2024 MEA conference offers lessons in teaching — and thriving as an educator
For more information, contact:
CHRIS WILLIAMS
651-292-4816 (work)
651-247-5539 (cell)
ST. PAUL, Minnesota, Oct. 16, 2024 – Educators from across Minnesota will attend the annual Minnesota Educator Academy conference on Thursday, where they will hear from various speakers and choose from dozens of classes intended to help them meet the needs of their students and grow as professionals.
“This is the premier event for professional development for educators and we’re proud to offer such high-quality, practical training for educators and aspiring educators each year,” said Education Minnesota President Denise Specht. “We’re providing classes for educators – often by educators – that will improve the quality of the teaching and help Minnesota teachers stay in the profession.”
The opening session will begin at 9 a.m. Thursday. The keynote speaker will be Micia Mosely, the founder and director of The Black Teacher Project of Oakland, California. Among the dozens of sessions offered this year, there are classes on improving reading instruction and classroom management, using music to engage students with special learning needs, teaching critical thinking, discussing racism in the classroom and fun new ways to teach multiplication.
Specht noted that the MEA conference also offers classes to help retain educators during the statewide teacher shortage, including lessons in managing education debt, retirement planning, coping with job stress, and building supportive networks for new educators.
The conference is at the Saint Paul RiverCentre and is only open to Education Minnesota members and those studying to become educators. Education Minnesota asks journalists interested in covering the event to contact Chris Williams in advance to arrange on-site interviews. Williams can also arrange limited access to in-person sessions on Thursday.
About Education Minnesota
Education Minnesota is the voice for professional educators and students. Education Minnesota’s members include teachers and education support professionals in Minnesota’s public school districts, faculty members at Minnesota’s community and technical colleges and University of Minnesota campuses in Duluth and Crookston, retired educators and student teachers. Education Minnesota is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association and AFL-CIO.
