choose from, including: - LifeSecure Long-Term Care Insurance - Mutual of Omaha Long-Term Care Insurance - One America Long-Term Care Solutions - Transamerica Long-Term Care Insurance Which is right for you? Call 877-720-2166 to get started. An ACSIA Partners Specialist will help you choose the right product and carrier that fits your needs – and your budget. Discounts may be available based on your marital and health status.

Call today to learn more about this important coverage

877-720-2166

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LEGENDARY SERVICE MESSA’s East Lansing Member Service Center is staffed by real people who go out of their way to solve members’ issues — big or small.

Call us at 800.336.0013. We’re here to help!

Robin Garn MESSA Member Service Specialist