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MEA needs your positive stories to promote public schools

MEA is partnering with Michigan's leading school management groups as part of a new coalition focused on promoting the value of public education, and is seeking positive stories from teachers and education support professionals that will be shared with the public.

Great things are happening at schools all over our state, but these positive stories seem to get lost or minimized by the mainstream media.

So for the past several months, MEA staff have been meeting with representatives from the American Federation of Teachers-Michigan, the Michigan Association of School Administrators, the Michigan Association of School Boards, the Michigan Elementary and Middle School Principals Association, and the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals to develop a method of promoting public education easily and cost-effectively.

Named the Michigan Public Schools Partnership, the new coalition's mission is "to promote the value of public education in Michigan. Community public schools are a key component of our democracy that ensures all students have access to a quality education and a brighter future."

The Michigan Public Schools Partnership will provide news, information, data and resources to school districts, communities, the general public and the media.

In conjunction with American Education Week, the group will launch a website Nov. 18 that will serve as a clearinghouse for positive stories about the great things happening every day in Michigan's public schools. The website will feature an interactive map that will allow visitors to click on a region and see articles submitted by school employees, parents, students and community members.

In order to begin populating the website, please send your positive stories to
mailto:stories@4fortyfourconcepts.com
stories@4fortyfourconcepts.com .

Portland football coach and math teacher works the angles

There are a lot of similarities between teaching in a classroom and coaching on a field, says Portland High School head football coach John Novara - and he's in a position to know.

In addition to his duties with the football team, Novara coaches Portland's freshman boys' basketball team, the girls' track and field team, as well his own children's sports teams.

Then there's his day job as a math teacher at Portland High School, where he teaches pre-algebra, algebra I and geometry, and serves as the junior class adviser.

In order to be a successful coach, "you have to be a successful teacher," Novara said.

"I think coaching and teaching are the same things," Novara said. "You have to want to work with students. You have to put a lot of extra time in.

http://click.email.nea.org/?qs=d43e2e096ac53c5da765e99cdc0c8950fc0066688e4dd58c5c610aa84ffad3c071bf5ec5361ec461
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How to take charge of change


MEA members are encouraged to attend MEA's 2014 Bargaining, Public Affairs & Professional Issues Conference, which will be held Feb. 6-7 at Cobo Center in Detroit.

With the theme of "Taking Charge of Change," the conference will offer in-depth training to MEA members on a host of issues, including evaluations, school finance, bargaining and political action.


The conference will also offer numerous professional development opportunities, where members can earn State Continuing Education Clock Hours (SCECHs) and Michigan ESP Center of Professional Learning credits.


These training sessions will give participants more than just information - members will leave the sessions with the skills and information they need to take charge of the changes they face.


The conference will also feature a lunchtime address from U.S. Rep. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Hills, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by the retiring Sen. Carl Levin.


For more information and to register, go to
http://click.email.nea.org/?qs=d43e2e096ac53c5de159ce74ac5949e76d66f76644bb351647aeb9810ab524379787cd407b81fe05
www.mea.org/bpa .

MEA helps members with state and national certification issues

By law, Michigan public school districts can only employ teachers who have a valid teaching certificate for an instructional assignment.

It can be a complicated process, and thankfully, MEA is here to help.

MEA provides members with up-to-date information on state requirements for maintaining a teaching certificate in Michigan, and provides assistance to members when individual questions arise.

In addition, MEA assists members with issues around federal requirements for teachers, specifically with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, also known as "No Child Left Behind."

http://click.email.nea.org/?qs=d43e2e096ac53c5d491652c932bc997b9a42a24aaccfe8dd8cbd5767453dfd0f9cb41a07e15b26ac
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